-The Tower of London.

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

-Hip hip!

-[ All ] Hooray!

-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.

-[ Bird grunts ] -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.

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.

-[ Shouting ] King Charles III.

-In this episode, it's all change at the Tower with the arrival of the new constable.

-It's an incredible honor and privilege.

I'm still coming to terms with it, to be honest.

-His grand swearing in ceremony is the largest event the Tower Brass has ever arranged.

-Last minute nerves before this.

You're never sure it's worked until it's over.

So I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

-Process, if you please.

-And Chief Yeoman Warder Pete reflects on an extraordinary 12 months.

-Your Majesty.

The Commonwealth of Nations globe.

If someone was to say to me, "Pete, if there's any year you'd want to be the Chief Yeoman Warder at the Tower of London," my God, this is the year.

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

It's October 2022.

After witnessing some of the most historic moments in its thousand years -- the passing of the nation's longest reigning monarch, and the ascension of a new king... -The Crown of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is solely and rightfully come to the Prince Charles Philip Arthur George.

-...slowly but surely, life at the tower is returning to normal.

-Parts of this floor had a far more sinister use as a dungeon and torture chamber.

-And as usual, the world famous Beefeaters are keeping the crowds entertained.

-Are we ready for stories of death and execution?

-[ All ] Yes!

-Whoo!

-Theirs is a unique job held by just 414 people over the past 500 years.

John Donald is number 399.

-I'm now into my eighth year as a Yeoman Warder.

Started here in 2014.

I was in the Armed Forces for 22 years, spent most of my career as a -- as somebody on main battle tanks.

-The Yeoman body is made up of 33 men and women from the military.

Within the tower, they have their own chain of command.

-[ Shouting orders indistinctly ] -And John has just received a coveted promotion.

-So there was a new position became available to become the next Yeoman Sergeant.

And then, luckily, they believed everything I told then at the interview, and here I am today.

-The rank of Yeoman Sergeant was created in the year 2000 to reflect the added responsibilities needed to keep the tower running smoothly.

And after eight years of service and a rigorous interview process, Yeoman Warder John Donald is now the 17th Yeoman Sergeant in tower history.

-To be even selected as a Yeoman Warder in itself is a huge privilege, and the fact now that I've been selected to become Yeoman Sergeant is absolutely amazing.

-John's rank comes with new responsibilities, including important duties in one of the most ancient military ceremonies in the world... -[ Shouting orders indistinctly ] -...the Ceremony of the Keys.

This top secret procession to lock up the fortress has been carried out every evening for centuries through World War I, The Blitz, and the COVID pandemic.

-[ Shouts ] Halt!

Who comes there?

-The Keys.

-Keen to get off on the right foot, John's come to his boss, Chief Yeoman Warder Pete McGowran, for some advice.

-Morning, chief.

-Hello, mate.

How you doing?

Good to see you.

Good to see you.

-John will have to share the duty with Pete, who's keen to walk his new sergeant through the ceremony.

-Send me the keys.

Just a couple of things that I do when I come down here.

I always open it myself.

-Yeah.

-I always take the, uh, the lantern out.

You see the keys in there.

We place a lantern straight on it, straight on the table.

-Yeah.

-There's a few checks I want to do.

-The 103-year-old brass lantern, kept securely in the Byward Tower, is carried by a senior member of the Yeoman body.

It is lit by a single candle, which must never be allowed to go out.

-Make sure there's a candle in it that's going to last the ceremony.

So that's really important.

This is a real thing.

It's been going on for over 700 years, and we've never failed for 700 years.

So you'd only be doing it on your watch, mate.

-[ Chuckles ] -Today, around 40 families live inside the tower.

But the grandest of them all, the King's House on Tower Green, has recently been renamed to reflect the new monarch on the throne.

Built by Henry VIII in 1530, it was the site of Guy Fawkes' infamous interrogation after the Gunpowder Plot.

It's the most exclusive address at the fortress, and the latest resident has just moved in -- the tower's newly appointed constable, General Sir Gordon Messenger.

The significance of his historic home hasn't escaped him.

-Every door I open, there's another bit of history, a really sort of critical, important history that has sort of framed the nation.

And all that under a single roof, it's just mind blowing.

-Sir Gordon is the tower's 161st constable in a line stretching back centuries.

It used to be a hugely powerful job, responsible for the tower's armory and its prisoners.

Previous inmates watched over by the constable included Queen Anne Boleyn, Henry VIII's chief minister, Thomas Cromwell, and the future Queen Elizabeth I.

-You just have to look back on some of my predecessors to see how illustrious the list is.

So it's quite humbling, to be honest, to be -- to be the latest in that line.

-Despite having big boots to fill, Sir Gordon is already making history as the first Royal Marine ever to become constable.

He's been decorated for his leadership in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Now he has a fresh challenge as he takes charge of the tower.

-And Wellington served here actually for 26 years as the constable of the tower up until his death in 1852.

-As an ex-Royal Marine, Yeoman Warder Barney Chandler is especially pleased.

-Brand spanking new Constable General Gordon Messenger, former Royal Marine, very close to my heart.

First man in history outside of the Army to hold this prestigious position.

Thanks for coming, folks.

All the best.

-Barney and General Messenger go back a long way.

-I was lucky enough to work under Captain Messenger, as he was, back in 1993, um, a six month operational tour of Belize in Central America.

A very successful and a brilliant tour.

And I know that he went down well with the lads, and I'm sure he'll do us proud.

-Coming up, the symbols of the Queen's reign are removed to make way for those of the new king.

-The cypher is a really important visual demonstration of ownership and allegiance to the Crown.

-And the tower governor gets a rare chance to handle the most important keys at the fortress.

-Any time that the sovereign comes to visit the tower, both the keys must be surrendered to them.

[ Bird squawking ] ♪♪ -Hello, folks.

-Ravenmaster Chris Skaife has been caring for the world famous Ravens for over a decade.

-[ Whistles ] Come on then.

-Come 11 :00 a.m., it's time for their mid-morning snack.

-So this is where I do all my food.

These were actually given to us by a member of the public, and she gave us lots and lots of biscuits to keep the Ravens happy.

[ Whistles ] Come on, you two.

Come on then.

-Although the ravens are the most famous animals to call the tower home, the fortress is brimming with wildlife, which Chris has documented over the years.

-This is a little haven in the heart of London.

For an example, we've got kestrels that call the Tower of London home, and they've been breeding here for nearly 13 years.

So we have squirrels, we have foxes, we have one of the largest colonies of sparrows hiding in all the crevices of the walls.

-And the wildlife has been having a blast with the tower's newest arrival -- superbloom, a vast floral meadow filling the ancient moat, planted in honor of the Queen's Platinum Jubilee.

Horticultural expert, Professor Nigel Dunnett, created the planting scheme for superbloom and it's still in flower well into the autumn.

-I'm so happy to see so much flower and so much color and so much vibrancy still.

-He's meeting with Ravenmaster Chris to discover the impact superbloom has had on the tower's wildlife.

-Just looking here, there's lots of bumblebees and wild bees.

Hoverflies.

-Yeah.

-The real wild insects coming in and making use of this space.

-From really the moment that the flowers started to bloom, I saw an increase in buzz activity coming in, and it's just gone absolutely mad.

This is like a service station for them, isn't it, where they can come in and feed.

It's also increased the small bird population.

So I've seen goldfinches and chaffinches in here, and wrens I've seen coming in.

I hadn't seen them.

You know, I've been here nearly 18 years.

[ Bird chirping ] For me, this is just one of the most greatest things that the tower, I think, personally, has done for many, many years.

And it's -- it's given back.

It's -- It's given back to nature.

♪♪ -Back in the King's House, the new constable is making himself at home.

And the weight of his distinguished role is beginning to sink in.

-This sort of positions you in history, if you like, when you realize that the predecessors and just how well-known and illustrious -- Obviously, there's the Duke of Wellington up there on the top left.

Definitely going to have to shunt up some of these guys here to make room for me.

-But his position as boss of the fortress isn't official just yet.

Sir Gordon needs to be formally sworn in in a special ceremony on the tower's boardwalk.

The swearing in ceremony will be conducted by the Lord Chamberlain, the most senior officer in the Royal Household, on behalf of King Charles III.

He'll hand the keys of the tower to the new constable.

The event only takes place every five years and is the largest at the tower.

In charge of organizing it, is Deputy Governor Debbie Whittingham.

-My role as head of operations is to basically run it.

My role is quite key in the fact that I've got to make sure it all runs smoothly, so the nerves are there.

-Debbie served in the Royal Navy, so the pressure is even greater to get things right.

-This new constable is nearer to my service background than others have been.

Being a Royal Marine, he's part of the naval family, so I'm really, really chuffed.

-Debbie's meeting Tower Governor Andrew Jackson to run through the plans.

-So I'm happy with the bit where we meet Lord Chamberlain here.

I take him up to the Fusiliers and we use that as our base.

-Yeah.

-But how's the rest of the planning going?

We got the band squared away?

-Yeah, band's all squared away.

They're all very happy.

They've had the program of music that we've looked through, relevant to the constable.

-With over 500 specially invited guests, three covered seating stands will be erected on the tower's broadwalk.

A challenge in a World Heritage site.

-I think the big part now is the build.

-Yeah.

-To imagine how we're going to operate, the contractors coming in and building those stands, of which they're quite large, while we're open to the public, which I've never seen anything done like that before.

-Brilliant.

Okay, back to work.

-To work.

-But welcoming the new constable isn't the only change to take place at the tower.

On the 8th of September, 2022, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II sadly passed away.

After mourning her loss, the tower, as a royal palace, begins its transition into the new era of King Charles III.

-My name is AJ I am one of the 33 Yeomen Warders, the Beefeaters, that live and work here in this royal palace.

So welcome to my wonderful home.

-For Yeoman Warder AJ Clark and her colleagues, it takes some time to adjust.

-Our day to day life here at the Tower of London has changed dramatically overnight.

Even today, I'm on tours, and I am no doubt in my mind that I will mention the Queen at some point, rather than the King.

-Thank you.

-[ Applause ] Because it's something that I have done on a daily basis for six years.

-Symbols of Queen Elizabeth's reign that have been part of the fabric of the tower for 70 years, are carefully taken down.

Assistant curator of historic buildings, Alfred Hawkins, is responsible for recording these historic artifacts.

-This is a cypher from the front of the Waterloo Block, and it was located over the top of the Crown Jewels exhibition.

The Tower of London is the property of the reigning monarch, and the cypher is a really important part of that because it -- it's a visual demonstration of ownership and allegiance to the Crown.

-Royal cyphers are the current sovereign's monogram, usually made up of their initial and a crown.

The use of cyphers dates back to the 1400's, when Henry VII founded the Tudor dynasty.

Henry VIII added the letter "R" to signify the Latin word "rex" or "regina", meaning king or queen.

-With the queen's death, we now need to show that the crown jewels belong to Charles and change this cypher into Charles' cypher.

-As with all the precious items in the tower collection, the Queen Elizabeth cyphers will now be carefully preserved as part of the palace's historic archive.

-When we're thinking about the tower, we have to think of it as a living and evolving space.

And so it's really important that we do everything we can to make as complete a record as possible.

♪♪ -As one era of the tower's history is being conserved and put away, another has yet to happen.

Work is beginning on the biggest event the tower holds -- the installation ceremony of the new constable.

♪♪ -Andy.

-Events planner, John Burgess, is heading a team of 40 to bring the staging for the ceremony together on time.

It's an enormous undertaking.

-We're building three covered grandstands.

The crane is here to lift the roof sections up and to help guys put in the ballast, which needs to be set out to make sure that the -- all of the structures stay on the ground.

-And working within a World Heritage site, one that is open to thousands of visitors every day, creates a few distractions.

-People are very interested in what you're doing, and so you tend to get stopped and asked a lot of questions.

You have to pinch yourself sometimes that you're actually being paid to be in such a beautiful place.

♪♪ -Governor Andrew Jackson has come out to inspect the progress of the tower's transformation.

-I've never seen the broadwalk looking like this.

It's looking magnificent.

We're used to putting on ceremonial events at the tower.

It's in our nature.

But there is nothing of a scale like this.

This is, quite simply, the biggest thing we do in the tower calendar.

They've got two more days to finish it all off, and I'm really confident it's going to be ready.

It's got to be.

♪♪ -But there's something else that Andrew needs to check on.

He has come to the King's House to make sure one of the most important items in the tower is ready for the ceremony -- the King's keys.

♪♪ -Ceremonial keys are at the absolute heart of the ceremony of the constable's installation.

The keys really do symbolize, first of all, the sovereign's ownership of the Tower of London, and then secondly, that authority over the tower vested in the constable through the installation ceremony.

Any time that the sovereign comes to visit the tower, both the keys must be surrendered to them, and then we have to hope they give it back.

-In the monarch's absence, each constable is given the keys to the tower upon their installation.

-So this is the first time I've seen this one and been able to handle it.

Um, we obviously take great care with these.

They're locked up in a safe storage and come out very rarely.

-Security procedures have changed over the centuries, and today's keys are purely symbolic, but they are priceless and remain one of the most precious objects in the tower's collection.

-So the keys are solid gold, feels quite heavy.

And at the top of the key is the seal of the Tower of London.

At the bottom is the engraving that says, "The Constable of the tower," showing it's his key.

Yeah, it's really important to point out that these are ceremonial keys.

Don't try and cut them at home because they don't actually open anything.

♪♪ -Coming up, Tracy finds a terrifying tale of the tower.

-On nights like this, the tower has a genuinely spooky side.

-Yeoman Gaoler Rob fears a wardrobe malfunction.

-I never thought I'd say this, but I'm running out of tights, Chief.

-[ Laughs ] -And the tower staff prepare for their largest ceremony in years.

-And the different regiments that are involved, they've never marched or paraded together, so we've got to rehearse it.

-It's the day before the tower's grandest ceremony in years -- the installation of its new constable.

[ Indistinct conversation ] -This will be Pete McGowran's third time welcoming a new boss to the fortress, but his first as Chief Yeoman Warder.

-So let's have a look.

-With more than 500 invited guests, from royal representatives to the highest military officials, it's a massive challenge for him.

-It's different as a Chief Yeoman Warder because I've got to make sure that they know exactly what they're doing.

It's a hell of a responsibility, but, uh... But it's exciting at the same time.

I've been promised that by this afternoon, all this has gone.

-New Yeoman Sergeant, John Donald, will be organizing his team of Beefeaters.

-So within my team we've got a few new Yeoman Warders that've never done it before.

So we want to make sure we put on a really good show.

-Yeoman Gaoler, Rob Fuller, is keen they get a good turnout for the rehearsal.

[ Indistinct chatter ] -Key thing for us, get the numbers here today.

Then we can gauge where we're all going to be in for the parade.

-So straight after this you want me to pass the message onto the troops to make sure they know what the detail is for this afternoon.

-If you could, please.

That would be great.

-Yeah, okay.

-Today, the Beefeaters will be wearing their blue undress uniforms, but tomorrow, they'll be in full ceremonial Tudor reds.

-I never thought I'd say this, but I'm running out of tights, Chief.

[ Laughter ] -Well, we'll talk about that later.

[ Laughter continues ] -Fewer than 200 people have held the rank of constable at the Tower of London, making it more exclusive than a job on the International Space Station.

Historic Royal Palaces curator, Charles Faris, has come to the archives to research previous constables, including one who guarded Queen Anne Boleyn.

-Perhaps the most famous example, a man called William Kingston, he was constable of the tower in the 16th century under Henry VIII, and he was responsible for keeping Anne Boleyn imprisoned here before her execution.

And we know that he actually slept with his wife in a bed outside the door of Anne Boleyn's room.

Obviously keeping a very close ear on things.

-Charles has discovered a logbook that gives a rare insight into the swearing in ceremonies of past constables.

-Within this document, we actually have a really detailed description of a constable's installation from 1712, which is exciting because I didn't know we had documents that went back that far.

It describes Her Majesty, Queen Anne, having been pleased to appoint the Right Honorable George, Earl of Northampton, to the Constable of the Tower of London.

So there's a great big procession of Yeomen Warders, and it says that they are all armed with their swords and partisans, which, of course, is part of the ceremony today as well.

-The 1712 installation was also quite a bit noisier.

-And then they describe a number of toasts, and firstly said to the Queen, then to the constable's house.

But every time they say a toast, they also fire cannons.

And at this time, there were cannons all over the tower.

And I just think it must have been an amazing spectacle.

You never know.

A little bit of historic re-enactment could be quite fun.

-October at the tower brings Halloween... with spooky stories of ghostly goings on and horrible hauntings.

-Right, folks, who's up for a story with a happy ending?

[ All cheering ] -Go visit somewhere else then.

-[ Laughter ] -As an infamous site of torture and execution, it's no surprise the tower has a reputation for being one of the most haunted places in the country, something Yeoman Gaoler, Rob Fuller, knows all too well.

-So of all the buildings in the Tower of London, the one, the most unusual is number seven, Tower Green, which is where I live, which is allegedly the most haunted building in the City of London.

-The ghost that is said to stalk the corridors of Rob's home is none other than the famous adventurer, Sir Walter Raleigh.

Having managed to displease Elizabeth I and her successor, James I, he was imprisoned for over a decade, a cruel fate for a man who traveled the world before finally being executed two days before Halloween in 1618.

-There are Yeoman Warders who have claimed that they've seen a ghost or something that has gone on in there that is unexplained.

They don't come anywhere near me for some strange reason, I don't know.

-Rob's not the only one with spooky things on his mind.

The Tower Gift shop has some Halloween treats in store for the visitors.

Customer service assistant, Alan Jones, is eyeing up the new stock.

-So here we have our Guy Fawkes decoration.

He was caught beneath the Houses of Parliament with 36 barrels of gunpowder.

He was arrested and brought straight here to the tower.

And once you come through Traitors' Gate, you know you're not leaving.

-Having worked here for four years now, Alan is only too familiar with the tower's mysterious atmosphere.

-Anne Boleyn is supposed to haunt where she was executed, holding her head under her arm.

And I've walked alone there many times late at night.

You always get the sense that you're being followed or there's someone behind you.

Maybe the mind playing tricks on you, but maybe not.

Who's to say Anne Boleyn isn't behind me looking for her head?

Anne, I don't have it.

♪♪ -Tomorrow evening, the tower will witness the constable's installation.

With parades from four different military regiments, a marching band, and the ancient swearing in ceremony itself, it's an incredibly complex affair.

Tonight is the only time the various troops can get a practice run through.

And Tower Governor, Brigadier Andrew Jackson, is anxious to get all the moving parts working in perfect harmony.

-So all of the contingents that are on parade will be here, all of the Yeoman body ready to march on with their partisans, and all of the Lord Chamberlain's party and the Constable's party.

The pressure is definitely on.

We need to get everything together.

We need to make sure everybody's playing their part.

-Is this Lord Chamberlain?

Get Andrew.

-Hello, sir.

How are you?

-Hello, hello.

You're alright.

-Right.

-It's a busy time for Deputy Governor, Debbie Wittingham, who's overseeing the whole event.

-Who booked this?

Who booked this?

-It's been a high wire act to bring everything together.

-Right, so everybody's getting ready now for a bit of a wet weather rehearsal.

I'm just going to say hello to the warding team and the tower house to make sure that they understand what their roles and responsibilities are, and we should be ready to go.

I need to find out who the -- who are the stewards in the VIP bit?

-[ Troops chanting indistinctly ] -And the problems just keep coming.

-What is really worrying is we've lost the Royal Marine Guard contingent.

I believe they're still en route.

-As most of the troops muster on the broadwalk, the run through gets underway.

[ Instruments playing ] -I don't think you could put on an event like this without really rehearsing it to time.

♪♪ Yeoman body, they've had to practice their partisan drill, and then the different regiments that are involved, they've never marched or paraded together.

So we've got to rehearse it in order to make it a professional and spectacle that everybody expects of the Tower of London.

-After long hours of rehearsing, nothing now stands between Debbie and the big day tomorrow.

-It is the high pressure one, and it's something that not many of us get the opportunity to do.

So I'm very excited and looking forward to it.

♪♪ ♪♪ -With the troops long gone, the fortress is once again deserted for the night.

♪♪ For Historic Royal Palaces Chief Curator, Tracy Borman, it's a time when the tower's troubled history comes alive in the shadows.

-I love the tower at night after the public have left.

You feel like you have the place to yourself, and the atmosphere changes.

♪♪ All the history, all the people who've died here, it's easy to see why so many people believe that the tower is haunted, particularly as we approach Halloween.

♪♪ -Tracy has come to Traitors' Gate to uncover the oldest and most enduring ghost story in the Fortress' history.

-It was through here that condemned traitors would be brought for imprisonment, or in many cases, execution.

But the ghost associated with this infamous gateway had nothing to do with any of that.

It was a man who died seven decades before it was even built, and his name was Thomas Becket.

-In the 1150's, King Henry II appointed Thomas Becket as the constable of the tower.

But things turned sour in 1162 when Becket resigned to become Archbishop of Canterbury.

Fearing the growing power of the church, King Henry passed laws strengthening his royal authority.

Becket fought back and eventually kicked Henry's key allies out of the church.

-Upon hearing the news, Henry flew into a rage.

Apparently, he exclaimed... -Becket's move had undermined Henry's authority.

Seeking revenge for the king, for royal knights rushed straight to Canterbury to confront him.

-I have a contemporary painting here of what happened when those four knights arrived at Canterbury on the 29th of December, 1170.

Well, there are four different scenes here.

The top left, you can see Becket's servant is telling him that the knights have arrived, and you see them there in the next picture, just waiting to go in.

And then bottom left, you see one of the knights bringing his sword down onto Becket's head.

-Almost straight after his brutal murder, there were reports of miracles attributed to Becket.

Three years later, the Pope made him a saint -- Saint Thomas of Canterbury.

But Becket was not ready to rest in peace.

This former constable had unfinished business at the tower.

-Fast forward 71 years, and on Saint George's Day, 1241, the ghost of Thomas Becket was said to have appeared here at the tower in a vision to a priest who saw him striking at some newly built walls at Traitors' Gate with his staff.

Well, sure enough, the following morning, the occupants of the tower awoke to find the walls had indeed collapsed.

-It would be another 30 years before Becket's ghost would be finally appeased, and it would take a new building to do it.

-This tower, which sits above Traitors' Gate, was built in the 1270's by King Edward I, and fittingly, he named it St Thomas's Tower after the saint murdered during the reign of his great grandfather.

Well, after the tower was complete, the ghostly apparition of Becket was never seen again, so it seems he entirely approved.

♪♪ -Coming up, the new constable is officially sworn in with great pomp.

♪♪ And Pete reflects on an extraordinary year for the tower.

-The ops have been amazing.

Absolutely amazing.

This is a year that will never be forgotten.

-It's the end of another day at the tower.

-The Tower of London is now closed.

Please make your way down the stairs.

[ Bell tolling ] -Tonight, the tower will be hosting the biggest event of its calendar -- the installation of the 161st Constable.

♪♪ But Deputy Governor Debbie Whittingham is worried the weather could ruin the event, with high winds and driving rain on the horizon.

-Always the rain.

This is what we didn't want.

-With only an hour to go, there is no time for a plan B. The show must go on.

-Right.

So I'm going to just go and sort the cushion out.

-Okay.

-At the heart of tonight's ceremony are the King's keys, the ultimate symbol for the custodian of the tower.

These will be presented to the new constable by King Charles III's representative, the Lord Chamberlain.

Debbie needs to ensure the keys stay in place for the whole ceremony.

-This is the ceremonial cushion that is going to hold the keys.

The last thing you want is for them to slide off.

So this is really important.

I'm not touching them now.

That's it.

My job is done.

I am now going to hand this to the people who do the parading.

If they drop them, that's their bag, not mine.

[ Laughs ] ♪♪ -As the troops start to muster... ...it's time for Debbie and the other tower officials to get into their military finery, giving Chief Yeoman Warder Pete McGowran a moment to reflect on the enormity of what's about to happen.

-As parades go at the Tower of London, this is the biggest, without a doubt.

If it goes wrong, it's on my head.

So yeah, a little bit of pressure, but little bit of pressure does good.

Makes you do well.

-Luckily, the pressure's off in one area at least.

The rain has stopped just in the nick of time.

-We had a little bit of a shock about an hour and a half ago when a very, very bad squall came through.

But we've checked the radar and it's passed on.

The military are arriving as we speak.

We have three guards of honor of varying sizes.

So you're talking probably around 200 men and women.

And the Royal Marine Band.

-For the tower's second in command, Governor Andrew Jackson, it's gearing up to be an evening to remember.

-Always last minute nerves before this.

You're never sure it's worked until it's over.

So I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

I can just hear the fanfare trumpeters doing their final bit of practice.

All the stands are up.

All the lightings on.

Sound's ready to go.

We're ready.

♪♪ ♪♪ -With the troops and VIP guests moving into their final positions... ♪♪ ...the man of the hour, the new Constable General Sir Gordon Messenger, is about to meet the assembled crowds.

-This is the tricky bit.

I'm probably more nervous than I thought I was going to be, because it sort of dawns on you that it's all about you.

-[ Troop shouts order ] ♪♪ [ Indistinct chatter ] [ Troop shouting orders ] [ Band playing ] ♪♪ ♪♪ -The Royal Marine Band, one of the oldest military bands in the world, kicks off the ceremony in spectacular fashion... ♪♪ ...soon to be joined by troops from the Honorable Artillery Company and the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers.

♪♪ Then the Royal Marine Guard of Honor from the Constable's former regiment marches to celebrate one of its own.

♪♪ -Order!

Halt!

[ Drums drumming ] [ Troop shouting orders ] [ Instrumental music plays ] -And finally, the tower's Yeomen Warders.

♪♪ ♪♪ Constable Messenger arrives onto the broadwalk... ♪♪ ...followed soon after by the Lord Chamberlain to conduct the most important part of the ceremony -- the handing over of King Charles III's keys.

♪♪ -General Sir Gordon Messenger, in the King's name and on His Majesty's behalf, I deliver to you the keys and custody of the Royal Palace and fortress of the Tower of London.

-Lord Chamberlain, I accept the keys and custody of this fortress.

-God preserve King Charles.

-[ All ] Amen!

[ Trumpets sounding ] ♪♪ -With responsibility for the tower now officially passed to Constable Messenger, Chief Yeoman Warder Pete McGowran, accompanied by his new boss, parades the keys past the troops... ♪♪ ...before finally taking them away for safe keeping.

[ Applause ] ♪♪ -It's a really special moment, not just for the constable, but for everybody on that parade, for me, for the Yeoman body.

Having the feel of the audience all around, as well as having everybody on parade, oh, it was magnificent.

It was really, really good.

♪♪ -It was just amazing.

It was just wonderful.

And it makes you so proud.

And also, all the effort, it was so worth it because it came off.

It was superb.

I'm just blown away.

-For Constable Messenger, it's a moving start to his time at the tower.

-Very proud moment, actually.

You feel, you know, that you can take on the world.

[ Applause ] ♪♪ -A few days later, with the new constable settled in... ♪♪ -Hey, Chris.

How you doing?

-Good, Chief.

Good.

-Thank you.

-There's a chance for Chief Yeoman Warder Pete to reflect on an extraordinary year.

-Hello, there.

How you doing?

Good to see you.

This is a year that will never be forgotten.

♪♪ The ops have been amazing.

Absolutely amazing.

You know, with the Jubilee and superbloom here at the tower.

♪♪ Probably the most memorable time I'll have, personally, was the fact that I had to go to Windsor Castle to hand the Commonwealth globe over to Her Majesty for her to start the lighting of all the beacons across the nation.

Your Majesty, the Commonwealth of Nations globe.

♪♪ ♪♪ -But there have been the saddest of times as well.

-Losing our great monarch and then gaining another one.

-Halt!

-But I'm really, really proud the way the teams approached it, and every one of them wanted to take place, whether it was a gun salute for the death of Her Majesty or whether it was the proclamation.

-[ Shouting ] King Charles III.

-If someone was to say to me, "Pete, if there's any year you'd want to be the Chief Yeoman Warder of the Tower of London," my God, this is the year.

This is the year.

-Hip hip.

-[ All ] Hooray!

-We've been through a lot.

But this place is about preserving history.

And in fact, were all part of that history now, and it's written in stone.

-After four years as chief, leading the tower through this remarkable 12 months is the highlight of a lifetime for Pete.

-It's the best job I've ever had.

I treasure it, you know, and I'm glad I'm here doing it.

♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪