Pull up a velvet throne and grab your alchemy kit – in this episode of Queens, Kings and Dastardly Things, Robert Hardman and Professor Kate Williams swirl together Arthurian legends, royal superstition, and some seriously dodgy medieval science. Listen now!Is the Holy Grail real? Can gold be made from stones? Did Diana really have a psychic on speed-dial? And why exactly did Queen Victoria try to give a clairvoyant a watch?From King Arthur’s suspiciously round table (equal rights, medieval-style!) to Queen Elizabeth I's astrologer with stage-magician energy – and a creepy sidekick who claims angelic permission to bed his boss’s wife – this episode dishes the royal gossip with a side of sorcery.Expect conjurers, clairvoyants, and chalices promising immortality. We meet John Dee, who mixed mathematics and magic (and questionable life choices), and peer into Queen Victoria’s séance-filled mourning rituals, featuring a moody Scottish manservant who may or may not be possessed by Prince Albert.And yes, we go full ghost story – haunted bedrooms and spectral jesters.History gets a magical makeover in this entertaining and insightful journey through fact, folklore, and the royal fondness for the utterly bizarre.Hosts: Robert Hardman and Professor Kate WilliamsSeries Producer: Ben DevlinProduction Manager: Vittoria Cecchini Executive Producer: Bella Soames Hosts: Robert Hardman and Professor Kate WilliamsSeries Producer: Ben DevlinProduction Manager: Vittoria Cecchini Executive Producer: Bella SoamesA Daily Mail production. Seriously Popular.Sign up to Palace Confidential, the FREE royals newsletter from the Mail's top experts. Delivered straight to your inbox every Thursday, it's the smartest way to stay in the royal inner circle. Just head to dailymail.co.uk/palaceconfidential to sign up today. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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28:21
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28:21
Dragons & The Royals (1)
Welcome to the only podcast where royal scandal meets fire-breathing lizards. Listen Now!In this hilarious and history-soaked episode of Queens, Kings and Dastardly Things, Daily Mail columnist Robert Hardman and history wiz Professor Kate Williams team up to explore the very real roots behind the blood-soaked fantasy TV series Game of Thrones.You’ll learn:Why the dragons in GoT are basically airborne spitfires with scales.How Queen Cersei’s “walk of shame” was inspired by a real-life royal mistress who had a very awkward walk through London in her underwear.Why never to accept a dinner invitation from a Scottish nobleman in the 1400s—especially if a black bull’s head shows up on the table.And why Henry VIII’s Welsh dragon was the ultimate medieval hype beast.Oh, and if you're learning Welsh on Duolingo, you’ll finally understand why "I am a dragon" is one of the first things you’re taught.Packed with gory betrayals, royal revenge, scholarly banter, this episode proves once and for all: fantasy isn't that far from fact.Download. Then maybe don’t RSVP to any mysterious royal feasts for a while.Hosts: Robert Hardman and Professor Kate WilliamsSeries Producer: Ben DevlinProduction Manager: Vittoria Cecchini Executive Producer: Bella SoamesHosts: Robert Hardman and Professor Kate WilliamsSeries Producer: Ben DevlinProduction Manager: Vittoria Cecchini Executive Producer: Bella SoamesA Daily Mail production. Seriously Popular.Sign up to Palace Confidential, the FREE royals newsletter from the Mail's top experts. Delivered straight to your inbox every Thursday, it's the smartest way to stay in the royal inner circle. Just head to dailymail.co.uk/palaceconfidential to sign up today. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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25:20
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25:20
Royal Family Blunders
What’s the worst Royal blunder of the modern age? Listen to find out!The Royal's public image is a delicate balance; attempts to entertain or appear modern can be seriously cringe.Thumbs up for the late Queen Elizabeth II and her James Bond cameo at the Olympic opening ceremony, but two thumbs down for that ultimate pie-in-the-face moment: the 1987 televised game show, "It's a Royal Knockout." Who was to blame for the Windsors dressing up for a pantomime gameshow? Why did it go so very wrong? Was it a turning point for the public perception of the Royals?Professor Kate Williams has a theory … perhaps the Royals could be saved from further blunders by taking a tip from history - employing a Royal Jester! We look back at some of those merrymakers, like ‘Roland the Farter’ (it’s much worse than it sounds!).However, could a jester really have saved the Royal’s public image from the 101 gaffes of the late Duke of Edinburgh? Some of his jokes were funny, others, these days, would have the Royals cancelled!Hosts: Robert Hardman and Professor Kate WilliamsSeries Producer: Ben DevlinProduction Manager: Vittoria Cecchini Executive Producer: Bella Soames Hosts: Robert Hardman and Professor Kate WilliamsSeries Producer: Ben DevlinProduction Manager: Vittoria Cecchini Executive Producer: Bella SoamesA Daily Mail production. Seriously Popular.Sign up to Palace Confidential, the FREE royals newsletter from the Mail's top experts. Delivered straight to your inbox every Thursday, it's the smartest way to stay in the royal inner circle. Just head to dailymail.co.uk/palaceconfidential to sign up today. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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32:14
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32:14
Royal Blind Dates (2)
Which Royal blind date ended with the burning of six witches? Listen to find out!In the second of two episodes, Royal historians Robert Hardman and Professor Kate Williams explore the often awkward and disastrous Royal first encounters. Discover which king ran from the room, demanding brandy when his blind date was revealed. However, love is also in the air as Kate and Robert celebrate the truly remarkable and touching story of George III’s marriage.And there’s also Robert’s confession: the cunning ruse he often used to get himself a date!Hosts: Robert Hardman and Professor Kate WilliamsSeries Producer: Ben DevlinProduction Manager: Vittoria Cecchini Executive Producer: Bella Soames Hosts: Robert Hardman and Professor Kate WilliamsSeries Producer: Ben DevlinProduction Manager: Vittoria Cecchini Executive Producer: Bella SoamesA Daily Mail production. Seriously Popular.Sign up to Palace Confidential, the FREE royals newsletter from the Mail's top experts. Delivered straight to your inbox every Thursday, it's the smartest way to stay in the royal inner circle. Just head to dailymail.co.uk/palaceconfidential to sign up today. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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25:02
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25:02
Royal Blind Dates (1)
Which aristocratic lady ‘swiped left’ when Henry VIII went looking for a new wife? Listen to find out!In the first of two episodes, Royal historians Robert Hardman and Professor Kate Williams look at the highs and lows of Royal first encounters. Welcome to the strange world of regal dating: marriages at first sight, bedding ceremonies, and proxy consummations. Pity the poor teenage girls who dutifully married Kings who were much older - or preferred the company of men in their bedchambers!But Cupid’s Royal arrows do sometimes find their mark. Kate and Robert reveal that it’s possible for Royals to find ‘true love’.Hosts: Robert Hardman and Professor Kate WilliamsSeries Producer: Ben DevlinProduction Manager: Vittoria Cecchini Executive Producer: Bella Soames Hosts: Robert Hardman and Professor Kate WilliamsSeries Producer: Ben DevlinProduction Manager: Vittoria Cecchini Executive Producer: Bella SoamesA Daily Mail production. Seriously Popular.Sign up to Palace Confidential, the FREE royals newsletter from the Mail's top experts. Delivered straight to your inbox every Thursday, it's the smartest way to stay in the royal inner circle. Just head to dailymail.co.uk/palaceconfidential to sign up today. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Queens, Kings, and Dastardly Things looks at the Royal Family - the secrets, the palace intrigues, and the Crown's bloodiest moments. Hosted by Royal Historians Robert Hardman and Professor Kate Williams, this series mixes factual storytelling with debate - and a splash of fun ... like its parlour game to discover the most monstrous royal of all time! Coming up in its new season: How the Royal Family deals with terror plots (and how Meghan Markle took a survival course) | An in-depth exploration of King Edward and Wallis Simpson | King Charles III and his magic tricks | Prince Harry's days at boarding school | The rogue who tried to steal the Crown Jewels | Queen Elizabeth II and the exorcism .... and many more Royal stories from history. New episodes out every THURSDAY, wherever you get your podcasts. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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