Courtiers : the secret history of Kensington Palace

Ambitious and talented people flocked to court in search of power and prestige, but Kensington Palace was also a gilded cage.

While its inhabitants were cocooned in comfort and splendour, successful courtiers had level heads and cold hearts; their secrets were never safe.

Among them, a Vice Chamberlain with many vices, a Maid of Honour with a secret marriage, a pushy painter, an alcoholic equerry, a Wild Boy, a penniless poet, a dwarf comedian, two mysterious turbaned Turks and any number of discarded royal mistresses.

An eye-opening portrait of an enthralling group of royal servants, "Courtiers" also throws new light on the dramatic life of George II and Queen Caroline: a lover murdered, babies snatched, horrific illnesses and tearful deathbed reconciliations.