The Best Royalty Movies and TV Shows on BritBox
Finding a good Royalty movie and TV show to watch can be hard, so we've ranked the best ones and included where to watch them. Check out our list of the best Royalty movies and TV shows of all time streaming on BritBox.
1. Blackadder
What it's about: Through four series and a few specials, Edmund Blackadder and his greasy sidekick Baldrick conjure up cunning plans as Edmund tries to take advantage of desperate times. These situation tragedies had obvious parallels from the Dark Ages to Elizabethan times, the rule of mad George III, and The Great War.
Where to Watch: 24 episodes (96%) are available to stream on a popular subscription service (Prime Video, Hulu & BritBox). 24 episodes (96%) are available to rent or buy from $1.99 on 4 services (iTunes, Prime Video & 2 others).
2. Aristocrats
What it's about: Based on a true story, Aristocrats draws back the curtain on an 18th century English family near the summit of society, revealing a tapestry of romance, prejudice, infidelity, and revolution.
Where to Watch: 6 episodes (100%) are available to stream on a popular subscription service (Prime Video, BritBox & Hoopla).
3. Charles II: The Power and The Passion
What it's about: Charles II: The Power and the Passion is an award-winning British television mini-series, broadcast on BBC One in 2003, and produced by the BBC in association with the A&E Network in the United States depicting the reign of Charles II.
Where to Watch: 4 episodes (67%) are available to stream on a popular subscription service (Prime Video, BritBox & Hoopla). 4 episodes (67%) are available to rent or buy from $1.99 on 4 services (iTunes, Google Play & 2 others).
4. Elizabeth R
What it's about: This historical mini-series documents the reign of Elizabeth I with each episode focusing on one dramatic period in the lengthy reign of the Virgin Queen, including her ascension to the throne, her various marital intrigues, her problems with her cousin Mary, Queen of Scots, and the threatened invasion of the Spanish Armada.
Where to Watch: 6 episodes (100%) are available to stream on a subscription service (BritBox & Hoopla).
5. Spitting Image
What it's about: Spitting Image is an award winning British satirical puppet show, created by Peter Fluck, Roger Law and Martin Lambie-Nairn. The series was produced by Spitting Image Productions for Central Independent Television over 18 series which aired on the ITV from 1984 to 1996. The series was nominated and won numerous awards during its run including 10 BAFTA Awards, including one for editing in 1989, and even won two Emmy Awards in 1985 and 1986 in the Popular Arts Category. The series featured puppet caricatures of celebrities famous during the 1980s and 1990s, including British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and fellow Tory politicians, American president Ronald Reagan, and the British Royal Family. The Series was the first to caricature the Queen mother.The series was axed in 1996, after viewing figures declined. ITV had plans for a new series in 2006, but these were scrapped after a dispute over Ant & Dec puppets used to host the reviews "Best Ever Spitting Image", which were created against Roger Law's wishes.
Where to Watch: 27 episodes (17%) are available to stream on a subscription service (BritBox).
6. The Other Boleyn Girl
What it's about: A sumptuous and sensual tale of intrigue, romance and betrayal set against the backdrop of a defining moment in European history: two beautiful sisters, Anne and Mary Boleyn, driven by their family's blind ambition, compete for the love of the handsome and passionate King Henry VIII.
Where to Watch: Available to stream on a subscription service (Starz, BritBox & Sundance Now), stream on a popular TV everywhere service (Starz) & rent or buy from $2.99 on 6 services (iTunes, Google Play & 4 others).
7. The Six Wives of Henry VIII
What it's about: Through dramatic reconstructions and his own passionate narration, Dr. David Starkey, the controversial Tudor historian, profiles the six women who married Henry Vlll.
Where to Watch: 6 episodes (100%) are available to stream on a subscription service (BritBox). 6 episodes (100%) are available to rent or buy from $1.99 on 3 services (iTunes, Prime Video & Vudu).
8. Ancient Rome: The Rise and Fall of an Empire
What it's about: Ancient Rome: The Rise and Fall of an Empire is a 2006 BBC One docudrama series, with each episode looking at a different key turning point in the history of the Roman Empire.
Where to Watch: 6 episodes (100%) are available to stream on a subscription service (BritBox).
9. The Queen's Palaces
What it's about: Fiona Bruce fronts this eye-opening new three-part series on the stories behind Britain's official royal residences: Buckingham Palace, Windsor Castle and Palace of Holyroodhouse.
Where to Watch: 3 episodes (100%) are available to stream on a subscription service (BritBox).
10. Mrs Brown
What it's about: When Queen Victoria's husband Prince Albert dies, she finds solace in her trusted servant, Mr. John Brown. But their relationship also brings scandal and turmoil to the monarchy.
Where to Watch: Available to watch free online (PlutoTV), stream on a subscription service (BritBox) & rent or buy from $3.99 on 1 service (iTunes).
11. The Other Boleyn Girl
What it's about: Based on the controversial novel by Philippa Gregory, "The Other Boleyn Girl" is a fictionalised account of the life of Lady Mary Boleyn (Natascha McElhone) who becomes mistress to England's king, Henry VIII (Jared Harris), before being ousted by her younger sister, Anne (Jodhi May.) Mary leaves the Court to marry a commoner, but returns when Anne embarks on a reckless policy to save herself from ruin.
Where to Watch: Available to stream on a popular subscription service (Prime Video & BritBox).
12. Beyond the Pale
What it's about: Mr. Whicher is hired by former Home Secretary Sir Edward Shore to investigate the violent threats made against his son Charles, who has recently returned from India with his family.
Where to Watch: Available to stream on a popular subscription service (Prime Video, BritBox & Hoopla).
13. Richard II
What it's about: Richard II, who ascended the throne as a child, is a regal and stately monarch. He believes he is the rightful ruler of England, ordained by God, yet he is a weak and ineffective king - wasteful in his spending habits, unwise in his choise of chansellors, and detached from his country and its people. When he seizes the land of his cousin Henry Bolingbroke, both the commoners and the barons decide that their king has gone too far...
Where to Watch: Available to stream on a subscription service (BritBox & Kanopy).
14. A Royal Scandal
What it's about: Catherine the Great falls in love with an army officer who is plotting against her.
Where to Watch: Available to stream on a subscription service (BritBox).
15. Henry IV Part 1
What it's about: Henry Bolingbroke has now been crowned King of England, but faces a rebellion headed by the embittered Earl of Northumberland and his son (nicknamed 'Hotspur'). Henry's son Hal, the Prince of Wales, has thrown over life at court in favour of heavy drinking and petty theft in the company of a debauched elderly knight, Sir John Falstaff. Hal must extricate himself from some legal problems, regain his father's good opinions and help suppress the uprising.
Where to Watch: Available to stream on a subscription service (BritBox & Kanopy).
16. A Queen Is Crowned
What it's about: A lavish documentary film of Queen Elizabeth II's Coronation in 1953.
Where to Watch: Available to stream on a subscription service (BritBox).
17. Britain's Tudor Treasure: A Night at Hampton Court
What it's about: Lucy Worsley and David Starkey celebrate the 500th anniversary of Britain's finest surviving Tudor building, Hampton Court. As Henry VIII's pleasure palace, Hampton Court was a showcase for royal magnificence and ceremony - and the most important event of all was the christening of Henry's long-awaited son, Prince Edward, on October 15th, 1537. Lucy and David explore how Tudor art, architecture and ritual came together for this momentous occasion. Drawing on historical records and with the help of a team of experts, they recreate key elements of the christening ceremony - including a magnificent set piece procession through Hampton Court involving nearly 100 people in full Tudor costume.
Where to Watch: Available to stream on a subscription service (BritBox).
18. The Tragedy of Richard III
What it's about: Richard Duke of Gloucester, youngest brother of King Edward IV, will stop at nothing to get the crown. He first convinces the ailing King that the Duke of Clarence, his elder brother, is a threat to the lives of Edward's two young sons. Edward has him imprisoned in the Tower of London; killers in Richard's pay then drown Clarence in a barrel of wine. When news of Clarence's death reaches the King, the subsequent grief and remorse bring about his death. Richard is made Lord Protector, with power to rule England while his nephew (now King Edward V) is still a minor. Before the young king's coronation he has his two nephews conveyed to the Tower, ostensibly for their safekeeping. Richard's accomplice, the Duke of Buckingham, then declares the two boys illegitimate and offers Richard the crown, which after a show of reticence he accepts. After Richard's coronation, he and Buckingham have a falling-out over whether or not to assassinate the two children.
Where to Watch: Available to stream on a subscription service (BritBox & Kanopy).
19. Henry VI Part 1
What it's about: The life of King Henry the Sixth, in three parts.
Where to Watch: Available to stream on a subscription service (BritBox & Kanopy).
20. Pericles, Prince of Tyre
What it's about: When Pericles discovers the dread answer to Antioch's riddle, he flees for his life straight into famine, shipwreck, love, fatherhood, and another shipwreck; he loses his wife and daughter, and doesn't find them again until the story moves us through resurrection, attempted murder, pirates, prostitution, and divine revelation.
Where to Watch: Available to stream on a subscription service (BritBox & Kanopy).