Inside the Tower of London

-The Tower of London.

It's 2022, and this will be one of the most extraordinary times in its 1,000-year history.

-Hip, hip!

-Hooray!

-Torture -- go down the stairs to the left.

-It's already seen more famous events than anywhere else in Britain.

-Anne Boleyn got her head cut off.

-Guy Fawkes -And 42 monarchs... -William the Conqueror.

-King Henry VIII.

-Bloody Mary.

-...come and go.

Now, with exclusive access, we meet the men and women keeping the tower running during an incredible 12 months... -Somebody asked if the Tower of London was a new build, and, no, it's 1,000 years old.

-...as the tower marks its first-ever Platinum Jubilee.

-We will never see a Platinum Jubilee again in our lifetime.

-One of the saddest moments in its history.

-The passing of Queen Elizabeth II.

-And the proclamation of a new king.

-God preserve King Charles III!

-In this episode, the tower begins planning one of the biggest celebrations in modern times -- the Queen's Platinum Jubilee.

-By the center!

Quick march!

[ Rhythmic drumbeats ] -The race is on to pull off the most ambitious royal event ever, transforming the tower's moat into a floral extravaganza of over 20 million flowers.

-There's a lot of pressure because of the eyes of the world will be on it.

-And we're on the trail of Henry VII's most ruthless adviser.

-Anne was executed right here, and Cromwell saw the whole thing.

-Welcome to the secret world of the Tower of London.

It's September 2021, and the tower is bursting with visitors.

-Everything's open.

There's 17.4 acres of stuff itching for you to get your hands on it.

-Keeping an eye on proceedings is Chief Yeoman Warder Pete McGowan.

Next year marks the Queen's Platinum Jubilee, the first-ever in British history.

As a royal palace, the tower will be at the heart of national celebrations, and there's already an air of anticipation.

-Preparing for next year, it's gonna be the biggest year.

We're really excited.

We're doing a lot in the background to make sure next year works.

-Jubilee years are always great.

I remember being a young child, dressing up as a soldier and street parties.

-We've got lots to look forward to, lots of Jubilee celebrations ourselves as a Tower family.

-Although the tower has seen 1,000 of royal ceremonies, celebrating 70 years of the monarch's reign is a first.

Pete's planning starts now.

-We've never seen it before.

We won't see it again.

There's a bit of pressure there.

There's no second chances.

It's really important to us 'cause we are bodyguards of the Queen.

-Since Henry VII created the role of Royal Bodyguard in 1485, every Yeoman Warder at the Tower of London has been a man... -They are the real thing.

One press of a button, the alarms are going off.

If you still don't believe me, give it a go.

[ Laughter ] -...until the appointment of Army veteran Moira Cameron in 2007.

-How are you all today?

[ All cheer ] Great!

Fabulous!

-Moira was joined by Sergeant Major Amanda, or "AJ," Clark in 2017.

-Torture -- go down the stairs to the left.

-And now in 2021, Emma Rousell from the RAF is hoping to follow suit.

-Give us a bit of a once-over?

-Turn around.

-Emma is currently on probation, which will only end when she jumps one final hurdle.

-Turn around again.

-She'll need to know the 1,000 years of history known as "the story" that all Yeomen Warders have to learn for their tours.

-Just your belt just needs to come down very slightly.

Turn around, Dick Whittington.

-If Emma can pass this test, she'll become only the third-ever female Yeoman Warder at the tower.

-Yeah.

Looking hot.

-You ready then?

-Yeah, yeah.

Let's go.

-Come on then.

-Today she is practicing with her mentor, seasoned veteran Gary Thynne.

-Go from the top, okay?

-Okay.

Like we've done before and then we'll see how far you've got and then, any problems, we'll stop and then we'll go again.

-Okay.

-Just on the block.

-Good morning, ladies and gentlemen.

My name is Yeoman Warder Emma Rousell, and for the next hour, I shall be your guide and together... -To pass the test, Emma will need to memorize every word in the 21-page Bible.

-It was also a royal menagerie, or zoo.

All the official records and papers of our kings' and queens' courts were stored here.

Uh... -Although Emma has done some public speaking in her time... -This...

-"Situation."

-Yes.

This situation... -22 years as an RAF chef hasn't prepared her for reeling off pages and pages of historical facts.

-Just for a moment... -No.

"The first."

-The first victim was Simon Burley.

-Simon -- -Simon Sudbury.

The headless corpse would be brought back into the Tower of London, where it would be quickly buried in an unmarked grave at the Chapel Royal of P-- St.

Peter ad Vincula.

[ Chuckles ] I do keep tripping up on the dates, um, but I think, because we're doing it all the time, that will eventually happen.

There's so many dates around the same date, and I think that's where I keep going wrong.

-Okay.

Brill.

-Nice going.

-Hey, kids.

How you doing?

-For the Queen's Platinum Jubilee on the 2nd of June, 2022, the tower has a whole host of celebrations planned, and one of them is simply enormous.

-There you go, my lady.

-Thank you.

-It's called Superbloom, and it's not only vast.

It's an incredibly complex undertaking.

The tower's 14,000 square meters of moat will be totally transformed into a floral meadow as a tribute to the Queen.

A staggering 20 million carefully selected seeds will be custom mixed and planted throughout the moat.

It's designed to last the entire summer.

This epic planting scheme has been devised by horticultural expert Professor Nigel Dunnett.

-Well, I've got the plans here for the whole moat.

-And today, Head of Public Engagement Projects Rhiannon Goddard, along with Nigel, are hoping to win Chief Yeoman Warder Pete's blessing for the vision, which includes winding pathways, sculptures, and even a slide.

-So, here we've got the big entrance, the slide coming in, and a gathering space here.

People come in, see the sea of flowers ahead of them.

And as you move through, it's a journey.

And there's always something around the corner to see.

And the end is a different experience to the beginning.

-Oh, marvelous.

-Different seed mixes will bloom at different times over the summer months, creating an ever-changing, impressionistic experience.

-You start off as a spectator, you become sort of immersed in it, and by the end, you're almost like one of the insects in amongst the flowers itself.

-Nigel has already designed the planting for the 2012 Olympic Park and a garden at Buckingham Palace.

But this is by far his most challenging project ever.

And with the 2nd of June, 2022, just six months away, there's a lot to do.

The moat must be landscaped, seeded, and planted to be ready for the Jubilee weekend.

-The really tricky thing is not only to be successful, but to flower for months and months on end.

It's a really complex thing, so it's not something that we can just sort of dream up overnight.

-Like the 800,000 ceramic poppies in 2014 and the 10,000 flames that lit up the moat four years later, the tower hopes that Superbloom will also be a global news success story.

And the heat is on to get it right.

-There's a lot of pressure because of the timescale of the project, but also the eyes of the world will be on it... -Absolutely.

-...for such a special event in such a special place.

-When we've done things in the past, thank goodness they've been world-class.

So, uh -- So, uh, good on you, mate.

[ Laughter ] That's -- That's all I can say.

-Coming up, a very special ceremonial object is presented to the tower.

-We're going to kick off the celebrations for Her Majesty the Queen's Platinum Jubilee, and the tower only does spectacular.

-And we find out what happens when Henry VII's most infamous advisor fails to please the king.

-Up until now, Cromwell has delivered everything that the King wanted.

But with this, he has undermined royal authority.

-Come right in, folks!

Come right round!

-It's September 2021, and the tower is packed.

-Go to the Medieval Palace, and then you can walk all the way around the battlements.

It's pretty cool.

-With the Queen's Platinum Jubilee happening next year, the tower is hoping that its annual 2.8 million visitors will be surpassed with the help of a major new attraction, Superbloom, the transformation of the entire moat into a sea of flowers.

Horticultural expert Professor Nigel Dunnett has the daunting challenge of ensuring the 20,000 seeds bloom in time for the grand launch on the Jubilee weekend.

He's been carrying out some experiments in the moat.

But his real Superbloom laboratory is his test beds at Sheffield University, where he's trialing more than 60 varieties of flowers to see which will be the most effective.

-The trial plants are hidden away a little bit further down the hillside.

So, shall we go and have a look?

-Yes, please.

-Yeah.

Let's do that.

Yeah.

Come on.

-Today, Nigel's invited tower staff Eva Koch-Schulte and Rhiannon Goddard to get a sneak preview of his grand plan.

-I'd really love to get your impressions of this because these were sown fairly recently, probably 10 weeks ago.

-Oh, really?

Wow.

-So it's just coming into flower, and this gives a real impression maybe of the opening time, the Jubilee weekend... -Yes.

...where you've got a lot of promise, but also a lot of flowers.

-If this is eight or nine weeks, this is stunning, absolutely stunning, yeah.

-Extraordinary.

That blue is incredible.

-I've always said it's like a jewel box, isn't it?

Sparkling.

And I think to have it set amongst the fresh green foliage and the leaves of everything else that's gonna come up really intensifies those bright colors.

-I don't know why, but this makes me feel a bit tearful.

I mean, in a good way, you know?

It's just breathtaking.

-But Eva and Rhiannon's response is no guarantee of success.

Nigel still has a huge amount to worry about.

-I'm feeling quite nervous because nothing like this has been achieved before using seeding.

That's really stressful because this is a living system.

What if you have a really cold summer?

What if it's weeks and weeks of torrential downpours?

You know, that's what's causing me sleepless nights because so much is riding on the flowers.

It's the bloom of the Superbloom, and if that doesn't work, then the whole thing isn't gonna work.

I really do think the pressure is on.

-Back at the tower, it's business as usual -- tales of intrigue, plots, torture, and of course everyone's favorite, the gruesome executions of the wives of King Henry VIII.

-...of the many traitors brought through that Water Gate as enemies of England, a list that includes Queen Anne Boleyn and Queen Catherine Howard.

-But apart from being a tourist attraction, the Tower of London is still the nation's safe house.

It's home to some of the most valuable treasures on earth -- the Crown Jewels.

Deputy Governor Debbie Whittingham is in charge of security, and she's been asked a very unusual favor.

-The Tower of London has some really exciting news, that we're going to be involved in a really special ceremony to kick off the celebrations for Her Majesty the Queen's Platinum Jubilee.

The ceremony is to take receipt of this special Platinum Jubilee globe that has been used in the initial part of the celebrations for the Jubilee, and we're gonna look after it until that event takes place.

-The Queen will use the globe for the beacon lighting ceremony that marks the start of the Jubilee weekend.

Until then, it needs to be kept somewhere secure.

And where better than the nation's most famous fortress?

-The plan for the arrival of this globe has to be spectacular, and the tower only does spectacular.

So we're gonna bring it in, in real style.

We're going to then put it in a very safe place under lock and key, but we're going to allow the visitors to see it.

-This precious object has been specially designed to celebrate one of the Queen's proudest achievements, the creation of the Commonwealth.

By the early 20th century, the fading British Empire gradually morphed into a free association known as the Commonwealth of Nations.

It now consists of 56 member states, nearly 2.4 billion people.

Inside the White Tower, Chief Exhibitor Nivek Amichund is helping Debbie decide where the Jubilee globe should be displayed.

-Morning, Nivek.

-Morning.

-So, this is the final decision.

It's gonna be in here.

-Yeah.

-Because of the space we've got.

I think putting it right in the middle will give people the opportunity to walk around it without looking at anything else.

Are you happy with that?

-Yeah, that works for me.

-Excellent.

Well, I can't wait for it to arrive.

And when it's all in place, I might pay it a visit myself.

-Please do.

-When a royal ceremony takes place at the tower, a great deal of thought goes on behind the scenes into conceiving and organizing it.

130 miles away from the tower, in deepest Norfolk, Bruno Peek, the Queen's pageant master, is hard at work planning the very first event at the tower to kick off the Platinum Jubilee.

-I always think a pageant master's a bit like a ringmaster.

You're basically the person who brings the acts together and oversees the planning and the organization to make sure that the show goes on.

-Bruno frequently finds himself at the epicenter of royal events, and he's got a scrapbook to prove it.

-I sometimes still pinch myself and think, "Here I am, standing with Her Majesty the Queen and the future King of England."

So, yeah, I don't take anything for granted.

This is Her Majesty the Queen lighting the beacon at Windsor Castle.

And then this is the Queen lighting the beacon for the Diamond Jubilee.

And again, this is the Queen lighting the beacon to celebrate her 90th birthday at Windsor Castle, too.

-And despite being a man with a passion for beacons, this time, he's gone for something a bit different.

-The beauty of these types of events is that you can bring unique elements into it.

And this is why I came up with the idea of the Commonwealth of Nations Globe.

-Made from precious metals and rich blue enamel, the Commonwealth of Nations Globe will be an atlas of the world, with each of the 56 countries of the Commonwealth represented in thousands of pounds worth of sterling silver.

-Because the Tower of London holds the Crown Jewels and has housed kings and queens, where better to take a priceless piece of art for safekeeping until it's used by our monarch?

-Rewind the clock 500 years, and the Tower of London is witness to another monarch's celebration, the coronation of Anne Boleyn.

-Picture the scene -- stood right here on that historical day, only our Henry awaiting the arrival of wife number two, Anne Boleyn, which is error number one, really, as far as Boleyn is concerned, because you do not keep the monarch waiting, especially, by the way, when that monarch happens to have the patience of Henry VIII.

-Given what we know about his temper and ruthlessness, it's remarkable that so many moths fluttered so eagerly around his royal flame.

But for those that did, the risk was outweighed by the possible reward.

Chief Curator Tracy Borman is on the trail of Henry VII's most loyal servant, Thomas Cromwell.

-Thanks very much.

-No problem.

Good day.

-From the moment he became king, Henry VIII was a demanding ruler who knew what he wanted and wouldn't suffer anyone who stood in his way.

Well, I often wonder what I would have done if I'd been at his court.

Would I have lived quietly in the background?

Or would I have risked my safety and ambitiously tried to get close to the king?

Well, if I had managed to maneuver myself into a position of power, the chances are I'd have ended up in this building right here.

-The Queen's House on Tower Green is one of the oldest surviving parts of the tower.

During Henry's reign, it was one of the most powerful places in the country.

-Well, I love being in this room.

It's not open to the public, but so much of the tower's history happened right here.

And it was here for a while, during the reign of Henry VIII, that his Privy Council would have met.

So the most powerful men in the kingdom would have gathered around a table much like this.

And most powerful of all was the king's chief minister, Thomas Cromwell.

-Cromwell wasn't born into a noble family, but he was a skilled operator who landed a job with Cardinal Wolsey.

But Wolsey's failure to secure Henry's divorce from Katherine of Aragon ended the Cardinal's career and made Cromwell's.

With Wolsey gone, Cromwell not only secured Henry's divorce from Katherine, but from the entire Catholic Church.

With Henry now happily married to Anne Boleyn, by 1534, Cromwell's tentacles reached into every nook and cranny of Parliament and court.

-He has the King's full trust and the awesome power and responsibility that comes with that.

And I find it just incredible that the son of a blacksmith has grown up to quickly become a formidable force in Henry's circle.

And the other thing that Cromwell does is to use the tower and all of the might and terror that this fortress represents to enforce the king's will.

-But engineering the break with Rome hadn't been easy, especially because there were many influential clerics who bitterly opposed it and who hated Henry's marriage to Anne.

By now, Cromwell was not a man to be crossed.

-There were two people in particular who Cromwell went after -- Thomas More and Bishop John Fisher.

He had both men brought here to the tower for refusing to recognize the king's new marriage.

And right here, where I'm sitting, Cromwell would have interrogated Moore and Fisher.

And it's incredible to think of this seismic moment in England's history taking place right here in this room.

-Cromwell had Thomas More and John Fisher executed.

His next target was even more ambitious.

-By this point, Henry has fallen out of love with Anne and he wants her gone.

And Cromwell's power is now so absolute that he has no hesitation in plotting the charges to bring her down.

-He accuses her of adultery and treason.

In a sham trial, she's found guilty and sentenced to death.

By now, Cromwell needed a home that reflected his status and power.

Tracy has come to the City of London to see how Cromwell's ambitions took shape.

-In around 1535, Cromwell commissions a new house here at Austin Friars for a cost of a staggering �1,000.

That's about �1 million in today's money.

And this place is vast, probably the largest private residence in the City of London.

It covers two acres.

And there are the deeds to it here, which I am seeing for the very first time.

And it's so thrilling, particularly when, fourth line down, I can just spot the name "Thomas Cromwell."

And I'm sitting here in the heart of his new empire.

Because this new house isn't just a family home.

It's also a political base.

This is where he's plotting everything from the dissolution of the monasteries to the king's next marriage.

-Thomas Cromwell now had wealth, power, and property.

He seemed invulnerable.

But no one was safe in the court of Henry VIII.

Five centuries later and three miles away along the river at Westminster, Professor Nigel Dunnett has creative concerns on his mind.

He's on the hunt for color inspiration for the plants he's growing as part of the tower's Platinum Jubilee celebration known as Superbloom.

-I did some background research into Impressionism and Impressionist painters and just looking at colors and inspiration.

And quite incredibly, I came across a series of paintings that Monet did here on the River Thames of the Houses of Parliament.

And in fact, the view that I'm pointing to in the paintings is exactly that view over there.

And I think just a quick look at this one gives a sense of the vibrancy of those colors.

-Claude Monet's use of color is the key to Nigel's Superbloom scheme.

-You see that this is made up of lots of individual brushstrokes.

These individual flecks of color build up to create this bigger blend and impression.

And the different seed mixes -- we've got 15 of them -- could almost be seen as individual brushstrokes here.

But what really impressed me was the gradation of color from, in this instance, bright yellows and oranges through pinks, purples, and blues.

And that's how I'm starting to think about how we'll design the moat.

-Back in the City of London, Chief Curator Tracy Borman is charting the rise and fall of Henry VII's loyal enforcer, Thomas Cromwell.

Cromwell seemed to have the kingdom in the palm of his hand, but by 1536, it had begun to go wrong.

His persecution of the Catholic Church began to backfire when the king's forces were required to crush a violent 20,000-strong Catholic uprising.

-Cromwell has a huge black mark against his name.

Up until now, he's delivered everything that the king wanted, but with this, he has undermined royal authority.

-Cromwell desperately needed to get back in Henry's good books.

Henry's third wife, Jane Seymour, had died, and the king was back on the market, so Cromwell lost no time in finding Henry a new wife.

-Cromwell has lined up a number of potential brides from the courts of Europe, and he has portraits painted of them.

It's kind of like a Tudor version of Tinder.

The thing is, though, Henry VIII is used to choosing brides for himself, and he tends to go for the ones he fancies, understandably enough, but this time, he's agreed that it will be a political alliance.

So he won't actually get to meet his bride before agreeing to the marriage.

For Cromwell, there is a front runner.

She is a German princess called Anne of Cleves, and on paper, she looks perfect.

-But when Henry finally clapped eyes on Anne in 1540, things turned sour quickly.

-Upon first meeting Anne, Henry made it very clear that he was deeply disappointed, angry even, that she looked nothing like her portrait, and in his eyes, there was only one person to blame.

When Cromwell arrives to lead a meeting of the Privy Council at Westminster on the 10th of June, 1540, he's accused of treason and arrested on the spot.

The incredible scene is described by the French ambassador, who writes... -Cromwell is dragged into a barge, which sets off immediately for the dreaded tower.

-It's quite extraordinary to be on the boat, following the same journey that Cromwell himself would have taken.

He'd have seen the tower from here, from the river, and known that, the last time he was there, it was the seat of his power, and now he was returning as a prisoner.

-From his prison cell, the once-mighty Cromwell begged for his life.

-Well, it really is incredible to be reading one of Cromwell's last-ever letters here in the tower.

And the bit that I find most poignant of all is the postscript that Cromwell adds, and he says, "Most gracious Prince, I cry for mercy, mercy, mercy."

-There was no way back for Cromwell.

He had danced with the devil and finally lost.

He was executed as a mere commoner, his head boiled and placed on London Bridge.

-Cromwell had wielded more power over Henry VIII than any man before or since, and his legacy was immense.

There was nobody even approaching his genius to succeed him.

Well, Cromwell knew that in order to get power, he had to get close to the King.

It was a dangerous game, but he'd chosen to play it.

-Coming up... -Quick march!

-...as the Commonwealth Globe arrives at the tower, the pressure is on for one RAF cadet... -It was only sprung on me as we got here, so, uh, a little nervous.

-...and the moat undergoes its biggest transformation since World War II.

-The meter's running big time.

But the sun's shining.

What could possibly go wrong?

-It's January 2022, and as the new year dawns, work begins on the Tower Moat.

The tower has hired Mark Gregory and his landscape company to oversee the vast groundworks required before planting can start on Superbloom.

The time frame for the project is a huge challenge.

-It's a very, very tight window.

We've got 30 weeks to deliver something pretty amazing, and it has to be delivered 'cause if it isn't, I'll be spending a few nights inside the tower.

-One of the biggest headaches of working on a World Heritage site is that the ground is full of historic artifacts and must be disturbed as little as possible.

So instead of planting directly into the moat, the team is bringing in a thick layer of earth to put on top, a massive feat of engineering.

-We're doing about 200 tons a day.

So this week, we'll do 1000 tons.

-The most important thing is to get the soil down in time for the seeds to germinate.

-If I miss that window, then that's it.

Everything else is irrelevant.

So, you know, the meter's -- the meter's running big time.

Yeah.

But the sun's shining.

What could possibly go wrong?

-As winter becomes spring, inside the tower walls, there are plenty of crowds.

-Lucky enough for you, I have a map in my pocket.

Let me just make sure there's nothing else, you know, men's phone numbers and things like that.

-For the tower's 32 Yeoman Warders, the visitors are one of the perks of the job.

-As you can see behind me, we're quite busy today at the Tower of London, and there's a buzz about the place.

The tower comes alive with visitors.

-They can also be an occupational hazard.

-The royal family mainly lived on that top floor.

On the floor below was a council chamber.

-The Yeoman Warder tours are getting a lot bigger, but that means you have to project your voice so everybody can hear you.

Speaking to other Yeoman Warders when I first got here, they said, "Don't shout from up here.

Use your stomach."

So when I finish the tour, I actually feel like I've been doing sit ups.

It's my stomach that's in tighter then 'cause you got to try to use the diaphragm to expel it.

-One person hoping to get a similar workout is Emma Rousell.

-Well, I live next door to the bloody tower over there.

So you would have walked right past my house.

Yeah, yeah.

-Emma's been at the tower for almost six months.

-I got these two smiling, as well -- look.

-Well done, you.

-Amazing!

-And although she's settled into life at the fortress, there's still one big hurdle to jump before she can call it home -- the dreaded history test that she's spent months preparing for.

-Every night brings a new paragraph or a new sentence, depending on how well I'm doing.

It just takes me a little closer to learning that whole story and being that person doing the Yeoman tours on the block, you know?

-This 8,700-word document must be committed to memory by every Beefeater before they can conduct guided tours.

-It is a massive feat, especially for me.

I'm not great remembering stuff.

-Nearly done, guys, nearly done.

-Emma was just one of two Yeoman Warders picked from a field of 51 ex-service personnel.

[ Knock on door ] -Come in.

Hello, Pete.

-Good morning, Andrew.

How are you?

-Yeah, great, thanks.

Grab a seat.

-Thank you.

-The tower has invested time, effort, and money on their training over the last year, and Tower Governor Brigadier Andrew Jackson and Chief Yeoman Warder Pete McGowan want to make sure Emma's up to the mark.

-So, Emma's nearly ready for her story test, I believe.

-Obviously, like all candidates ready for the for the final test, a bit nervous.

-This is such an important part of the Yeoman Warder's job.

It's just the ability to have a large audience in front of you, to tell the story of the long history of the tower, and to be able to keep that audience in the palm of your hand for an hour.

It's a real challenge.

-With her exam looming, a nervous Emma is hard at work morning, noon, and night.

She's enlisted some extra help from Yeoman Sergeant Shaun Huggins.

-How you doing, Em?

You okay?

-Yeah, yeah.

-So, you've got the big test on Monday, the Governor's test?

-Yeah, yeah, so... -Well, let's do it and see what happens and I'll give you a couple of pointers.

So, if you want to step on the block, we'll go for it.

-Shaun has been helping Emma finesse her presentation skills.

-We are now standing at the most famous, or should I say infamous gates in the world, Traitor's Gate.

It was built on orders of King Edward I.

-For an old pro like Shaun, the devil is in the detail.

-The Chief Yeoman Warder and the Governor -- they'll be looking for a confident delivery, the way that she uses her hand gestures -- so, to point at certain things.

They will also be looking for the key parts of the story, dates, the events in the story.

-Having an opening in the outer defense wall, he realized he'd weakened the defenses of the premier fortress in the land.

With two days to go, I am feeling quite confident because I know I can do it, but I'm really nervous, as well.

My whole body is, like, just in a mess, really.

-Just hit me with that last line again.

-Now, if you follow me through that portcullis, into the oldest part of the tower, I will have some more stories to tell.

-Cool.

Let's go.

Good.

Really good.

It's the best you've done ever.

-Hopefully Emma will keep improving before her exam in a few days' time.

It's a bright April morning, and the tower is preparing for the first in a calendar of events marking 70 years of the Queen's reign.

The specially commissioned Commonwealth Globe has finally arrived, and today, it will take center stage in a unique tower ceremony.

Deputy Governor Debbie Whittingham is in charge.

-This event is the kick-off of the Jubilee season.

We've got a huge year ahead.

And the receipt of this wonderful Commonwealth Globe representing the Platinum Jubilee -- it's quite a big affair because we have a 50-piece band of Royal Air Force cadets, we have an escort of Yeoman Warders, and then when the parade arrives at the broadwalk, you have the Governor and you have myself.

We have the pageant master.

Makes it quite a big deal for us at the tower.

-The man leading the 50-strong RAF Cadet marching band is Squadron Leader Andy White.

Andy is normally the man issuing instructions, but today it's his turn to listen, as Chief Yeoman Warder Pete McGowan walks him through the route.

-Coming to the center spot where it's all gonna happen.

So, basically, when we do a left wheel around there, I'll break away from the front of the band, and if you two chaps follow me, the aim is for you guys to come away from the escort and then halt just here.

Obviously, you've got the cushion, and you've got the Commonwealth Globe in your hand.

Okay?

So, no pressure.

[ Chuckles ] So, you happy with that?

-The star of the show is the globe, but the supporting act didn't know until a few hours ago that he'd got the part.

-I'm Joel Castro.

I'm a cadet flight sergeant in the Air Training Corps.

My role today will be the Globe carrier for the parade.

It was only sprung on me today -- well, this afternoon, as we got here, so, uh, a little nervous.

-You realize this is the start of all the Platinum Jubilee celebrations.

This is it.

-Yes, I do, yeah.

-How do you feel about that?

-I feel privileged to have this opportunity.

-Really important day.

Make sure you really enjoy it.

But most of all, don't drop it.

-[ Chuckles ] I won't.

Don't worry.

-In all its 1,000 years, the tower has never experienced a Platinum Jubilee, 70 years on the throne for a British monarch.

The installation of the Commonwealth Globe in the White Tower may be witnessed by only a select group of guests, but it marks the start of something huge which will reach every corner of British life.

-Coronation procession!

By the center!

Quick march!

[ Rhythmic drumbeats ] -150 guests, a 50-strong marching band, a ceremonial escort of Yeomen Warders, and Joel carefully carrying the globe that will start the entire nation's Platinum Jubilee celebrations for Queen Elizabeth II.

So no pressure.

[ Marching music playing ] Despite having Squadron Leader Andy White as a reassuring presence, all eyes are now on Joel as he prepares to hand over the Commonwealth Globe.

It's laden with symbolic references to the previous Jubilees.

There's a map of the UK made from platinum and stones from our four highest peaks to represent the United Kingdom.

-The cadet -- the privilege for that young man to be able to deliver that globe to the Tower of London and carry it -- he'll never forget it.

It'll be a lifetime experience for him.

We are very proud of him, and I'm sure his family will be very proud of him, too.

[ Music stops ] -With Joel's role complete, the globe will now become the responsibility of the White Tower, all under the watchful gaze of tower Governor Andrew Jackson and pageant master Bruno Peek.

-I bring you the Commonwealth of Nations Globe for safekeeping in the Tower of London until its use on the 2nd of June, 2022, to light the principal beacon.

God save the Queen.

[ Marching music plays ] -The White Tower was used to store the 2012 Olympic gold medals and the diamond that began the celebrations of the Diamond Jubilee.

Now it's the turn of the Commonwealth Globe for chief exhibitor Nivek Amichund.

-That was brilliant.

The cadets are so proud to be here, as well.

And to march off to the Royal Air Force March, as well, oh, I'm sure that made the chief's day.

-The guests and Yeoman Warders head off for drinks, with the knowledge that yet another precious object is in the safest of hands in the nation's fortress.

Coming up, the big day has finally dawned for the tower's newest yeoman hopeful.

-12th of February, 1554, a tragic day in English history.

-But will she pass the test?

-It's Emma Rousell's dream to become only the third female Yeoman Warder in the history of the Tower of London.

More people have stood on top of Everest than have worn the yeoman's uniform.

She has spent months preparing for the history test tomorrow morning.

And tonight she's up late, making use of her final few hours to dot some I's and cross some T's.

-Every minute of the day -- you know, I'm sat on the toilet, I'm on the train -- I'm always reading the story.

I read it before I go to bed at night, and I read it first thing in the morning.

And it's -- Yeah, six months of the story is -- And just to know it's gonna maybe come to an end at the test is gonna be great.

-In the tower's long and frequently bloody history, many a poor soul has endured a sleepless and terror-stricken night.

Hopefully not Emma.

-12th of February, 1554, a tragic day in English history.

-It's 8:45 a.m., and Emma is on her final stage -- or block -- on her crucial history test, presided over not by a masked ax man and faceless priest, but by something arguably worse -- Governor Andrew and Chief Yeoman Warder Pete.

The test must be conducted in utmost privacy.

-Those and many more poor, unfortunate souls have found their last resting place here in the beautiful Chapel Royal of Saint Peter ad Vincula.

And we'll be going in there to end our tour.

-After an hour of intense scrutiny, Emma's ordeal is over.

The court now adjourns to the chapel to consider her fate.

A verdict has been reached.

[ Dramatic music playing ] -So, Emma, that was really good.

Well done and congratulations.

-Thank you very much, Andrew.

-Yeah.

-Well done.

-Cheers.

-Well done.

-Thanks very much.

When we were in the chapel, the chief and the governor kind of walked to the back of the church.

I sat down and I thought, "Ohh."

Tenseness, if you know what I mean.

But, yeah, it was only a few minutes, but it still seemed a little bit longer.

And it was nice.

It was really good to, you know, get a yes from a couple of very important people.

-To get somebody to this point where they're able to tell the story in a way that is going to grip and entertain the audience takes a real investment of time from Emma herself, who's had to spend all this time learning.

There's her mentor and everybody else who's taken her through the test.

We all can feel proud of what she's achieved.

Emma, of course, will be brimming with pride.

The rest of us look on and think, "Yeah, we've done it.

We've worked together as a team again and got her to the right standard so that she's going to be brilliant in engaging our visitors."

-Awesome.

Thank you so much.

-No problem, guys.

Take care.

-Thank you!

-Cheers.

-Next time, the tower's plan to plant millions of seeds in the moat for the Platinum Jubilee runs into big trouble... -My biggest worry is just seeing flocks of pigeons descending onto here and having a feast.

-...we uncover a terrifying plot to murder Elizabeth I... -There was nobody Elizabeth could trust, not even members of her own family.

-...and Yeoman Sergeant Clive is on the hunt for buried treasure at the tower.

-The gold hasn't been discovered, could still be out there.

-You never know.

-I know I could find it.

[ Both laugh ]