Channel 5 explores Hatfield House: A Royal Residence

Hatfield House is the focus of Channel 5 documentary Hatfield House: A Royal Residence (Image: Yeti Television / Channel 5) Channel 5 documentary Hatfield House: A Royal Residence explores the history of the Hertfordshire stately home on Saturday night.

Featuring the likes of Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen and Princess Diana's former royal butler Paul Burrell, the programme will uncover the inside story behind the once royal residence.

An aerial view of Hatfield House and gardens from the South Front (Image: Yeti Television / Channel 5) Hatfield House is one of Britain’s finest stately houses, and the childhood home of one of the most important Queens in British history.

For centuries, royals have made a pilgrimage to Hatfield to visit the oak tree where a young princess discovered she was now Queen Elizabeth I, an event that heralded the start of the golden Elizabethan era.

The Marble Hall in Hatfield House with the Rainbow Portrait of Queen Elizabeth I (Image: Yeti Television / Channel 5) Hatfield’s history is steeped in royal intrigue, indulgence and — thanks to the late Duke of Edinburgh — the launch of the Elizabethan Jet Age!

Part of a documentary series also including visits to Althorp and Glamis Castle, the ancestral home of Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother, each programme reveals the secrets each place hides and what it meant to the royals who lived there.

An aerial view of Hatfield House and gardens. The mansion features in Channel 5 documentary Hatfield House: A Royal Residence (Image: Yeti Television / Channel 5) The Channel 5 synopsis of the hour-long documentary states: "The episodes delve into the architecture, the grounds and the history of the buildings themselves.

"But we also reveal colourful stories tied up in these houses about royals, celebrities and eye-opening moments in history.

"Royal commentators, historians and experts bring these places and their unique stories to life."

Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen appears in Channel 5 documentary Hatfield House: A Royal Residence (Image: Yeti Television / Channel 5) With privileged access and insightful input from experts including Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen and former royal butler Paul Burrell, producers reveal the behind-the-scenes secrets of a house that’s been a regular royal go-to for centuries.

Former Royal Butler Paul Burrell talks about Hatfield, childhood home of Queen Elizabeth I (Image: Yeti Television / Channel 5)

The estate's royal connections stretch back to the 16th century when three-month-old Elizabeth Tudor was sent to Hatfield by her tyrannical father Henry VIII.

The young princess grew up on the Hatfield estate — with the Old Palace all that now remains from the original palace, which was replaced by Robert Cecil with the current Jacobean mansion built in 1611.

Hatfield House (Image: Yeti Television / Channel 5) The presence of Elizabeth I is felt everywhere at Hatfield House — from priceless paintings of the 'Virgin Queen', including the famous Rainbow Portrait in the Marble Hall, to the delicate silk gloves she wore 500 years ago, to an exquisite family tree claiming she was descended from King Arthur, Julius Caesar and Adam and Eve.

The Armoury at Hatfield House (Image: Yeti Television / Channel 5) Monarchs have been coming to Hatfield ever since.

Queen Victoria was guest of honour at a weekend party at Hatfield House where £70,000 — a lot of money in those days — was spent on food alone, while King George V watched WW1 tank trials on the estate and even took a ride in the tank.

But they’re not the only ‘royals’ to have graced this opulent house.

Royal commentator Jennie Bond talks about Hatfield, childhood home of Queen Elizabeth I (Image: Yeti Television / Channel 5)

Over the years, Hatfield has played host to Queen Elizabeth II, the Duke of Edinburgh, Queen Anne… and Wonder Woman. 

That's because with a spectacular array of lavish rooms, Hatfield House is a regular filming location for TV and movie productions such as Bridgerton, Shakespeare in Love, The Favourite, Wonder Woman starring Gal Gadot​, Tomb Raider with Angelina Jolie, Netflix royal drama The Crown, and The Great. 

Hatfield House: A Royal Residence will be screened on Channel 5 on Saturday, September 28 at 8.30pm.