Very interesting question, Jen.
Also applicable, I think, to some of the UK research.
In theory, the German (and other countries) research should really only take the same amount of time: Nick Barrett, the genealogist on WDYTYA said on Radio 5 last night that they use local genealogists.
It was a fascinating tale, but how much more complicated was it than UK genealogy? Possibly a little simpler given the elevated status of those they were looking at. I know from my own experience it's much easier to trace literate families than illiterate (three hundred years difference in my case ...), so it surely must be easier still if they're noble families?
Just watching it again.
They go to the Munich archives to see the record of the ennoblement of the de Pfeffel family.
That led to the record in Munich of von Taufkirchen(?), Caroline's son-in-law trying to find out who his m-i-l von Rothenburg was.
That said she was the daughter of the actress Friedericha Pault (?).
They then realise it would be a good idea to look at the marriage of Caroline and (Carl?) in Augsburg.
That reveals the oddity that the marriage was carried out by the Bishop in his private chapel with some seriously important witnesses, and the comment that the bishop retained the records of the marriage.
It's then pretty obvious that you go to the archives of the bishop's palace. But they don't actually do that, as there's the deus ex machina of the genealogist finding the non-microfilmed record of Caroline's father.
If you freeze frame on where they show Boris the pencil note "Natürlicher Vater war Prinz Paul v. Württemberg" you can see another note, apparently in the same hand, and also in pencil "Vgl. Handbuch des in Bayern immatr[ikulierten] Adels unter Pfeffel Bd. IV S. 199C" - i.e. Cf. the Handbook of Bavarian Nobility, under Pfeffel, Vol 4, page 199C.
Hmmm ... and did the German genealogists not look at that first? Before sending Boris on his (very good telly) peregrinations round Bavaria? Do I smell a little rat in the name of telling a good story?
Boris is rightly rather suspicious of this pencil note, asking whether the BBC had crept in and written it to make the show more interesting.
Anyway, Boris gets on the train to Stuttgart quondam capital of Württemberg, where the parentage is confirmed in the royal archives. Then he goes to Ludwigsberg to meet the guy who tells him his great x8 grandfather was King George II. In terms of genealogical research, connecting Paul v. Württemberg to George II would take only a couple of minutes. Of course, for telly, we 'need' to see the glorious palaces and Boris has to be taken on a literal journey as welll as metaphorical journey.
I have to stress that I'm not criticising the programme makers (or Boris), as their responsibility is to make as riveting a TV programme as they can. Which they did.
If they're anything like some British archives,the most difficult thing after finding the marriage in Augsburg might well have been to persuade the archives to let them look at the original register, which revealed the unfilmed detail of who the father was. Though the chap who showed the register to Boris said something like "I look after the archives", so if he's the official archivist, then he wouldn't have any problem nipping into the stacks to have a quick peek at the original.
I do hope a lot British records offices saw that and might understand why we would occasionally like sight of the original registers!
I still want to know more about the Barony de Pfeffel. As soon as they found the royal connection they concentrated on that, including of course the fact that although he was a direct descendant, he had no place in the accession lines due to illegitimacy. When he was leaving Britain for Germany, Boris said he's off to reclaim the vacant barony. It would be nice to know if he is in line for the Barony de Pfeffel.
