Entertainment
Here's Every Royal Expert Featured in 'The Story Of The Royals'
The Story of the Royals is the second documentary miniseries from ABC and People, who previously teamed up for last summer's The Story of Diana, to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the late princess's death. The new project focuses on the four generations now representing the crown — Queen Elizabeth, Prince Charles, Prince William, and Prince George — and it relies on a bevy of experts to tell the story. So who are the royal experts featured in The Story of the Royals? They're comprised of palace insiders who have worked closely with the royal family, royal historians, and journalists who have dedicated their careers to covering the family in meticulous detail.
The Story of the Royals also takes a closer look at the events of last spring, which was an eventful one for the royal family. They welcomed both Meghan Markle and Prince Louis into the fold in the span of one month. Using both footage of the family and interviews from royal experts to contextualize their place in the world, The Story of the Royals aims to examine the American fascination with the British monarchy and how they've moved into the 21st century. Here's a closer look at the experts they they tapped.
Andrew Morton
Andrew Morton is a British journalist and author who has written books about Princess Diana, Prince William and Kate Middleton's relationship, and Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's relationship.
Anna Whitelock
Anna Whitelock is a British historian, author, broadcaster and royal commentator. She's also the Director of the London Centre for Public History and Heritage.
Charles Anson
Charles Anson is a former press secretary to the Queen, who served in the position from 1990-1996.
Penny Junor
Penny Junor is a British journalist and author who has penned biographies on Prince Charles, Princess Diana, Prince William, and Prince Harry, in addition to other books on the royal family.
Robert Lacey
Robert Lacey is a British historian and biographer who wrote a bestselling biography about Queen Elizabeth II. He also serves as a historical advisor on Netflix's The Crown. Lacey is married to Lady Jane Rayne, the daughter of the 8th Marquess of Londonderry and a maid of honor at Queen Elizabeth's coronation.
Sarah Bradford
Sarah Bradford is the Viscountess Bangor and an author who's written several royal biographies.
Cele Otnes
Cele Otnes is a professor of marketing and advertising at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and an expert on the global branding of the British royal family.
Chris Connelly
Chris Connelly is most recognizable to millennials as the face of MTV News from 1988-2001. He served as an entertainment reporter and anchor at the network during one of the royals' most memorable decades: the 1990s.
David Wiseman
David Wiseman is the the head of Armed Forces Programmes for the Royal Foundation of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. As a former Yorkshire Regiment infantryman, he helped Prince Harry spearhead the Invictus Games, an international sporting event for wounded veterans.
Dr. Sue Varma
Dr. Sue Varma is a psychiatrist and clinical assistant professor at NYU’s Langone Medical Center who frequently comments on the psychology behind Americans' obsession with the royals.
Elizabeth Anson
Lady Elizabeth Anson is the first cousin of Queen Elizabeth II and her so-called "unofficial party planner," according to the Daily Mail.
Harry Benson
Harry Benson is a Scottish photographer who in 2014 was commissioned to take an official portrait of the Queen, 50 years after he took his first photograph of her opening a coal mine in 1957.
Dr. Harvey Young
Dr. Harvey Young is the Dean of the College of Fine Arts at Boston University and a commentator at the intersection of race and culture who taught Markle as an acting student at Northwestern University. He's quoted in Andrew Morton's biography about her.
Hugo Vickers
Hugo Vickers is a British biographer and broadcaster who serves as the chairman of the Jubilee Walkway Trust, an official walking route in London designed to link its tourist attractions.
Jane Stevens
Jane Stevens was a lady-in-waiting to Princess Margaret, Queen Elizabeth II's sister, for over 30 years. She was also the godmother to Margaret's daughter, Lady Sarah Chatto, and had a unique perspective on the royal family as someone in service to the Queen's sister.
Laura Mayhall
Laura Mayhall is a writer and associate professor at Catholic University whose expertise lies in modern Britain.
Maria Pollia
Maria Pollia is a theology teacher at Immaculate Heart High School in Los Angeles who taught Markle in her junior year.
Mark Stewart
Mark Stewart is a British royal photographer whose keen eye noticed early on that Kate Middleton would go on to be an important figure in Prince William's life. As such, he has some of the earliest documented footage of their relationship.
Myka Meier
Myka Meier is an etiquette expert and founder of Beaumont Etiquette. She has both studied under a member of The Royal Household of Her Majesty the Queen and gone on to work with members of the royal family.
Patrick Jephson
Patrick Jephson was a military officer who served as Princess Diana's private secretary. According to People, he believed that being in the presence of the royal family demanded formality, but Diana would make him question that with her warmth and approachable nature. "Even if she was really quite young and inexperienced and in many ways naïve, there was a freedom about her that was both uplifting and inspiring," he said, "and [it] sure as heck made you want to go out and slay dragons for her."
Philip Norman
Philip Norman is a British biographer, journalist, and playwright known for his work covering British pop culture icons like The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, and Elton John.
Rebecca Jarvis
Rebecca Jarvis serves as ABC News' Chief Business, Economics, and Technology Correspondent.
Yasmin Alibhai-Brown
Yasmin Alibhai-Brown is a British journalist and author known for her leftist politics and and commentary on immigration, diversity and multiculturalism.
Aaron Korsh
Aaron Korsh is the creator of Suits, the series on which Meghan Markle rose to fame and eventually left to join the royal family.
Alastair Bruce
Alastair Bruce is the Royal, Religious and National Events Commentator for Sky News. He also served as a historical advisor on Downton Abbey.
Arianne Chernock
Arianne Chernock is an author and Associate Professor of History at Boston University, with a focus on modern British history.
Bob Woodruff
Bob Woodruff is an ABC News reporter who spent time in the London Bureau covering the young royals in the 1990s.
Christine Knudsen
Christine Knudsen is the theology department chair at Immaculate Heart High School, Meghan Markle's alma mater.
Colleen Harris
Colleen Harris is the former press secretary to Prince Charles.
Cornelia Guest
Cornelia Guest is the goddaughter of the Duke and Duchess of Windsor, the former King Edward VIII and Wallis Simpson. He famously abdicated the throne in 1936 to marry Simpson, a twice divorced American, who, at the time, was considered unfit for a King to marry.
Daniel Martin
Daniel Martin is Meghan Markle's makeup artist and the person behind her wedding day look.
Emma Bridgewater
Emma Bridgewater is a royal ceramics manufacturer who makes all those commemorative trinkets celebrating royal milestones.
Gloria Allred
Famed women's rights attorney Gloria Allred has a unique connection to Meghan Markle — she once received a letter from the 11-year-old princess-to-be wanting to know what she could do about a sexist Ivory Dish Soap commercial she saw on TV.
Sarah Gristwood
Sarah Gristwood is a "Tudor biographer, novelist, broadcaster, former film journalist and commentator on royal affairs," according to her website.
Wynne Frankum
Wynne Frankum is the chair of the Bucklebury Parish Council, Kate Middleton's home village.
The Story of the Royals airs August 22 and 23 on ABC.
