[00:00.592]The Duke was blessed with a rich wife.
[00:03.062]So he leased this land from the crown,
[00:05.349]and on it, built a lavish mansion equal to his ambitions.
[00:10.026]Although not a stone of it is visible today.
[00:17.502]The Duke might have known how to make a big impression,
[00:19.453]but he wasn't too good at settling his debts.
[00:22.283]One day, while the house was being built,
[00:24.204]the architect took them both up on the roof
[00:26.621]and then threatened to throw them both off
[00:28.858]if the Duke didn't pay the wages he owed.
[00:31.182]Needless to say, the Duke paid up.
[00:39.195]By the 1760s, the house was up for sale.
[00:43.408]The young king, George III,
[00:45.393]snapped it up as the perfect wedding present for his new wife,
[00:49.630]Queen Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz.
[00:56.925]An aristocratic mansion became the home of the British monarchy.