Sunday, November 15, 2009 beginning at 8 pm (NJN1)

The State Visit (Parts 1 & 2)
How do American hosts entertain a monarch who has visited nearly every country on earth and dined with 10 U.S. presidents over the course of her 55-year reign? The State Visit follows the elaborate preparations as four localities get ready for a visit from the Queen. At the site of the United States’ first permanent British settlement in Jamestown, Virginia, the chief archeologist brushes up on royal etiquette. In Williamsburg, Virginia, nervous hotel staff make sure they prepare Her Majesty’s room to an exacting standard of perfection. The White House hosts the first and only white-tie dinner of the administration and plans for every contingency, including canine misbehavior. In the royal household, they’ve invited celebrity photographer Annie Liebovitz for a formal photo shoot with the Queen, although Liebovitz’s request to seat Her Majesty on a horse inside the state apartments proves a bit too much. In exclusive interviews, Liebovitz shares her desire to capture the essence of monarchy; First Lady Laura Bush personally leads a private tour of the White House; and the Queen’s press secretary reveals the challenges of keeping up with her boss. Behind the scenes and at her side from beginning to end, The State Visit shows what it takes to plan and execute an official visit from the Queen.

Sunday, November 22, 2009 beginning at 8 pm (NJN1)

Headquarters
Buckingham Palace’s 650 rooms form the nerve center of the British monarchy. It is from here that the Queen directs the business of the royal family, entertains heads of state and conducts her private life. Headquarters goes beyond the palace gates for a rare glimpse inside. Ghana’s President Kufour and his wife, along with their entourage, have arranged a state visit. The queen’s guests will stay in Buckingham Palace’s 11 royal suites, where meticulous footmen will valet for them, unpacking and pressing each item of clothing and attending to their every need. For the magnificent banquet, the Queen personally reviews the table arrangements, and the royal chef certifies that the presentation of every plate is perfect. At the Queen’s official birthday celebration, thousands of well-wishers gather under the palace balcony; the Royal Air Force flies in formation overhead. After they greet the crowds, members of the House of Windsor head inside for Her Majesty’s private family party. Headquarters also follows Queen Elizabeth as she prepares for her annual move to Balmoral in Scotland. While she’s gone, 40,000 visitors will tour the royal apartments for a spectacular exhibit of her formal gowns and jewelry, but only after the Queen approves the display.

Head of State
For the dramatic ritual that opens Parliament, the Queen’s coachmen don full livery, and two of her horse-drawn carriages parade through the streets. One holds the Queen — the other carries the crown jewels. Head of State leads viewers through the elaborate state opening of Parliament — from the secret removal of the crown jewels from their Tower of London vault to the moment when the House of Commons slams the door in the face of the Queen’s representative to the eventual conclusion when the rowdy Commons stand before their Queen. Not all of the Queen’s state responsibilities require full regalia. Head of State also attends the weekly private audience between Her Majesty and the British Prime Minister. It is his duty to keep the Queen informed. It is hers to listen and to impart the wisdom gleaned from nine of his predecessors. The royal job also entails extensive travel. Although the Queen has seen almost every country on earth, no monarch has ever set foot in the former Soviet republics of the Baltic states. In a historic visit to the newly democratic Republic of Estonia, the ambassador, his wife and their staff have attended to every detail.

Sunday, November 29, 2009, beginning at 8 pm (NJN1)

The Queen and Us
“The Lord Chamberlain is commanded by Her Majesty to invite you to a Garden Party at Buckingham Palace,” reads the hand-lettered invitation sent to 40,000 guests each year by the palace Garden Party Ladies. The Queen and Us tells the story of four party guests as they savor each moment of this once-in-a-lifetime occasion. At the party, only a select few guests will be presented to the Queen. Attendants calm the jittery nerves of the lucky ones with a crash course in royal protocol. Less formal occasions in every area of the country pack the Queen’s schedule. She removes her shoes for a ceremony at a Hindu temple and dines on Kashmiri specialties prepared especially to her milder taste. But the Queen is not the only member of the royal family who regularly crosses the country. In rural Northumberland, Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall take tea and get a tour from a local organic farmer. In the barn, the couple meets two very special cows born around the time of their royal wedding. The animals were required by the Angus Society to have names beginning with the letter “C” and are called — yes, Charles and Camilla.

Inside the Firm
To handle 4,000 state visits, balls, school dedications, nursing home visits and charity events, the queen depends on her husband, her children, cousins and now a new generation of grandchildren. In Inside the Firm, the Queen’s children talk frankly about the roles they were born into and the challenges of royal life. Each has a unique royal style: Prince Edward’s theater training helps him give a special flourish to the standard plaque unveiling. Prince Charles advocates for farmers and takes the train to reduce his carbon footprint. Princess Anne, who felt uneasy with her role at first, is now known as the hardest working royal with 595 engagements in a single year. But who’s counting? Tim O’Donovan is. The unofficial royal statistician has kept tabs on every royal activity since 1980. And everyone is on hand for the biggest indoor royal event of the year, when nearly a thousand diplomats from 157 nations attend a sumptuous royal ball.