Queens, Kings, and Dastardly Things podcast

Queens, Kings, and Dastardly Things

Expert history with a wicked twist: Queens, Kings and Dastardly Things is the podcast that goes behind palace doors and beyond the balcony smiles, to uncover the stories that the history books have politely skipped. Queens, Kings & Dastardly Things reveals the schemers, lovers, plotters and even the pets who’ve made the British monarchy the world’s longest-running reality show. Hosts, Royal biographers Robert Hardman and Professor Kate Williams trace how power, passion and paranoia have shaped every crown. There are queens who ruled better than their husbands, and princes who partied harder than their people. We meet saints, sinners and those hovering somewhere in between – from the man formerly known as Prince Andrew to the less-vilified Richard III. Sometimes we get reflective: how monarchy survives scandal, how image-making began long before Instagram, and why royal women have always been the best crisis managers in the room. Other times we’re just here for the gossip: who wore what, who slept where, and who accidentally started a war over breakfast. Think of it as history with its crown slightly askew. If you like your royal stories with equal parts grandeur and chaos, step into the world of Queens, Kings & Dastardly Things because behind every coronation lies a cover-up, behind every portrait a scandal, and behind every great monarch… a very patient servant wondering how to get the blood out of the carpet. New episodes out every MONDAY, wherever you get your podcasts. Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.

Expert history with a wicked twist: Queens, Kings and Dastardly Things is the podcast that goes behind palace doors and beyond the balcony smiles, to uncover the stories that the history books have politely skipped. Queens, Kings & Dastardly Things reveals the schemers, lovers, plotters and even the pets who’ve made the British monarchy the world’s longest-running reality show. Hosts, Royal biographers Robert Hardman and Professor Kate Williams trace how power, passion and paranoia have shaped every crown. There are queens who ruled better than their husbands, and princes who partied harder than their people. We meet saints, sinners and those hovering somewhere in between – from the man formerly known as Prince Andrew to the less-vilified Richard III. Sometimes we get reflective: how monarchy survives scandal, how image-making began long before Instagram, and why royal women have always been the best crisis managers in the room. Other times we’re just here for the gossip: who wore what, who slept where, and who accidentally started a war over breakfast. Think of it as history with its crown slightly askew. If you like your royal stories with equal parts grandeur and chaos, step into the world of Queens, Kings & Dastardly Things because behind every coronation lies a cover-up, behind every portrait a scandal, and behind every great monarch… a very patient servant wondering how to get the blood out of the carpet. New episodes out every MONDAY, wherever you get your podcasts. Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.

 

#72

Royals in Crisis: The Diana Years - Part One

The first episode in our deep-dive exploration of the most influential figures in modern r... more

10 Nov 2025

30 MINS

30:09

10 Nov 2025


#71

The Royal Woof!

OMRG*, we’ve got a genuinely Royal corgi in the studio, a four-legged, waggy-tailed world ... more

03 Nov 2025

22 MINS

22:23

03 Nov 2025


#70

Rotten Spares: The Prince Andrews & Harrys of History - Part 2

Are Princes Andrew and Harry the most troublesome ‘spares’ in royal history? You mightthin... more

27 Oct 2025

24 MINS

24:43

27 Oct 2025


#69

Rotten Spares: The Prince Andrews & Harrys of History - Part 1

Prince Harry may have put the wordspareon the map, but he and his uncle Prince Andrew are ... more

19 Oct 2025

25 MINS

25:48

19 Oct 2025


#68

Churchill & The Queen

Was Churchill her favourite PM — and who did the Queen secretly loathe? Find out in this w... more

12 Oct 2025

28 MINS

28:32

12 Oct 2025


#67

Spies & The Crown - Part 2

Royals in taxis, Groucho Marx glasses on ski slopes, and a Soviet mole hiding in the Queen... more

05 Oct 2025

25 MINS

25:14

05 Oct 2025


#66

Spies & The Crown - Part 1

From the Tudors to King Charles III, the royals have always been close to spies. Listen to... more

28 Sep 2025

23 MINS

23:39

28 Sep 2025


#65

Can Royals Be Jailed?

“Off with his head!” may be the most famous royal sentence ever passed — but what happens ... more

21 Sep 2025

29 MINS

29:45

21 Sep 2025


#64

Trump Royale

Trump’s coming to town — welcome to the towers of Windsor Castle. Hope you like ghosts! Ro... more

14 Sep 2025

26 MINS

26:18

14 Sep 2025


#63

Monstrous Royals: Bloody Mary v The Serpent Queen

Who was the most monstrous queen — England’s Bloody Mary or France’s Serpent Queen? Listen... more

10 Sep 2025

44 MINS

44:50

10 Sep 2025


#62

Monstrous Royals: King John v Richard III

Who was the most rotten king of all — treacherous John of England or Shakespeare’s wicked ... more

03 Sep 2025

37 MINS

37:32

03 Sep 2025


#61

Monstrous Royals: Henry VIII v Louis XIV

Who was history’s most monstrous monarch — Henry VIII of England or Louis XIV of France? L... more

27 Aug 2025

26 MINS

26:18

27 Aug 2025