-The Tower of London.

It's 2022, and this will be one of the most extraordinary times in its thousand-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.

[ Raven caws ] Now with exclusive access, we meet the men and women keeping the tower running during an incredible 12 months... -Someone asked if the Tower of London was a new build.

And no, it's a thousand 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 Yeomen Warders receive a special honor for the Queen's Platinum Jubilee.

-Three cheers for Her Majesty the Queen.

Hip, hip... -Hooray!

-Hip, hip... -Hooray!

-Hip, hip... -Hooray!

-Superbloom, the tower's huge floral installation in the moat, is in serious trouble.

-The weather forecast has started to dominate my life.

-And no lunch is safe from the tower ravens.

-He stole your muffin.

[ Laughs ] [ Mid-tempo music plays ] -Welcome to the secret world of the Tower of London.

♪♪ [ Down-tempo music plays ] ♪♪ For half of the Tower of London's 1,000-year existence, this prison, royal palace, and fortress has been operated by a dedicated team, the Yeoman Warders.

-Hey, Scott.

How you doing?

-Morning, Chief.

-How are things going?

-Aye, good, sir.

You?

-And before the tower opens to visitors, they're checking the nation's fortress has stayed safe and secure overnight.

-And that door will be locked up there.

[ Dramatic music plays ] ♪♪ -Every day starts in exactly the same way when the tower is opened to the public, with the official unlocking of the gates.

For Yeoman Warders like John Donald, this must be done according to a precise procedure.

-So, every morning, we carry out an opening ceremony, which involves the duty supervisor, and another Yeoman Warder who's guarding the Byward Tower, where we unlock the two official gates to the Tower of London, announcing the tower is open to the general public.

♪♪ -The opening ceremony must start bang on 9:00 a.m.

the duty Yeoman Warder of the day is joined by an armed escort -- the serving members of the military who are stationed at the tower on rotation.

They march in unison to unlock the Byward Tower and the West Gate.

-We have to remember the tower is a royal palace, and therefore our duty throughout the night has been protecting the Crown Jewels and all the important assets inside these walls.

The four soldiers are there because I'm actually carrying the Queen's keys to make sure they are being protected throughout the whole of the ceremony.

♪♪ -And with the ceremony complete, the public can be welcomed in for the day.

-Right, right!

Are we ready to move?

-Yes!

-Are we ready to move quickly?!

-Yes!

-Are we ready to hear about stories of murder?

-Yes!

-Treason?

-Yes!

-Execution?!

[ Dramatic music plays ] -On a sunny spring morning, the tower can expect up to 15,000 visitors, and the Beefeaters are keen to reveal the extraordinary World Heritage site where they live and work.

-From a health and safety point of view, though, I just want to point out above your head will be a 2 1/2-ton, 700-year-old spiked gate held up by 700-year-old ropes.

[ Laughter ] -As the crowds queue up for the Crown Jewels and the torture exhibition, down in the moat, 14,000 square meters of tower soil has been taken over to create Superbloom.

[ Mid-tempo music plays ] Superbloom is the tower's most ambitious installation yet.

It's even more complex than the ceramic poppies that marked World War I in 2014.

And it's been three years in the planning.

20 million seeds have been planted here, with the hope that they'll bloom in time to fill the moat with a sea of flowers to celebrate the Queen's Platinum Jubilee in June.

-Could you possibly open the steps for us so I can get into the moat?

-Until Superbloom took over the moat, it used to be the most exclusive place in the country to walk your dog.

-Hey, good boy.

-There's no need to despair.

There's still one dog-friendly corner that's been reserved for tower residents.

-Oh, here we go.

-Good news for Yeoman Warder A.J.

Clark, who has two new additions to her pack of miniature dachshunds, Stewie and Reggie.

[ Dogs bark ] -So, we've had to change our dog-walking routes quite dramatically.

So, we've got this area here in the South Moat, whereas we would just take the entire moat and let the dogs run riot.

Oh, look at the pretty flowers.

How are you doing, boys?

Yes.

-The dogs' parents are named Wellington after the tower's most famous constable and Lilibet after Queen Elizabeth II.

It's fitting, as the Queen also loves dachshunds and breeds them alongside her beloved corgis.

[ Toy squeaking ] -Where's Stewie?

-But A.J.

's chosen a rather more notorious name for her newest puppy He's named after one of an infamous pair of gangsters who terrorized London's East End in the 1960s.

-Oh, Reggie, you tired?

[ Dog whines ] This is Reggie, named after the Kray twins, the last official prisoners here at the tower.

He's just like his papa.

He's very independent, very chilled.

-But living in a military fortress does come with an extra health warning.

The pups will have to endure the tower's famously noisy gun salutes.

-I think that's probably one of the loudest noises that the puppies are gonna come across here at the Tower of London.

They're used to the sirens, but we'll see how they get on with the gun salute.

But we are making sure that, you know, there's gonna be somebody there with them to make sure that they're not too scared.

-The pups may be feeling relaxed, but on the other side of the moat, it's a very different story.

Spring may have brought more visitors to the tower, but not April showers.

There's been a third less rainfall than expected, and Professor Nigel Dunnett is panicking.

-Really, for week after week, the weather forecast shows no rain in prospect or just the odd day of rain.

-Nigel is the brains behind Superbloom's planting scheme.

The grand opening is on the 1st of June, in time for the Platinum Jubilee weekend.

It's only five weeks away.

By now, the entire moat should be filled with emerging plants.

But the lack of rain means very few of the 20 million seeds he has sown have produced significant growth.

The plants are now weeks behind.

Or worse still, they have barely come up at all.

-If this continues, then, you know, we're gonna have to put extra water on.

We need to get some flowers for the 1st of June.

Depending on what the weather does, we might not be quite there yet.

But we have this immovable deadline that we have to meet.

Yeah, the weather forecast has started to dominate my life.

-Nigel's documenting the growth of the seedlings so he can keep a careful eye on their progress.

But if he's to have a flower-filled moat in time for the jubilee weekend, he'll need to make some quick decisions.

-We need to give extra water here to see if we can stimulate a bit more germination.

If that doesn't work, it's on to plan "C," where we'll go in and add more seed in patches, just to get that infill where there's not quite enough coming up.

I'm not sure what happens after plan "C."

-Coming up, we reveal the forbidden romance that enraged Elizabeth I.

-She was young and in love, so she'd thrown caution to the wind and followed her heart.

-And drastic measures are needed to save Superbloom from disaster.

-I want to control everything, and I can't control nature.

[ Mid-tempo music plays ] -It's an unusually warm spring at the tower, and the crowds are all basking in the sunshine.

-Believe it or not, this was also a royal menagerie, or zoo.

[ Laughter ] -As well as listening to the iconic Yeomen Warders, the tourists also want to catch a glimpse of the tower's other famous residents -- its colony of eight ravens, who all have star status of their own.

But like so many celebrities, the Ravens can be divas, and sometimes the attention can go to their heads.

This hasn't escaped the watchful eye of Yeoman Warder Terry Briggs.

-I saw some quite bad raven behavior today.

There was three of them.

There was a bit of a fight going on.

And the public were stood around, so I had to get somebody in to try and break them up.

[ Whimsical music plays ] -They also have their beady eyes on the tourists' lunch.

♪♪ -Then, there was a little boy the other day, and he was stood there, and one of the ravens come creeping up behind him very stealthily and made a big noise.

He dropped his sandwich and ran off screaming, and then the raven had a lovely sandwich.

-Oh, wow.

[ Laughs ] -He stole your muffin.

[ Chuckles ] -So yeah, they are quite naughty.

-No, he got it out and everything.

-That's wild, isn't it?

-[ Laughs ] -Their antics have been captured on camera by the tower's Ravenmaster, Chris Skaife.

He knows that given half a chance, the naughty ravens will gobble up everything, even if it means going through the rubbish.

-The Ravens have been a little bit exciting actually, and they've seen that the bins are starting to fill up with sandwiches and crisps and stuff like that.

And so they started to get back their old habits, which, to be honest with you, for some people around here annoys them, especially the cleaners.

[ Mid-tempo music plays ] -But there's one raven in the flock who's living a fully fledged life of crime.

Nothing shiny is safe from Poppy.

-Poppy -- she's a little bit of a thief, and she likes to steal stuff.

In fact, during the Christmas period, she started rifling through lots of people's bags.

And I've got four Christmas decorations that people have bought at the tower now hanging up in my store.

So if you want any Christmas decorations, come see the Ravenmaster.

♪♪ -There are 33 Yeoman Warders guarding the tower, and all of them have previously had a career in the armed forces.

On ceremonial occasions, they wear their medals with pride -- the 22-year-long service medal, as well as the medals received on tours of active duty or to commemorate special events.

Like the Beefeaters' uniforms, their medals must be kept spick-and-span, so Yeoman Warder Matt Pryme is sending off his for a spring clean.

-They take a lot of grubbiness, really, 'cause you're always touching them when they're on.

So they'll go away and be re-ribboned and professionally cleaned.

-Matt's medals are a C.V.

of his military experience.

-I've got a General Service Medal for Northern Ireland.

I've got a Kosovo medal there.

I've got a former Yugoslavia medal there.

And I've got my Long Service and Good Conduct Medal for never having been caught being naughty.

They're a history of what you've done in the military and where you've been, so you are quite proud of them.

It's something you hope to leave sort of to your children and the like.

Yeah, the medals are quite important to us here, as well, because all the Yeoman Warders have been in the military for at least 22 years.

It binds us all together, and it's something that makes the yeoman body a little bit special.

It means a lot.

[ Whimsical music plays ] -To mark the Queen's Platinum Jubilee, celebrating 70 years on the throne, a special medal has been created.

With special links to the monarch, the Yeoman Warders are in line to get one.

Chief Yeoman Warder Pete McGowran is looking forward to receiving his.

-We are part of the bodyguard of Her Majesty, and it's fantastic that, you know, she acknowledges that we're all here and doing a good job for her.

-For Pete, it's another decoration to add to his impressive collection.

-When I received the Diamond Jubilee Medal, I'd only been in office at South London for three years.

I'd come out of the military.

I'd spent nine years out of the military, doing various things.

So it was a great feeling.

-Queen Elizabeth II is the only monarch ever to have earned three Jubilee medals -- silver, gold, and diamond.

And now there is to be a fourth in the set.

Timothy Noad is from the College of Arms -- a part of the royal household that creates coats of arms for the royal family.

He's been tasked with designing something very special for the Queen's Platinum Jubilee.

-Hi, Tim.

Good to see you.

-Hi.

How do you do?

-Today, he's meeting Phil McDermott from the Worcestershire Medal Service in Birmingham.

They've been the official medal makers for the Queen since 2008, one of the biggest producers of insignia in the country.

They're responsible for manufacturing 40,000 medals a year.

Tim is here to see his design make the transition from the drawing board to the finished piece.

-I thought of the idea of using the royal crest, which hasn't been used before on a medal as far as I know.

And here's the royal arms -- St.

Edward's crown, the lion.

-To create the jubilee medal, Tim's design is engraved onto a die cast, which will be pressed onto a metal disc.

[ Mid-tempo music plays ] ♪♪ -Our first order was 400,000 medals.

The finish -- as you can see, it's amazing what the dies are producing.

And now it's an honor to provide these medals.

And when we see them on TV, we feel very proud to say, "Oh, we made those."

[ Laughs ] [ Dramatic music plays ] ♪♪ -Elizabeth II may be celebrating her jubilee as the longest-reigning monarch in British history, but 500 years ago, Queen Elizabeth I had only just taken the throne.

Back at the tower, Historic Royal Palaces chief curator Tracy Borman is on the trail of one of the fortress' most tragic prisoners, whose only crime was to be related to this formidable Tudor queen.

-Elizabeth became queen following the brief, bloody reign of her sister Mary.

And as a woman on the throne, the pressure was on to marry and produce an heir.

But Elizabeth made it clear from the very beginning that she had no intention of taking a husband.

So with no prospect of a natural heir, the question of the succession became the most pressing issue in the realm.

-Before her father, Henry VIII, died.

he established an Act of Succession.

If his children died without producing an heir, the English throne would pass down through the line of Henry's sister Mary, safeguarding the Tudor dynasty.

-For Elizabeth, the very existence of the Succession Act threatened the rise of rival centers of power within her court, even from her own relatives, who had a legitimate claim to the throne.

-The person with the strongest claim was Lady Katherine Grey, whose sister Jane had been placed on the throne for just nine days before being executed at the tower by Elizabeth's half sister, Queen Mary.

It wasn't long before Katherine's potential to succeed Queen Elizabeth attracted the attention of rival powers in Europe, like France and Spain.

-I have here a letter from a Spanish envoy in October 1560 to the King of Spain.

And the envoy writes that Elizabeth's Privy Council has been debating the succession and "They --" that's the council "-- fear that if the Queen were to die, your Majesty would get the kingdom into your family by means of Lady Catharine."

The fear is that the King of Spain is going to marry Katherine to a Spanish prince and use her as a means to get his own hands on the English throne.

So it's very clear that Katherine is being singled out as a powerful pawn in this Tudor game of thrones.

[ Suspenseful music plays ] -Execution... -At first, the young lady Katherine was careful not to make herself a target, staying close to the Queen and serving in her presence chamber.

But she soon made a misstep that thrust her into the cross hairs of a paranoid Elizabeth.

She fell in love with an English nobleman, Edward Seymour.

Worse still, she married him in secret.

-This was Katherine's fatal miscalculation.

As a legitimate claimant to the throne, she needed the Queen's permission to marry, and she didn't have it.

-Within months, Katherine was pregnant.

-When Elizabeth finally found out, she was incandescent with rage.

It was said that she turned the color of a corpse.

Not only had Katherine defied royal protocol, but she was pregnant with an heir, which further strengthened her position as the future of the Tudor monarchy.

Elizabeth had to act.

♪♪ -Elizabeth had the young lovers arrested and thrown into the tower.

-So, this is the actual cell where Katherine was imprisoned.

And Katherine was just 20 years old.

She was alone.

She was about eight months' pregnant.

And the terrifying reality of all of this must have really hit home.

[ Mid-tempo music plays ] ♪♪ On the Queen's orders, Edward and Katherine were to be kept entirely separate.

They weren't even allowed out for walks.

Well, Edward was kept in a cell on the top of the White Tower, and Katherine couldn't even see that from here in her own prison.

-Katherine very soon gave birth to a baby boy.

A furious Elizabeth declared her marriage invalid and her son illegitimate.

But her harsh treatment of the young lovers earned them some sympathy inside the tower.

Katherine and her husband Edward were allowed to meet in secret, and in 1563, Katherine gave birth to another son.

Enraged again, Elizabeth ordered that the couple be sent to live under house arrest hundreds of miles apart.

Brutally, Katherine's young son was taken away from her.

-For five years.

she sent letters to Elizabeth, assuring her of her loyalty and begging to be reunited with her husband and son.

But Elizabeth remained unmoved, and Katherine would never see Edward or her eldest son again.

-It's late May, and in less than two weeks, Superbloom is meant to be kicking off the Platinum Jubilee weekend at the tower, but a dry spring and cold nights have meant that things have fallen badly behind schedule.

It's now looking less and less likely that the 20 million flower seeds planted in the moat will blossom in time.

With thousands of tickets sold and a global audience expecting a wonderful floral display, some tough decisions need to be taken to save Superbloom from disaster.

Head of public engagement projects Rhiannon Goddard has to make them.

-This isn't a step that we really wanted to take.

We had it in our back pocket as a contingency.

But it's not ideal.

So, behind me, you can see the guys, they're laying some seed turf.

So, the seed turf is very similar mix to what we've already seeded in the moat.

-The seed turf consists of specially produced segments of soil with mature plants already growing on them.

They can be laid directly onto the soil like carpet tiles, and the plants they contain have a head start.

Compared to just sowing seeds as planned, it's a costly and high-maintenance option, so this turf is a last resort.

-We couldn't do this over the whole moat.

It's quite expensive.

You know, it has to be grown offsite in special conditions and brought in, and then it has to be watered three times a day until it settles in, so it's quite intensive.

But I think it should do the trick.

-Rhiannon is desperately hoping the seed turf will help give the moat to the lush floral field the team are after in time for the jubilee weekend.

-It's a bit disappointing that not everything has worked out how it should be planned.

You know, as a project manager, I want to control everything and make everything right.

I can't control nature.

So we were in the lap of the gods there.

[ Whimsical music plays ] -It's been a long week at the tower, and as the doors close for another day, in his office, Chief Yeoman Warder Pete McGowran has received a very special delivery.

-What we got is the new Platinum Jubilee Medal.

Just come from the factory.

And all the team will be given one of these tonight.

It's not something you do every year, obviously.

2012, Diamond Jubilee, was the last time the guys got one of these.

-Receiving a medal like this is such a rare and special event that the tower's senior officials have chosen to present them to the yeoman body in an exclusive private ceremony on tower green.

-Thank you, sir.

The Yeoman body are ready for the presentation of their Platinum Jubilee medals, sir.

Sir.

♪♪ Parade!

Stand at... -The tower's governor, Brigadier Andrew Jackson, will be doing the honors.

-As ex-servicemen, we're all very proud of our previous connections, and we would all have been awarded one of the commemorative medals at some stage during our careers.

But to still be considered for an award like this, now that we've retired and are part of a different organization, just makes it as special as it used to be in the past.

-Thank you very much, sir.

Thank you.

-It's incredible.

It's never gonna happen again in our lifetimes.

This is it.

-Many congratulations on the award of your Platinum Jubilee Medal.

-Thank you very much.

Thank you.

So, the people that are awarded this Queen's Platinum Jubilee Medal, they should feel very, very proud.

-With the medals issued, it's time to honor the extraordinary monarch at the heart of the ceremony.

-Chief Yeoman Warder, please give three cheers for Her Majesty.

-Parade will prepare to remove headdress.

-Remove... headdress!

-Three cheers for Her Majesty the Queen.

Hip hip... -Hooray!

-Hip hip... -Hooray!

-Hip hip... -Hooray!

-Replace... headdress!

-Sir.

-Thank you, Chief Yeoman Warder.

-I complete.

-Now the serious business of the day is over, there's only one thing left to do.

-There it is.

We are gonna go down to the pub or club, and we are now gonna celebrate being presented with the Queen's Platinum Jubilee Medal with a few beers.

-Parade!

To the Keys Pub.

Dismissed!

-Yah!

-Coming up... will Superbloom be ready for its world premiere on Jubilee weekend?

-Welcome to the Tower of London.

Good morning, America.

-And we discover where the Yeoman Warders keep their most precious mementos.

-Probably my prized possession, actually, yeah.

[ Mid-tempo music plays ] -It's two days before Superbloom is due to open, and Chief Yeoman Warder Pete McGowran has come to check the tower's Platinum Jubilee tribute to the Queen.

By now, there was supposed to be a sea of millions of flowers in the moat, but there are still large patches where the plants haven't bloomed.

Despite this, the international press have been booked for an exclusive preview, and tickets have already gone on sale to the public.

So Chief Yeoman Warder Pete has no choice but to face the music and unveil Superbloom to the world.

-I'm no gardener, but... that's not what it looks like in the plans.

[ Chuckles ] So let's pray for more rain, and let's get some color coming out of it.

-Although the show of flowers is disappointing, Pete is hoping the press will be forgiving.

-And I've seen some quite big installations happen here, you know, from 2014, the poppies, 2018, the flames down in the moat.

And they all come with their own problems.

When you're building these things up, you want something to be world-class.

Obviously, you're gonna get some problems along the way.

But this is different, 'cause this is all to do with what comes from the sky.

-Right on cue... the world's media arrive for their sneak peek at Superbloom.

-...1... -Welcome to Her Majesty's royal palace and fortress, the Tower of London.

Good morning, America.

-Press from all over the world.

It's great to see, you know, the Americans here.

And it's a good day, so we'll talk to them all and let them know what's going on here.

-It's a bit of Scotland.

-How long is the piece?

-Two layers of soil.

So subsoil and topsoil.

-I'm sorry.

I missed the number.

So, the soil, the weight altogether, how much?

-10,000 metric tons.

-It's not exactly there, but I'm sure it's gonna pick up.

And we're promised with better weather coming along, which will help the, you know, 20 million seeds that's been put down.

Give it a few more days, and I think we'll be there.

-Superbloom may be the latest tower attraction, but the fortress already has seven permanent exhibitions for visitors to enjoy.

[ Mid-tempo music plays ] ♪♪ -Alright.

-Do you know how much all the crown jewels is worth?

-The crown jewels are priceless, because you can't buy history.

-And yet there's never been an exhibition dedicated to the most iconic residents at the tower, the Yeomen Warders, until now.

-How you doing both?

Good to see you both.

-Hi, Pete.

-Interpretation manager Ali Richardson and curator Charles Farris have invited Chief Yeoman Warder Pete to discuss plans for a new installation.

They've asked to meet him in the building that will house the display.

-As you know, we're in the Martin Tower.

And this we're hoping could finally be the home of the long awaited Yeoman Warder exhibition that we've been talking about.

-Yes!

-The Martin Tower already has a rich history of its own.

In the 1600s, it housed the crown jewels and was the site of Colonel Blood's attempt to steal them by hiding them down his accomplice's trousers.

-He was a bit of a boy, wasn't he?

-He certainly was.

-It's a great spot.

It really is.

Really, I'm dead excited about it.

I really am.

-So let's walk through and then... -Thank you.

-...look at the space we've got.

-The exhibition will include different artifacts from Yeoman History and shine a light on the men and women who have taken on the role over the centuries.

-So, we need to showcase to the visitors all about who the Yeoman Warders are, where they come from, and what they do.

-The guys are really, really excited about that.

-So hopefully you can find some willing volunteers to help us.

-Yeah, yeah, probably.

Probably about 33 of them.

[ Laughter ] Thank you both.

Take care.

-Ali's keen to include a display on the origins of the Yeoman Warders, which she'll represent with a section from their iconic uniform.

And she may have found the perfect candidate to help with her research.

-The other question we always get asked is please tell me about your wonderful costume.

[ Laughter ] Costumes are worn by people who are pretending to be something that they are not.

-Lawrence Watts served in Afghanistan and Bosnia with the Royal Corps of Signals.

-Hello.

-Hello, Lawrence.

-Nice to see you again.

Come in.

-And a replica of one of his uniforms will be a centerpiece of the exhibition.

-Wow.

He looks like a very fine chap.

-Not quite as good-looking as I am, but... -No, definitely not.

-...at his best.

-So, what we wanted to come and have a look at today, Lawrence, was state dress uniform, the reds, because that's the thing that we want to put in the case in the Martin Tower exhibition.

-You can see I'm wearing today our blue undress.

This is our casual, relaxing, comfortable uniforms for kind of wandering around the tower.

And, then, during high ceremony and state occasions, then we'll always wear our state dress uniform.

-When you put it on, how does that make you feel?

-In simple terms, incredibly proud when you, you know, go out the doors, and you see that the public literally stop and turn and want to get as many photos with you as possible.

And of course there's a huge amount of pride wearing our medals on our uniforms, as well.

Yeah.

So nothing but pride.

-The ceremonial reds are worn for the many important state occasions that happen at the tower each year.

[ Camera shutter clicking ] But regular historic ceremonies also take place every day involving Yeoman Warders like Terry Briggs.

[ Dramatic music plays ] Midafternoon signals the time for the secret Ceremony of the Word.

Today it's the turn of the Queen's Guard Regiment.

-Officer of the Guard -- he's now conducting an inspection of the soldiers before the Ceremony of the Word, that he'll be making sure that all their buttons are done up, their belts are in the correct position, their shoes have been bulled, and their trousers are all pressed nicely.

They're all correct, ready for the ceremony.

♪♪ -The Ceremony of the Word reminds the public of the tower's role as the nation safe.

-Right!

-At 3:00 p.m.

each day without fail... -Escort.

By the right grip.

March!

-...a new secret password is issued for staff, residents, and soldiers to emphasize security is at the heart of the fortress.

-Here we have the Officer of the Guard.

-He has a drawn sword.

He has an escort of five soldiers.

And at the rear, you have the sergeant.

They'll make their way down along towards the Byward Tower.

-The guards march to collect the password from the Byward Tower, which even gets its name from the ceremony itself.

-That derives its name from "by the ward, or "by the word."

So that's always been where the password has been asked for through centuries.

♪♪ -That this isn't just a ceremony that we do each day, just for the public to witness the soldiers marching through.

This actually has a real purpose.

It does have a real meaning.

-Halt!

-So, the Officer of the Guard -- he's gonna proceed forward now and approach the duty sergeant who has the word.

He will then give him the word.

And, then, once that's been passed across, the Officer of the Guard will fall in then with the rest of the soldiers.

-So far, the secret password has never fallen into the wrong hands, perhaps because the guards ensure that no one can get close enough to hear it.

-I think we just need to step onto the side here and let the soldiers come through.

Being the Queen's Guard, everyone needs to get out of the way or they will shout very loudly at us.

-March!

-Make way for the Queen's Guard.

So nobody's allowed to get in their way whilst on what is called an official duty of Her Majesty's Royal Guard.

[ Mid-tempo music plays ] -With the Ceremony of the Word over, the visitors can get back to one of their favorite activities at the tower -- capturing moments of the Yeomen Warders in their world-famous uniforms.

But these uniforms aren't just for show.

They're an important part of the Beefeaters' identity.

And the crowning glory is the hat, or Tudor bonnet.

For Yeoman Warder A.J.

Clark, It's also an excellent place to keep special mementos from her life of service.

-I do have some badges in my bonnet given by friends, family, and even guests here at the Tower of London.

Being a female, I get quite a lot of female veterans from America, so I've got quite a few of their pins from the FBI or the DEA and all those sort of places.

So it's really interesting.

But I do have one very special pin in my hat, and it is a poppy.

So if I just show you here, it was presented to me for the hundred years of women serving in the Armed Forces, when we were representing the ladies on behalf of Her Majesty the Queen.

And the Queen was in the audience, and I was in my full state dress.

It was a colorful parade to see us all in our different uniforms.

And yeah, it was really quite poignant.

Probably my prized possession, actually, yeah.

-Over in the Martin Tower, Charles Farris and Ali Richardson are collecting items for the first-ever exhibition about the Yeomen Warders.

The Tudor bonnet is such an iconic part of the Beefeaters' uniform, they've decided to include one in the display.

But first, preventative conservator Nelson Garcia Berrios has to carry out an important task.

-So, basically, every time we get an object here from outside that is not part of our collection, depending on what the object is, we often put it into quarantine just to see if there's any insect activity.

This is 100% wool.

It's basically a natural, organic material.

And, you know, this is a hat that had been worn before, so you will probably have some residues of sweat and dirt.

And insects do like that in particular, so all of that sort of dead cells that they actually like to feed on that.

-Nelson has an unusual method for dealing with any would-be pests that might damage other items in the exhibition.

-So, often, we just put objects into freezing.

So you have to wrap them up very tightly in tissue, and then you put another cover of plastic.

And you have to make sure that there is very, very little air inside.

And then you put them in the freezer at minus 42 degrees.

-The icy temperatures and airless conditions will kill any bugs lurking inside.

The Tudor bonnet will be just one amongst many artifacts in the new display.

With ceremonial duties at the heart of the Yeoman Warders' work, Charles and Ali have managed to secure an incredible artifact from the tower's most ancient ceremony, the Ceremony of the Keys.

Come rain or shine, the Ceremony of the Keys has been performed every night for the past 700 years.

The lantern lights the way as the outer gates of the fortress are locked and the keys delivered to the tower's governor for safekeeping until morning.

The primary lantern is used each evening, but true to form, the tower has an understudy.

-So, this is the reserve lantern used during the Ceremony of the Keys each evening.

A lot of people have obviously heard of the Ceremony of the Keys, and this is a great, enigmatic object to explain that.

-And it's obviously a really important part of what the Yeoman Warders do here.

They guard the ceremonies and traditions that have gone on in the tower for hundreds of years.

So we're really lucky to have this.

It's a really lovely thing to have.

♪♪ -Coming up, we find out if Superbloom has finally blossomed.

-You know, we've had a really difficult spring.

It's been really problematic to get things going.

-And the Yeoman Warders get their very own Hall of Fame.

-Good.

Keep the smile going.

-You're looking lovely, Lawrence.

-Pretend you're enjoying it.

[ Laughter ] [ Down-tempo music plays ] -It's mid-June at the tower.

-Okay.

If I can bring you just into the center of the sort of pathway here.

-Today, Yeoman Warder Lawrence is in his red ceremonial uniform... -Just very slightly more with your left shoulder.

-...for a photograph that will take pride of place in the new Beefeaters exhibition.

-Good.

Keep the smile going.

Pretend you're enjoying it.

[ Laughs ] Keep looking straight down the camera.

That's great.

Hold it there.

That's looking good.

Straight away.

-Can we have some full-length ones, too, yeah, with a bit -- -Of keeping the pike.

Yeah.

-It doesn't get much more iconic than that.

-To have my photograph taken today for this exhibition, it's quite a privilege and an honor, to be honest.

Then to be able to represent the Yeoman body not just for today, but actually throughout its entire history, represented up in the Martin Tower, I think it is fantastic.

-That's really nice.

Thank you, Lawrence.

-You are very welcome.

[ Dramatic music plays ] -Back inside the Martin Tower... -1, 2, 3.

-...it's the final push to get the exhibition ready for visitors.

-Does that look alright?

Are you happy with that straight?

-Yeah, yeah.

That looks fine.

-I think that looks good.

Cool.

-Looks great.

-In their 500-year history, there's never been a permanent exhibition dedicated to the men and women who guard the tower until now.

And as the public flood in, curator Ali can reflect on a job well-done.

-It was a really lovely opportunity to be able to tell the story of the Yeoman Warders at the tower.

We wanted to make sure that visitors appreciate that service that they've given and their important role in the story of the tower.

So it's so nice to see it up and open to the public and people coming in and engaging with that.

I really hope that the Yeoman Warders are pleased with what we've put together.

It's been an absolute honor and a privilege to spend some time with them and get to know some of them and be able to tell their story.

-The exhibition isn't the only new attraction at the fortress.

[ Soft music plays ] The tower's floral display for the Platinum Jubilee, Superbloom, launched two weeks ago, But one of the driest springs on record meant it wasn't ready for the grand opening.

But with a little time and a little rain, the public can finally see it in its full glory.

♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ A new Yeoman Warder station has been created in the moat, and right now it's the best place in the tower.

♪♪ -Daily I come to stand in my own wildflower garden.

I have a walk around.

I talk to people.

It's fantastic, really.

As I've watched it develop over the last two weeks, and you can just see now that it's coming into fruition.

-We've all been given packets of seeds, sort of the residents.

And my wife's a big gardener.

I recognize the cornflowers and the marigolds, but I'm learning from members of the public as they're walking around.

They're pointing them out to me.

So every day, I learn something a little bit different.

-I do selfies.

I'm a modern Beefeater.

Everything is coming up, and the colors are -- you know, it's just a vast expanse.

You need sunglasses on down here sometimes, it's so bright.

And the moat's just in full splendor.

♪♪ -Almost 30 species of flowering plant have filled the tower's moat with a sea of beautiful blooms.

♪♪ There's everything from African daisies and cosmos to varieties Henry VIII might have recognized, like Carthusian pinks, named after an order of monks that first came to England in the 1100s.

And the public response has been astonishing.

-Right, ladies.

Smile a lot.

They're loving it.

They're coming in their droves now.

And, you know, as soon as they see it, they're just mesmerized by it.

They walk around, and they're very complimentary and saying this is the best thing that's ever happened that they've seen in London.

So you get that kind of feedback as being phenomenal.

-The man behind the planting scheme, Professor Nigel Dunnett, can finally breathe a sigh of relief.

-So, today is really the first time that I've seen lots of people walking through and looking at the flowers.

You know, we've had a really difficult spring.

It's been really problematic to get things going.

But now it's made all the hard work worthwhile.

-For Yeoman Warder Pete, Superbloom is the pride of the tower at last.

-Well, there you go.

What a sight.

Now I'm excited.

It does look absolutely beautiful.

It's not bad for being outside of my office window, is it?

It's all over the media, and we've actually given what we've promised.

So let's hope the world enjoys it as much as we think they will.

Everyone's been here taking shots of it,, and it's actually looking as it should.

So chuffed to bits.

♪♪ -Next time, we reveal the truth about Anne Boleyn.

Did her eyes and lips move after her execution?

-People became hysterical and reported all sorts of strange occurrences.

-We discover if the newest raven chicks have settled into tower life.

-They're always babies to me.

-And the tower takes part in a rather strange ceremony.

-God preserve Queen Elizabeth!

[ Dramatic music plays ] ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪