Royal Deaths And Diseases

Episode Three

Decadance

Extravagance, gluttony and infidelity have been the weaknesses of many British rulers, with medical consequences ranging from gout to syphilis and obesity to drug addiction - at times turning the monarchy into a national joke. This film examines examples, including Henry VIII's vast overeating, Charles II's death at the hands of his own court physicians and George IV's opium-fuelled reign.