Queen Victoria’s great-grand children, the children of King George V were a fascinating bunch. The two eldest brothers both took their turns on the throne. Edward VIII abdicated amid scandal because he wanted to marry a divorced woman, Wallis Simpson and because he never really wanted to be king anyway. He nearly toppled the British monarchy in the process. ... Show More
Today
Mary II, Queen of England, Scotland, & Ireland
Queen Mary II was 1/2 of England’s only joint monarchy, and half of a pair of powerful sister Queens. She betrayed her father and took his throne with the support of her Dutch husband, William of Orange. She preferred to take a back seat but ended up doing most of the governing w ... Show More
24m 19s
Sep 8
Royals who Died of Bubonic Plague
As the great pestilence burned across central Asia, north Africa and Europe, roughly 100 million people lost their lives in the worst pandemic in human history. More than half of the populations of Florence, Paris and London fell victim. We will never know the names of most of th ... Show More
30m 9s
Sep 1
A History of Bubonic Plague | The Black Death & Quarantining with The Decameron
“How many valiant men, how many fair ladies, how many sprightly youths, … breakfasted in the morning with their kinsfolk, comrades and friends, and that same night supped with their ancestors in the other world.” Giovanni Boccaccio, The Decameron Between 1346 and 1353 a horrifyin ... Show More
31m 29s
Sep 2022
Bad King James VI & I
You might know him best as the longest reigning Scottish king, the son of Mary, Queen of Scots, the father of Charles I, or the eponymous poster of the translation of the bible into English.But King James VI of Scotland, and I of England, had some very questionable traits and got ... Show More
38m 43s
Nov 2021
124. World Cup of Kings and Queens part 2
Elizabeth II. Henry V. William the Conqueror. All pretenders, according to our twitter poll to find England’s greatest monarch, which has been running over the last week. Dominic and Tom discuss those who fell at the final hurdle, as well as finding room for a rather queasy anecd ... Show More
1h 1m
Mar 2024
James VI and I: life of the week
James Stuart became king of Scotland at just 13 months old, and has since been known as 'the cradle king'. So, what was his childhood like? How did he come to the throne of England? And how much is known about his relationships with his famed favourites, as portrayed in new histo ... Show More
47m 54s
May 2025
Royal sisters: the tragic lives of Queen Victoria's granddaughters
Victoria, Ella, Irene and Alix of Hesse were four young European princesses and granddaughters of Queen Victoria, whose marriages would change the face of early 20th-century Europe. Speaking to Elinor Evans, Frances Welch introduces the four sisters. She explores their relationsh ... Show More
36m 47s