A scandalous episode: first the king trying to divorce his wife and a major domestic row developing between them, all conducted in public, with armed guards and slammed doors to exclude the Queen from her husband's coronation. Wonderful proof that the Royal family’s gift for generating bad publicity, and entertaining the population with it, is nothing new.

Next, a repressive government is met by an attempt at armed revolt, leading to public executions enjoyed by a crowd of thousands.

And finally, driven by overwork and mental illness, a much-maligned giant of the political world puts an end to it all.

Three scandals in one episode. Who could ask for more?

Illustration: The Trial of Queen Caroline 1820, by Sir George Hayter, 1820-1823. National Portrait Gallery 999

Music: Bach Partita #2c by J Bu licensed under an Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivatives (aka Music Sharing) 3.0 International License