Secrets of the Royal Traditions

From Chivalry to Service: The Honours List

A look at the Birthday and New Year Honours lists, revealing how they came about, taking in everything from the savagery of medieval warfare to the horrors of the First World War. The programme reveals how the knighthood is steeped in ceremonial ritual and harks back to a time of chivalry that never actually existed. The tradition of the servant is also explored, a role that stretches back as long as royalty itself, including the long gone and much-missed post of jester.