The Crown: Fact or Fiction
Bonus Episode: Edward VII's Sex Chair
Robert and Kate are back with a dastardly Bonus Episode in which they are asking one of history's most pressing questions: did Queen Victoria's son have TWO thrones? Edward VII was famed for his lurid love life, but did our raunchiest 20th Century monarch really have his own ‘sex chair’ in a Paris brothel? And if so, how on earth did it work? Hosted by Daily Mail columnist and royal biographer Robert Hardman and historian Professor Kate Williams, each episode of Queens, Kings, and Dastardly Things delves into the juiciest parts of royal history from eras past, and present... but mainly past. Hosts: Robert Hardman and Professor Kate Williams Researcher: Tom Sankey Production Manager: Vittoria Cecchini Executive Producer: Bella Soames Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
13 ene 2025 - 19 min 01 seg
Christmas Special: What was the Worst Royal Christmas Ever?
Robert and Kate are back with a dastardly Christmas Special in which they are exploring royal Christmases from yesteryear... did Queen Victoria really invent Christmas? Were Tudor children whipped on Christmas Day? And could there be any Christmas worse than Elizabeth II's Annus Horribilis? Listen to find out! Hosted by Daily Mail columnist and royal biographer Robert Hardman and historian Professor Kate Williams, each episode delves into the juiciest parts of royal history from eras past, and present... but mainly past. Hosts: Robert Hardman and Professor Kate Williams Producer: Ben Devlin Researcher: Tom Sankey Production Manager: Vittoria Cecchini Executive Producer: Bella Soames Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
23 dic 2024 - 27 min 20 seg
10: The Princes in the Tower
This week – in the final episode of Season One – Robert and Kate tackle one of history's most scandalous, unsolved mysteries: what on earth happened to the Princes in the Tower? The disappearance of Edward V and his younger brother, Richard, Duke of York, has sparked centuries of speculation. Were they murdered, and if so, by whom? Was it Richard III – their own uncle, and that great Shakespearean villain – in a bid to secure the throne? Or, could other powerful figures have been involved? Join Kate and Robert as they separate fact from fiction and each offer their views on surely one of the juiciest royal scandals of all time. Queens, Kings, and Dastardly Things is the Daily Mail's unmissable podcast that promises listeners a weekly dose of royal history and intrigue by unpacking a different royal scandal each week. Hosted by Daily Mail columnist and royal biographer Robert Hardman and historian Professor Kate Williams, each episode delves into the juiciest parts of royal history from eras past, and present... but mainly past. New episodes out every Wednesday, wherever you get your podcasts. Presenters: Robert Hardman and Professor Kate Williams Producer: Rich Jarman Production Manager: Vittoria Cecchini Executive Producer: Bella Soames Thanks to Dr. Fern Riddell Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
2 oct 2024 - 38 min 41 seg
9: The Royal massacre you've never heard of
The Nepalese Massacre was one of the most dramatic, bloody royal events to ever happen – and the chances are that most listeners won’t have heard of it. On a summer’s evening in Kathmandu in 2001, Nepal’s royal family was almost entirely wiped out, in a single night. Hours later, the alleged killer lay in a hospital bed in a coma, having been proclaimed King the moment that his father died. The man in question – Crown Prince Dipendra – allegedly went on a murderous rampage, killing nine members of his own family, including his parents, King Birendra and Queen Aishwarya, before taking his own life. In this episode, Robert Hardman and Kate Williams will guide listeners through three turbulent Centuries of Nepalese history, tracing the build up to, and the fall out from, this shocking event. Queens, Kings, and Dastardly Things is the Daily Mail's unmissable podcast that promises listeners a weekly dose of royal history and intrigue by unpacking a different royal scandal each week. Hosted by Daily Mail columnist and royal biographer Robert Hardman and historian Professor Kate Williams, each episode delves into the juiciest parts of royal history from eras past, and present... but mainly past. New episodes out every Wednesday, wherever you get your podcasts. Presenters: Robert Hardman and Professor Kate Williams Producer: Rich Jarman Production Manager: Vittoria Cecchini Executive Producer: Bella Soames Thanks to Dr. Fern Riddell Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
25 sep 2024 - 31 min 34 seg
8: The Duke of Cumberland and the slit throat mystery!
On 31st May 1810, the Duke of Cumberland – George III’s fifth child, and notorious 19th Century wrong’un – was attacked while asleep in his apartments in St James’ Palace. And, hours later, one of the Duke’s valets, Joseph Sellis, was found dead in his room. His throat had been cut with a razor. It was a grisly crime scene. Sellis’ head was nearly severed from his body, and blood had soaked the bedclothes, furniture, and walls. Join Kate and Robert as they delve into the circumstances surrounding Sellis’ death by reconstructing what exactly happened on the night of the murder; exploring the Duke of Cumberland’s scandalous background and his subversive relationship with both Joseph Sellis, and his other valet. Queens, Kings, and Dastardly Things is the Daily Mail's unmissable podcast that promises listeners a weekly dose of royal history and intrigue by unpacking a different royal scandal each week. Hosted by Daily Mail columnist and royal biographer Robert Hardman and historian Professor Kate Williams, each episode delves into the juiciest parts of royal history from eras past, and present... but mainly past. New episodes out every Wednesday, wherever you get your podcasts. Presenters: Robert Hardman and Professor Kate Williams Producer: Rich Jarman Production Manager: Vittoria Cecchini Executive Producer: Bella Soames Thanks to Dr. Fern Riddell Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
18 sep 2024 - 25 min 03 seg
7: Was Anne Boleyn unfaithful?
This week Robert and Kate tackle one of history's biggest questions: was Anne Boleyn guilty of everything that Henry VIII accused her of? Over the centuries, historians have spilt vast quantities of ink dissecting the evidence, the political intrigue, and the motives behind the charges that led to Anne's tragic demise. Robert and Kate explore the wider context of Anne’s astronomical rise and rapid fall; the key players in her trial; and, whether her alleged infidelities were fabrications to justify Henry VIII’s desire for a new wife, and that longed for son… Join Kate and Robert as they separate fact from fiction and uncover the truth behind surely one of the juiciest royal scandals of all time. Queens, Kings, and Dastardly Things is the Daily Mail's unmissable podcast that promises listeners a weekly dose of royal history and intrigue by unpacking a different royal scandal each week. Hosted by Daily Mail columnist and royal biographer Robert Hardman and historian Professor Kate Williams, each episode delves into the juiciest parts of royal history from eras past, and present... but mainly past. New episodes out every Wednesday, wherever you get your podcasts. Presenters: Robert Hardman and Professor Kate Williams Producer: Rich Jarman Production Manager: Victoria Cecchini Executive Producer: Bella Soames Thanks to Dr. Fern Riddell Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
11 sep 2024 - 40 min 19 seg
6: Did Rasputin really cause the Russian Revolution?
Despite being immortalised in the iconic song by Boney M, the life and death of Grigory Rasputin remains shrouded in mythology and mystery. A mystic healer, political saboteur, and renegade monk, Rasputin’s life – and his ‘member’ – casts a long shadow over Russian history, not least in the questions surrounding his role in formenting the opposition to the Russian Tsar that ultimately caused the 1917 Revolution, a cataclysmic event that overturned Russia’s social and political order forever, and preceded wider social change in Europe and beyond. Join Robert and Kate for the second episode of Queens, Kings, and Dastardly Things as they unpack the life and times of Russia’s greatest love machine – surely one of very few dastardly historic icons for whom genital warts and cataclysmic social upheaval can justifiably be included in the same sentence. Queens, Kings, and Dastardly Things is the Daily Mail's unmissable podcast that promises listeners a weekly dose of royal history and intrigue by unpacking a different royal scandal each week. Hosted by Daily Mail columnist and royal biographer Robert Hardman and historian Professor Kate Williams, each episode delves into the juiciest parts of royal history from eras past, and present... but mainly past. New episodes out every Wednesday, wherever you get your podcasts. Presenters: Robert Hardman and Professor Kate Williams Producer: Rich Jarman Production Manager: Victoria Cecchini Executive Producer: Bella Soames Thanks to Dr. Fern Riddell Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
4 sep 2024 - 40 min 57 seg
5: Charles II: Britain’s sex-mad monarch?
Charles II's sexual appetite was infamously compared to a racehorse, and he revelled in reversing the social strictures that Oliver Cromwell had strictly enforced during the Interregnum. Unsurprisingly, Charles II had mistresses. And lots of them. But Charles II’s mistresses were so much more than footnotes in a new era of frivolity, parties and hedonism – many of these women wielded significant power in their own right, and played pivotal roles in court politics and international relations. Their close relationship to Charles II during an intense period of social and political change means that they played a key role in shaping the course of English history. Join Robert Hardman and Kate Williams as they explore the stories of three of these fascinating women – Barbara Castlemaine, Nell Gywnne, and Lucy Walter – and ask what their stories reveal about the wider history of the period. Queens, Kings, and Dastardly Things is the Daily Mail's unmissable podcast that promises listeners a weekly dose of royal history and intrigue by unpacking a different royal scandal each week. Hosted by Daily Mail columnist and royal biographer Robert Hardman and historian Professor Kate Williams, each episode delves into the juiciest parts of royal history from eras past, and present... but mainly past. New episodes out every Wednesday, wherever you get your podcasts. Presenters: Robert Hardman and Professor Kate Williams Producer: Rich Jarman Production Manager: Victoria Cecchini Executive Producer: Bella Soames Thanks to Dr. Fern Riddell Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
28 ago 2024 - 37 min 30 seg
4: Did a diamond necklace end the French monarchy?
What do you get when you mix a $20 million diamond necklace; a sycophantic cardinal; a con-artist; and Marie Antoinette? Only one of French history’s biggest royal scandals – a scandal that, arguably, led to the abolition of nearly a thousand years of French monarchy and the demise of France's final two monarchs on the guillotine. Join Kate Williams and Robert Hardman for a rollicking ride through a royal scandal that really does have it all: sex, lies – and Marie Antoinette: one of the most iconic – and most misunderstood – female figures of the 18th Century. Queens, Kings, and Dastardly Things is the Daily Mail's unmissable podcast that promises listeners a weekly dose of royal history and intrigue by unpacking a different royal scandal each week. Hosted by Daily Mail columnist and royal biographer Robert Hardman and historian Professor Kate Williams, each episode delves into the juiciest parts of royal history from eras past, and present... but mainly past. New episodes out every Wednesday, wherever you get your podcasts. Presenters: Robert Hardman and Professor Kate Williams Producer: Rich Jarman Production Manager: Victoria Cecchini Executive Producer: Bella Soames Thanks to Dr. Fern Riddell Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
21 ago 2024 - 44 min 01 seg
3: James II and his fake heir scandal!
On June 10 1688, Queen Mary of Modena, the Catholic wife of James II, gave birth to a son, James Francis Stewart. Or did she? Join Kate Williams and Robert Hardman as they dive into one of royal history’s juiciest, and often forgotten, scandals: an event that should have been a joyous moment (a male heir - hurrah!) but one that instead unleashed a chain of events that would lead to mother, father, and child being driven out of England to spend the rest of their lives in… exile. Robert and Kate will explore whether Queen Mary really did give birth to a healthy son, or if – as many English Protestants, unwilling to see a Catholic heir on the throne, claimed – the pregnancy was all a ruse. Hosted by Daily Mail columnist and royal biographer Robert Hardman and historian Professor Kate Williams, Queens, Kings, and Dastardly Things delves into the juiciest parts of royal history from eras past, and present... but mainly past. New episodes out every Wednesday, wherever you get your podcasts. Follow us on TikTok and Instagram @queenskingspod, and email us at @dastardlythings@mailonline.co.uk Presenters: Robert Hardman and Professor Kate Williams Producer: Rich Jarman Production Manager: Victoria Cecchini Executive Producer: Bella Soames Thanks to Dr. Fern Riddell Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
14 ago 2024 - 32 min 37 seg