Smithsonian Channel™ Docuseries “Elizabeth” premieres Monday, May 2 at 8/7C.

Promo HERE

Key art HERE

Smithsonian Channel™is set to premiere a brand new series titled Elizabeth, chronicling Queen Elizabeth II’s 70-year reign on the throne. The eight-episode series will premiere the first episode on Monday, May 2 at 8/7c with new episodes airing weekly.

Queen Elizabeth II is arguably the most famous living monarch. She became heir to the throne at age 10. Being a queen for 70 years is a wild ride. Everyone knows of her, but not everyone knows about her.

Elizabeth is an eye-opening look into one of the most powerful women in the world. The series takes us through the aristocratic history, newsworthy scandals, and monumental moments that the royal family has gone through. The 90s and early 2000s brought a magnitude of public criticism and painful private tragedy - multiple family scandals, the Falklands conflict deaths among the family, negative publicity, the destruction of Windsor Castle, and more. Queen Elizabeth II is a royal resilience and a leader like no other. She’s led England and the royal family through their ups, downs, and everything in between.

Program Description:

• At age 10, an unexpected twist of fate led her to become heir to the throne of the world’s greatest empire. At 13, just a mere Princess, she fell in love with a man five years her senior, her third-cousin, Phillip. At 21, she married him and soon had their first two children, Charles and Anne. At 25, she inherited the throne…where she still sits today.

• Over the course of her seven-decade rule, Elizabeth II has been served by over a dozen prime ministers, met the world’s greatest leaders, watched her offspring embroiled in a series of world-captivating scandals, and buried her mother, sister, iconic daughter-in-law, and husband. She has seen her approval-ratings plummet so low the monarchy itself was openly questioned, and later publicly rebounded to become the adoring “grandmother” of a grateful nation.

• Featuring interviews with prime ministers, royal household members and close friends, this series builds a uniquely personal and memorable picture of Queen Elizabeth II.

Episodes Loglines:

101: QUEEN IN WAITING / When her uncle Edward VIII abdicated in 1936, Elizabeth, aged 10, became heir to the throne. Her grandmother insisted she be given lessons to prepare for the role that awaited her - as Queen. When her father died in 1952, she was the wife of a naval officer, Prince Philip of Greece, and a mother of two. She was the youngest monarch to ascend to the throne in 100 years.

102: POMP AND CIRCUMSTANCE / The televised Coronation of the Queen was at first controversial, but her dignity and calmness made the event a world-wide success. The Queen and Philip embarked on a world tour where she was met with enthusiasm everywhere she went. The Queen faced Winston Churchill's stroke and retirement, and the Suez Crisis. And her role, and resolve, were tested when the palace intervened in her sister Margaret's marriage plans.

103: MODERNIZING THE MONARCHY / Criticized for being remote and reserved, the Queen embraced modern technology and gave her first-ever televised Christmas broadcast in 1957. In the 60s, she started to rid the monarchy of its archaic protocols. A mining disaster on home soil taught lessons about the importance of her support and sympathy. A documentary, "The Royal Family" was a massive success, but some thought it went too far in observing the Queen's family life.

104: THE CROWN UNDER ATTACK / In the face of the economic and social uncertainty of 1970s Britain, the Queen's wealth came under scrutiny. Scandals continued to follow her sister Margaret who, now divorced, was photographed in the company of young men. To try to stabilize the monarchy, the Queen encouraged Prince Charles to find a wife to ensure the future of the Windsor dynasty.

105: STRONG AND STEADY / The wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana in 1981 marked the beginning of a golden age for the Queen and the monarchy. Most of the 1980's saw abundant support for the Queen and her children. The Queen's awkward relationship with Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher posed a number of challenges, but the two managed to navigate the diplomatic challenges of the Falklands conflict.

106: THE CROWN IN CRISIS / The 1990s brought relentless public criticism and painful private tragedy to the Queen. She dubbed 1992 her 'Annus Horribilis' in which she saw the collapse of 3 of her children's marriages, as well as the devastating destruction of Windsor Castle. The death of Princess Diana presented the Queen with the gravest challenge - as she focused on protecting her grieving grandsons, the public interpreted the Queen's silence as lack of feeling.

107: REINVENTING THE ROYALS / Still battling negative public opinion, the Queen faced a crisis in Australia where the country had plans to remove her and held a referendum. In 2002, the Queen's younger sister Princess Margaret died, followed by the death of the Queen's Mother just six weeks later. The Palace made plans to modernize the monarchy as the Queen celebrated her Golden Jubilee. Charles and Camilla Parker-Bowles finally married in 2005.

108: HAPPY AND GLORIOUS / In 2012, The Queen marked her Diamond Jubilee - only the second monarch to have ever achieved that milestone. In this decade she undertook an extraordinary state visit to the Republic of Ireland and her political neutrality was tested through both the Scottish referendum and the Brexit vote. Into her 90s, the Queen continues to reign but increasingly she is delegating her duties to her heir, Prince Charles, and his children.

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