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Ian Skelly explores the art and music of the largest occupied castle in the world, home to 40 monarchs since it was built by William the Conqueror. There is a wealth of art on display at Windsor Castle, including an ornate clock with a built-in miniature organ that plays tunes by Handel, and a remarkably life-like portrait of Joseph Haydn. Ian also ventures into some of the less public areas including the Royal Library, in which are kept some very special books and manuscripts – including scores by Purcell and Mendelssohn, and an early Shakespeare edition annotated by Charles I – and the Print Room, where Ian discovers a portrait of Nicholas Lanier, the first ever Master of the King’s Music. To accompany the tour, music by Handel, Haydn, Vaughan Williams, and one of Lanier’s 20th Century successors, Malcolm Williamson, Master of the Queen’s Music from 1975 to 2003.

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