Plot Synopsis

Using interviews with palace insiders, as well as royal experts and longtime contributors to "People" magazine, THE STORY OF THE ROYALS is a two-night, four-hour documentary that showcases the key figures who represent four generations of the crown: Queen Elizabeth II, Prince Charles, Prince William and Prince George. This two-part series captures the mystique and history of the monarchy as it hits dizzying heights this spring with a new royal baby and the introduction of Meghan Markle, the first American to marry into the British royal family since Wallis Simpson in 1937. Plus, the event series explores pivotal moments in the crown's history beginning with a simple question: How exactly did we get here? The multipart series captures the mystique of the monarchy through its many loves, losses, extravagances, challenges and charms. With Prince William and Kate's new royal baby and Prince Harry's recent marriage to Meghan Markle, the Windsors have truly begun to modernize and resemble a 21st-century family. THE STORY OF THE ROYALS features friends, former staff members and royal experts to help illustrate this fascinating story (listed alphabetically by first name):
- Aaron Korsh, creator of SUITS
- Alastair Bruce, Sky News correspondent
- Andrew Morton, author of "Diana: Her True Story"
- Anna Whitelock, author of "The Queen's Bed: An Intimate History of Elizabeth's Court"
- Arianne Chernock, author of "Men and the Making of Modern British Feminism"
- Bob Woodruff, ABC News anchor
- Cele Otnes, author of "Royal Fever"
- Charles Anson, former press secretary to The Queen
- Chris Connelly, ABC News contributor
- Christine Knudsen, theology department chair at Immaculate Heart High School
- Colleen Harris, former press secretary to Prince Charles
- Cornelia Guest, goddaughter of Edward VIII & Wallis Simpson
- Daniel Martin, Meghan Markle's makeup artist
- David Wiseman, The Royal Foundation
- Dr. Harvey Young, Meghan Markle's former theater professor
- Dr. Sue Varma, professor of psychiatry at NYU Langone
- Elizabeth Anson, cousin of Queen Elizabeth II
- Emma Bridgewater, royal ceramics manufacturer
- Gloria Allred, women's rights attorney
- Harry Benson, celebrity photographer
- Hugo Vickers, royal biographer
- James Deutsch, folklorist, curator
- Jane Stevens, lady-in-waiting to Princess Margaret
- Jess Cagle, editor-in-chief, PEOPLE
- Lady Jane Rayne, maid of honor at The Queen's coronation
- Laura Mayhall, author of "Women's Suffrage in the British Empire"
- Maria Pollia, theology teacher at Immaculate Heart High School
- Mark Stewart, royal photographer
- Myka Meier, etiquette instructor
- Patrick Jephson, former private secretary to Princess Diana
- Penny Junor, royal biographer
- Phillip Norman, author of "Shout! The Beatles in Their Generation"
- Rebecca Jarvis, ABC News correspondent
- Robert Lacey, author of "Monarch: The Life and Reign of Elizabeth II"
- Sarah Bradford, royal biographer
- Sarah Gristwood, author of "Game of Queens"
- Wynne Frankum, chair of the Bucklebury Parish Council
- Yasmin Alibhai-Brown, journalist

THE STORY OF THE ROYALS premieres on Wednesday, August 22, 2018 from 9-11pm ET/PT on ABC, and concludes the following night on Thursday, August 23 from 9-11pm.