Producer and distributor Keshet International (KI) has signed a factual co-development deal with Scottish production company Caledonia TV.

The deal will see both parties co-develop Hitler’s Favourite Royals, a three-part historical docuseries that uncovers the story of the British monarchy’s complex and controversial connections to Nazi Germany.

Executive produced by award-winning factual producer and historian Dean Palmer, Hitler’s Favourite Royals will build on Palmer’s book Tea with Hitler and new research with the University of London, drawing on overlooked documents from archives to redefine one of the darkest chapters in royal history. Palmer’s track record includes World War II in Colour: Road to Victory and Lost Pirate Kingdom for Netflix, and the double RTS-winning The Yorkshire Ripper’s New Victims.

Kelly Wright, KI’s MD of Distribution, says, “Hitler’s Favourite Royals combines two subjects that continue to fascinate global audiences – the British monarchy and World War II – in a way that feels both revealing and timely. We’re delighted to be collaborating with Caledonia TV to bring this buried chapter of British history to life on TV, and to engage with potential UK broadcast partners at an early stage. As KI continues to expand its factual co-production activity, this project perfectly demonstrates the kind of bold, globally relevant storytelling we’re committed to championing.”

Caledonia TV’s Dean Palmer says, “This series rips the lid off one of the monarchy’s darkest secrets – what the Queen’s German cousins did during World War II and their ties to Hitler. Partnering with Keshet International gives us the reach and ambition to tell this story on a truly global stage.”

Anke Stoll, KI’s SVP of Acquisitions and Co-productions, comments, “Caledonia TV’s extensive research and access to new archive materials adds layers of extra color, depth and detail to what we already think we know about the Royal Family’s connections to Hitler and the Nazis. I particularly love that this history show feels relevant now because it has the added value of bringing context to how the Royal Family deals with modern day scandals like Prince Andrew and Epstein, and Megxit.”

Caledonia TV’s Hitler’s Favourite Royals was originally pitched as part of Greenlight: Factual and Formats, KI’s commissioning initiative which greenlit Hitler’s Treasure Hunters (6×60’) from Perpetual Entertainment last February. KI has since sold the six-part docuseries in more than 70 territories to date, following its launch to market at MIPCOM 2024.

This new co-development deal with Caledonia TV is the second one signed by KI in recent years, following its partnership with SandStone Global on Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, which saw KI board five pre-sale partners prior to its world premiere in the UK on 5 on 2 August, alongside sales in 20 further territories.

Produced by Caledonia TV, Hitler’s Favourite Royals (3×60’) will uncover a buried chapter of British history, exploring how elements of the royal establishment saw Nazism as a barricade against Communism and a way to protect the empire. From Queen Victoria’s dynastic ties to Germany to Hitler’s attempts to leverage those connections during World War II, the series will expose secret meetings, coded correspondence, and covert diplomacy between London and Berlin. With newly uncovered evidence and expert insight, it reveals how these links were later concealed through buried archives and suppressed records, shining new light on the monarchy’s entanglement with Nazi Germany.

Since officially launching its Greenlight: Factual & Formats commissioning initiative, KI has greenlit two straight-to-series factual orders for distribution: Perpetual Entertainment’s Hitler’s Treasure Hunters, a 6×60’ historical docuseries ordered to coincide with the 80th anniversary of the end of WW2 and Hitler’s death that tells the story of the special branch of the Nazi SS tasked with stealing treasures and religious relics to help win the war and prove Aryan supremacy; and Woodcut Media’s Catch Me If You Can, a 10×60’ true crime docuseries that delves into the chilling world of murderers who evaded capture while taunting those tasked with bringing them to justice.