After spending nearly six years filming a remarkable pride of endangered desert lions, Smithsonian Channel brings viewers the compelling narrative of their lives in Namibia’s searing terrain at 20.00 on July 3rd. This story has not only touched the hearts of millions all over the world, it has changed Namibian national law; Dr Philip Stander, the Cambridge-educated scientist featured in the film, drafted the new conservation policy.

King of the Desert Lions tells the incredible story of five male cubs – dubbed ‘the five musketeers’– who grow up on the Skeleton Coast of Namibia and set out in search of their own desert kingdom. But they are beset by hardships, and when one brother decides to embark on a different path, it dramatically changes the course of his life. This film is the sequel to Will and Lianne Steenkamp’s ‘Desert Warriors: Lions of Namib’, which won the top award at the Big Cat Film Festival at the United Nations and received an Emmy nomination for cinematography.