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Ian Skelly tours the formal home of the British Court, exploring its remarkable art collection and musical connections, featuring composers from Monteverdi to Judith Weir. In the first of a four-part series exploring UK royal residences, at St James's Palace Ian encounters a strikingly defiant portrait of Charles I made during his trial; drawn plans for George II’s famously lavish firework display; the intimate Chapel Royal where royal marriages have taken place and where, it is said, Mary I’s heart is buried; and the official throne of the British monarch which stands resplendent in a room designed by George IV. His musical journey around the palace includes tracks by Monteverdi, Purcell, Handel, Joseph Bologne, Walton, Julie Cooper and one of Nicholas Lanier’s most recent successors, Judith Weir, Master of the Queen’s Music from 2014 to 2024.

2025 marks the 400th anniversary of the appointment of the first Master of the King’s Music, art dealer Nicholas Lanier, who built the foundations of what would become The Royal Collection. Today the Collection comprises some 700,000 pieces including major art works, manuscripts and instruments, from ancient times right up to the present day, spread over 13 royal residences in the UK.

In this landmark four-part series, Ian Skelly tours four of the most art-laden royal residences in the UK – Windsor Castle, Buckingham Palace, St James’s Palace and Holyrood Palace – to explore the stories and musical connections behind some of the most fascinating objects in the Royal Collection, giving listeners special behind-doors access to these history-steeped locations.

Producer: Graham Rogers