logo
episode-header-image
Jun 2022
32m 24s

LGBTQ Royals of the World

Lindsay Holiday
About this episode

Happy Pride! In the history of the world there have been numerous royals and countless common people who preferred the romantic company of their own gender. Acceptance of this has varied by time period and by culture. Being gay was often made much easier if you were a person born to wealth and privilege. Here are the stories of 8 royals from around the world – complicated an interesting people who happened to be gay or bisexual. 

Alexander the Great of Macedonia (356BCE – 323 BCE)

Emperor Ai of Han China (27 BCE – 1 BCE)

Philippe I, Duke of Orléans (1640 – 1701)

Hortense Mancini (1646-1699)

Prince Henry of Prussia (1726-1802)

Princess Isabella of Bourbon-Parma (1741-1763)

Archduke Ludwig Viktor of Austria (1842-1919)

Luisa Isabel Álvarez de Toledo (1936-2008)

Lord Ivar Mountbatten (1963-)

Manvendra Singh Gohil (1965-) 

Please consider supporting me at https://www.patreon.com/LindsayHoliday and help me make more fascinating videos! 

Sources: Dall’Orto, Giovanni. Who’s Who in Gay and Lesbian History from Antiquity to World War II. Robert Aldrich and Garry Wotherspoon, eds. London: Routledge, 2001. 

Sex with Kings: 500 Years of Adultery, Power, Rivalry, and Revenge. HarperCollins Publishers, 2001. Herman, Eleanor. Sex with the Queen: 900 Years of Vile Kings, Virile Lovers, and Passionate Politics. HarperCollins Publishers, 2006. 

Music: Brandenburg Concerto No4-1 BWV1049 - Classical Whimsical by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) Source: http://incompetech.com/music/royalty-free/index.html?isrc=USUAN1100303 Artist: http://incompetech.com/

Please contact advertising@airwavemedia.com if you would like to advertise on this podcast.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Up next
Jul 8
The Kennedys – America's 'Royal' Families
Correction: JFK was assasinated on 11/22/1963 Ever since the United States rejected hereditary Monarchy, Americans have had a fascination with political dynasties. The Adamses, the Roosevelts, and the Bushes have all become pseudo-royal families with multiple generations in high ... Show More
34m 15s
Jul 1
Diana, Princess of Wales
Lady Diana Spencer was the daughter of an Earl and was hand picked at 19 to become the bride of heir to the throne, Charles, Prince of Wales. But he was already in love with another woman and the fairytale marriage soon devolved into a messy divorce splashed across the tabloids. ... Show More
30m 10s
Jun 24
Caroline Astor, The Queen of Gilded Age New York
Caroline was born into old money, and married into the richest new money family in the world. She became the ultimate Queen bee, determining who was and was NOT part of the illustrious 400, the high society of gilded age New York. A coveted invitation to one of her balls was the ... Show More
29m 3s
Recommended Episodes
May 2022
Royal Sex
Why did kings and queens have spectators on their wedding night? Was sex always just for the love of their country and the want of an heir, or were some royals into different kinks? And what about outside marriage? From an official mistress who does not have sex with the king, to ... Show More
42m 7s
Apr 2024
Sex & Scandal in King James' Court
King James I was a man whose sexuality was known by people in France, let alone (the newly formed) Britain of the early 17th century. So it may come as no surprise that men, such as the handsome George Villiers, might use their sexuality to their advantage and gain status, money ... Show More
1h 1m
Jun 2024
Tudor Lesbians
Throughout history, it's mostly been queer men who were persecuted under the historical sodomy laws, but the Tudor period saw a spike in women being tried under it. Why was this? And why was it mostly happening in what is modern day Belgium and Netherlands? Joining Kate today is ... Show More
45m 43s
Mar 2024
Queen Elizabeth I and Her V Card
This week is for the true history girlies! We are taking you through the life and reign of the Virgin Queen, Elizabeth I. From her tumultuous upbringing as the daughter of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn to her rise to become one of England's most notable monarchs. We talk sister figh ... Show More
1h 15m
Apr 2024
144. The Making of Queen Victoria (Ep 1)
Born on the 24th May 1819, Alexandrina Victoria was fifth in line to the throne at a time in which the monarchy’s popularity was declining. Yet, over the course of her reign, which at the time was the longest of any British monarch, Victoria transformed the monarchy, Britain, and ... Show More
53m 54s
Nov 2022
Hortense and Marie Mancini
Hortense and Marie Mancini tried to make a place for themselves in 17th-century Europe, defying all kinds of conventions along the way. Their lives were full of adventure and daring, but they were also both stuck in abusive marriages.   Research: "Jules Mazarin." Historic World L ... Show More
46m 55s
Jan 2024
Tudors in Love
From Henry VIII declaring himself as the ‘loyal and most assured servant’ of Anne Boleyn to the poems lavished on Elizabeth I by her suitors, the dramas of courtly love have captivated readers and dreamers for centuries.  In this edition of Not Just the Tudors, first released in ... Show More
39m 23s
Jan 2024
Conspiracy | 1. Was Elizabeth I a man?
In her most famous speech, delivered on 9 August 1588, Queen Elizabeth I declared that she had the "heart and stomach of a king". Was that just rhetoric? Or could England’s iconic Tudor queen actually have been a man masquerading as a woman? In this new episode of Conspiracy, Tud ... Show More
26m 21s
May 2023
Tokugawa Iemitsu
Through the life of this 17th century Japanese shogun, we explore the role of same-sex relationships in Japanese court culture of the time, the radically different meanings of age and gender in different times and places, and a gay teen romance that ends, alas, with being stabbed ... Show More
56m 3s
Jun 2022
The Davidian Revolution
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the impact of David I of Scotland (c1084-1153) on his kingdom and on neighbouring lands. The youngest son of Malcolm III, he was raised in exile in the Anglo-Norman court and became Earl of Huntingdon and Prince of Cumbria before claiming the thron ... Show More
50m 16s