Trashy Royals

As the English Civil War ground on and the tides began to turn against the Royalist forces, Charles II decamped to Europe for his own safety. His mother was in Paris, but he also spent a lot of time in The Hague, where his sister Mary was the wife of William II, Prince of Orange.Charles, then still just the Prince of Wales, met a Welsh lass there named Lucy Walter. Lucy had skipped out on the UK to get away from her parents, whose ugly divorce had risen to high scandal, and was hoping to find her fortune - via a husband or lover - in the English Court-in-exile.In May of 1648, Lucy met Charles, and a relatively brief romance transpired, but one that produced Prince Charles's first child. Happily, Charles eagerly acknowledged his son, who would go on to become the Duke of Monmouth. Less happily, agents of English dictator Oliver Cromwell kidnapped the boy for 10 days, and years later, long after the romance was over, his own father would successfully kidnap him to hide him from Cromwell and other dangers.Sadly, Lucy died some time in 1658, and never saw her old flame on the English throne, or her son as a Duke.Listen ad-free at patreon.com/trashyroyalspodcast.To advertise on this podcast, reach out to [email protected] Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

History includes a lot of highs and lows, but England's Interregnum period was a particularly low low. King Charles I had been defeated in the English Civil War and was tried and beheaded in January 1649. For the next eleven years, various flavors of religious extremists, mostly under the sway of Oliver Cromwell, governed the realm (badly).Cromwell died in 1658 and his successor, his son Richard, proved a more miserable leader than even his predecessors, which led to the restoration of the monarchy and Charles II strolling into an eager London on his 30th birthday. By then, his reputation as a ladies' man was already well established, and for a grateful nation, it was time to let the good times roll once again.Listen ad-free at patreon.com/trashyroyalspodcast.To advertise on this podcast, reach out to [email protected] Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Stacie has the gobsmacking escape of Princess Haya of Jordan, whose decade and a half of marriage to Dubai's ruler, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, was heading south by the time he became embroiled in yet another scandal for kidnapping one of his 26 children. Again.Listen ad-free at patreon.com/trashyroyalspodcast.To advertise on this podcast, reach out to [email protected] Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The city-state of Carthage, on the coast of modern Tunisia, was the product of a flight from tyranny. Dissidents from Tyre fled by ship and ended up building something enduring - for seven centuries, anyway. Slightly older than the city of Rome, Carthage's wealth came from a broad trade network that encompassed the entire Mediterranean Sea.But as the Roman Republic's fortunes rose, conflict with their southern neighbor seemed to become irresistible, setting off a series of wars that would end in the total destruction of Carthage, its culture, and its people. But Rome's victory, apparently, wasn't quite enough. It turns out that Rome's first emperor also wanted to capture and transform the story of Carthage's founder, Dido, an early act of propaganda intended to knit together the nascent Roman Empire.Listen ad-free at patreon.com/trashyroyalspodcast.To advertise on this podcast, reach out to [email protected] Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Between the years 235 and 280 AD, the Roman Empire was a basket case. Emperors were dropping like flies, succession fights were common, pretenders routinely declared themselves Emperor, and whole regions broke away. It was not the most prestigious period for Rome.In Roman-controlled Syria, a fully Romanized city-state called Palmyra had become a wealthy and prosperous destination on various trade routes, as well as the last bulwark on the eastern frontier between Rome and the Persian Empire. As the Roman crack-up proceeded, the city appointed its first-ever king, Odaenathus, who ruled alongside his wife, Zenobia. When Odaenathus was assassinated in 267 - we don't know by whom - Zenobia took the reins of Palmyra and led it through an audacious territorial expansion, until Palmyra controlled basically all of the Eastern Empire, including Egypt.And then, as more Emperors bumbled through the halls of power in distant Rome, Zenobia gave up on them entirely and declared herself Empress of Rome, and her domain, the Palmyrene Empire, the equal of Rome itself.Listen ad-free at patreon.com/trashyroyalspodcast.To advertise on this podcast, reach out to [email protected] Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Today is second part of the incredible story of Lady Anne Glenconner. This episode is full of the stories and spiderwebs of Anne's third act, having incredible success with her memoirs. So many people show up in this one - with stories and a little tea-spilling too - including Princess Margaret, Lord Snowden, King Charles III, Queen Consort Camilla, Mel B., Mick Jagger, and even Graham Norton too.Listen ad-free at patreon.com/trashyroyalspodcast.SponsorsAura Frames. Get $35 off Aura’s best-selling Carver Mat frames by using promo code ROYALS at checkout at auraframes.com.To advertise on this podcast, reach out to [email protected] Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In this special crossover episode of Done and Dunne and Trashy Royals, Alicia introduces you to The Right Honourable The Dowager Lady Glenconner, Anne Tennant. Lady Anne’s life is truly incredible – from a privileged childhood to being a lady-in-waiting attending Queen Elizabeth II through her coronation, these are only Anne’s early years. Marriage and children follow in her life, with so many connected spiderwebs into the aristocracy, and our podcast journey.Listen ad-free at patreon.com/trashyroyalspodcast.SponsorsAura Frames. Get $35 off Aura’s best-selling Carver Mat frames by using promo code ROYALS at checkout at auraframes.com.To advertise on this podcast, reach out to [email protected] Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

It's that time of year again, Good Nobles, so Alicia is taking us on a magical tour of (mostly) Tudor England's holiday season! Think Advent, the 12 Days of Christmas, and a full on two-week break to eat, drink, and be as merry as you can be with Henry VIII as your king.Listen ad-free at patreon.com/trashyroyalspodcast.To advertise on this podcast, reach out to [email protected] Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

When Alexander the Great conquered Egypt bloodlessly in 332 BC, he was welcomed as a liberator after a period of Persian domination. Establishing cities like Alexandria and Philadelphia, his short life meant that the double-crown passed shortly to one of his most trusted generals, Ptolemy I Soter, kicking off a 300-year reign of Greek-Macedonian leadership over the ancient country.But times were changing during that three century period, with the power of Greece ebbing and a new superpower, Rome, emerging across the Mediterranean Sea. By the time that Ptolemy XII was securing the Egyptian throne for his children, Cleopatra VII and Ptolemy XIII, Julius Caesar was large and in charge well beyond Italy, and took a keen interest in the troubles the two co-pharaohs were having. It turns out things between the young rulers were worse than even Caesar expected, with the two factions in armed rebellion against each other. Ptolemy XIII made the choice to attack Caesar and Cleopatra in Alexandria, and subsequently died in the Battle of the Nile.There was romance between Caesar and Cleopatra that produced a child, but upon Caesar's death, Cleopatra had to once again take a look at the power dynamics of the world around her to preserve her kingdom and her dynasty. The Roman general Mark Antony fit the bill as both a strategic partner and lover - for a time, anyway.Listen ad-free at patreon.com/trashyroyalspodcast.To advertise on this podcast, reach out to [email protected] Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Decades after a band of British colonists in the new world gained independence from the Crown, a funny thing happened: wealthy American women began returning to the ancestral homeland to find impoverished but titled Englishmen needing wives - and cash. It was a match - actually, hundreds of them - made in heaven.Jeanette "Jennie" Jerome was an American daughter of a banker and a landowner, as well as being a noted beauty of her era. In 1874, at the age of just 20, Jennie married Lord Randolph Churchill - the two would produce another notable Churchill - and began a fascinating period of decades that saw her involvement and influence in the highest level of British politics and society.Sources:The Titled Americans: Three American Sisters and British Aristocratic World into Which They Married, by Elizabeth Kehoe (Amazon link)Jennie Churchill: Winston’s American Mother, by Anne Sebba (Amazon link)The Husband Hunters: Social Climbing in London and New York, by Anne de Courcy (Amazon link)International Churchill Society (winstonchurchill.org)Million Dollar American Princesses, Smithsonian Channel documentary (smithsonianchannel.com)See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

We welcome back journalist and author Andrew Morton to spill some tea, past and present, on Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and Sarah Ferguson. The former Duke and Duchess of York are not the only Windsor family members in the lens - also included are Prince Phillip, King Charles III, Diana, Princess of Wales, Prince William and Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie too.Listen ad-free at patreon.com/trashyroyalspodcast.To advertise on this podcast, reach out to [email protected] Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

From the Louvre heist in Paris to a bank vault in Quebec, lost and found royal jewels are having a moment! Alicia takes us through the audacious daylight robbery - with some cybersecurity tips - and the rediscovery of the Florentine Diamond after a century in seclusion on this side of the pond.Listen ad-free at patreon.com/trashyroyalspodcast.To advertise on this podcast, reach out to [email protected] Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Today, Alicia revisits a first season episode where... well, we were sweet summer children and there was much that would be revealed. This week, we revisit the "happiest divorced couple in the world", the no-longer-prince Andrew Mountbatten Windsor and his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Ancient Egypt may never stop fascinating us modern types, but as archeologists in recent centuries began to explore the ruined temples and tombs of one of humanity's oldest civilizations, they unearthed a puzzle: what had led to the seemingly violent attempt to erase a pharaoh whose monuments - intact or destroyed - were some of the finest works ever found?When they learned that Pharaoh Hatshepsut was a woman, their 18th and 19th century brains curdled, coming up with a story of an evil queen who stole her power from the rightful heir. None of this was true. Hatshepsut strode across her world's stage at a moment of rising stability and prosperity in Egypt, and added to it, preserving the throne as regent to a two-year old Pharaoh Thutmose III, and co-reigning alongside him as he matured into one of Egypt's greatest military leaders and pharaohs himself. Hatshepsut's reign widened the possibilities for a kingdom on the cusp of a Golden Age, and gifted humanity with some of the most marvelous pieces of antiquity discovered yet. Listen ad-free at ⁠patreon.com/trashyroyalspodcast⁠.To advertise on this podcast, reach out to ⁠[email protected]⁠.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The House of Grimaldi has ruled the tiny principality of Monaco since January 8, 1297, when Francois “The Spiteful” Grimaldi disguised himself as a monk and knocked on his uncle’s castle door, launching a coup. In the violence that followed, according to legend, a woman – possibly a lover of Francois, possibly a witch he had wronged (can’t it be both?) – issued a curse that has resonated across the centuries: “Never will a Grimaldi find true happiness in marriage.” The Grimaldi family was considered scandalous enough in Queen Victoria’s time that she forbade any of her close relatives to marry into it, leading Prince Albert I of Monaco to marry an American heiress in 1889 – a precedent that would matter decades later when Prince Rainier III, urged on by none other than shipping tycoon Aristotle Onassis, began interviewing Hollywood A-listers for a very special role: Princess of Monaco. Which is how Grace Kelly abandoned the big screen for the Rock of Monaco, and would go on to celebrate her 40th birthday in High Scorpio style. Listen ad-free at patreon.com/trashyroyalspodcast. Sources: The Grimaldis of Monaco: Centuries of Scandal, Years of Grace, by Anne Edwards (Amazon) Grace: The Secret Lives of a Princess, by James Spada (Amazon) Elizabeth Taylor: There is Nothing Like a Dame, by Darwin Porter and Danforth Prince (Amazon) A Detailed Look at the Many Romances of Prince Albert of Monaco (esquiremag.ph) Portrait of Princess Caroline: Love and Philanthropy (hellomonaco.com) Who is Giving Prince Ernst August a little TLC During his Marital Strife? (vanityfair.com) Is Princess Caroline the Latest Victim of the Grimaldi Family Curse? (vanityfair.com) A Runaway Princess Bride and Feudal Feuds: Three Insane Royal Weddings (vanityfair.com) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In this episode, Alicia spills all the details of this possibly cursed pearl, La Peregrina, which was the largest pearl ever found when it was pulled from Panamanian waters. It would spend centuries bothering Europe's first families before an English Duke gave it to Sotheby's for auction in 1969, and the legend of La Peregrina gained a brand-new chapter with a different kind of royalty. Listen ad-free at patreon.com/trashyroyalspodcast. To advertise on this podcast, reach out to [email protected]. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Alicia's taking over all the podcasts this week, with the stories and spiderwebs of screen goddess Elizabeth Taylor. In this week's musically-themed episode, Alicia breaks down some of the lyrics in Taylor Swift's new track, Elizabeth Taylor, from her album The Life of a Showgirl. From Portofino to the very best table at Musso & Frank's, certain themes resonate across these two titanic figures in American pop culture - and leave our podcasts absolutely covered in spiderwebs. Listen ad-free at patreon.com/trashyroyalspodcast. To advertise on this podcast, reach out to [email protected]. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In an exciting crossover episode today, Alicia was delighted to speak with author and biographer Andrew Morton about his new release Winston and the Windsors: How Churchill Shaped a Royal Dynasty. Our conversation explores the influence of Winston’s mother Jennie Jerome on his early days, as well as Winston’s relationship with each of the Windsor monarchs including Edward VII, George V, Edward VIII, George VI and Elizabeth II. Our discussion does not stop there – Andrew shares many stories about the royal family and his own adventures in reporting. Listen ad-free at patreon.com/trashyroyalspodcast. To advertise on this podcast, reach out to [email protected]. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

As word spreads of Queen Jane and the English people turn to Princess Mary instead, Dudley's coup plot rapidly unravels. The English Navy, forced ashore by storms, learns the situation and the sailors side with Mary, taking personnel and materiel to join her cause against Dudley. In London, efforts to secure the city from invasion collapse as the population rejects the new regime. Things are bleak for the nobles who orchestrated the new queen, and most rush to Mary to make whatever amends they can. As Mary takes her rightful place on the English throne, the Tower of London gets a passel of new residents. Most, including Jane herself, will eventually be executed, particularly after Wyatt's Rebellion sharpens the sense of danger to the Queen and her counselors. It's a bleak story for fans of Jane Grey, whose personal ambitions do not appear to have included becoming Queen of England, and who was poorly used by powerful men pursuing their own agendas. Listen ad-free at patreon.com/trashyroyalspodcast. To advertise on this podcast, reach out to [email protected]. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Once on the throne, Queen Jane Grey begins to surprise her would-be handlers, making clear that there would be no crown for her ne'er-do-well husband, and that John Dudley was her subject, not her master. As Dudley rallies the troops for what he thinks will be an easy capture of Princess Mary, the people of England take the news of their new, unknown queen poorly - and rally to Mary's banner. Listen ad-free at patreon.com/trashyroyalspodcast. To advertise on this podcast, reach out to [email protected]. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Game of Thrones may have wrapped up on that streaming site, but for the Tudor-obsessed, it really never ends. Which brings Alicia to the run-up to the year 1553. King Henry VIII has been succeeded by his son with Jane Seymour, King Edward VI. Having taken the throne at the tender age of nine, the battle among the court's more ruthless players for a regent-like role is intense; the Seymour brothers, Edward and Thomas, and John Dudley, Duke of Northumberland, are constantly scheming against each other to advance their ambitions, which is all well and good until it becomes clear that the young King is not long for the world. This presents a world of trouble for the now-Protestant English court, because the next logical successor is Henry VIII's first daughter, Mary, an avowed and unrepentant Catholic like her mother, Catherine of Aragon. Desperate to head off her ascension, the Privy Counsel and King Edward (probably) revise the 15-year-old's last will and testament to put the throne in the hands of a Protestant cousin, Lady Jane Grey - by then the daughter-in-law of John Dudley. But England's Catholic population, sensing an opportunity to regain the status they lost when Henry VIII broke with The Vatican, isn't going to take the snub gracefully. But that's a story for Part Two. Listen ad-free at patreon.com/trashyroyalspodcast. To advertise on this podcast, reach out to [email protected]. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

It was a dark and stormy night in The Bahamas back on July 8, 1943, when a Canadian gold magnate who'd relocated years before for tax reasons was brutally murdered in his home. But don't worry, friends: this was during the period when David, Duke of Windsor, and the former King Edward VIII, was governor of the territory, and he made it his mission to personally handle the investigation of the murder of his rich, white friend. It went.... well, have you met David? Listen ad-free at patreon.com/trashyroyalspodcast. To advertise on this podcast, reach out to [email protected]. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In the 18th century, modern Germany continued to be a patchwork of various duchies, which kept German nobles in the marriage rotation throughout Europe. So it was that two brothers - Ernst and Leopold - came into the world in the Duchy of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld in 1784 and 1790. One would become the King of Belgium, and one would be the legal father of Prince Albert, later the husband of Queen Victoria. We say "legal father" because apparently it's not 100% clear that Ernst's estranged wife, the long suffering Princess Louise, wasn't comforting her brother-in-law after the death of his wife, England's Princess Charlotte, whose death in childbirth prompted the Hanoverian race to reproduce that gave the world Queen Victoria. It is, as they say, complicated. Listen ad-free at patreon.com/trashyroyalspodcast. To advertise on this podcast, reach out to [email protected]. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Oh my, this lady is one to remember, and Alicia does her level best to bring Millicent, Duchess of Sutherland to the forefront in this week’s episode. Milicent was mentioned in Episode 5 of the Wallis Series, as she is the mother of Rosemary Levenson-Gower, one of Edward’s early loves. Millicent lived quite a life – from aristocratic hostess to reformer for social justice, this lady did it all. Also included are her three marriages and a writing career too. You won’t forget Millicent anytime soon after this one! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In this second half of the story of Mary Adelaide, Duchess of Teck, Alicia takes us through the family's financial exile to Italy - Queen Vic thought living in Florence would restrain the lavish spending the Tecks were known for - and the circuitous, flu-induced path that took Fat Mary's daughter from shy noblewoman to future Queen of England. Oh - and why some historians have falsely tarred Queen Mary as a kleptomaniac. Listen ad-free at patreon.com/trashyroyalspodcast. To advertise on this podcast, reach out to [email protected]. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This episode is brought to you by Incogni! In the tangle of British royals to come out of the Hanoverian period, most aren't memorable. This is probably partly due to Queen Victoria's long reign, but there was a cousin of the Queen that she was quite partial to: Fat Mary. Princess Mary Adelaide of Cambridge was 14 years the Queen's junior, but she and her siblings were the cousins who comprised Victoria's friend group during her heavily restricted childhood, and Mary's age made her almost a younger sister to the future Queen. Mary had little use for the notions of how women were supposed to behave, especially royal women, in her era, and enjoyed life lavishly. Her weight was a concern to her parents from a young age, and when it came time to find suitors for their daughter, few were forthcoming. Mary wouldn't walk down the aisle until the age of 32, when she found a love match with Frances, Duke of Teck, a member of a noble family in Germany. The couple prospered - though never financially - and in this Part One episode, we talk about Fat Mary's childhood, and the childhood of her daughter, the future Queen Mary. Let's say that having a large and extremely gregarious mother was not especially to the liking of her shy daughter. Sponsors Protect your privacy from data brokers, scammers, and more with Incogni. Use code Trashy to get an exclusive 60% off an annual Incogni plan at incogni.com/royals. Listen ad-free at patreon.com/trashyroyalspodcast. To advertise on this podcast, reach out to [email protected]. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

While it may be true that the only certainties in this world are death and taxes, we do bumble through our lives with the expectation that our physicians will not knowingly prematurely end us. At least, most of us do. But for British royals in the 1930s, the royal physician, Lord Bertrand Dawson, was making decisions he arguably had no right to make - not only for the mortally ill George V, but two years later, for his sister, Queen Maud of Norway. Listen ad-free at patreon.com/trashyroyalspodcast. To advertise on this podcast, reach out to [email protected]. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This week, Alicia is joined by Dr. Alicia King Anderson to deep dive into the topic of stepmothers. Included within this wide-ranging discussion are the economic realities of women through history, the reason we have these stories in our lore, and more intricate discussions about Jacob Grimm, witches, Hansel and Gretel, Cinderella, Vasilisa and Baba Yaga too. Listen ad-free at patreon.com/trashyroyalspodcast. To advertise on this podcast, reach out to [email protected]. Alicia’s Website: https://aliciakinganderson.com Fairy Tale retelling class: https://www.morbidanatomy.org/classes/p/how-to-write-fairy-tale-retellings-with-alicia-king-anderson-phd-begins-august-19 Alicia’s new book: Magic, Murder & Machines: Reimagining Fairy Tales, by Alicia K. Anderson (Bookshop.og) From the Beast to the Blonde: On Fairy Tales and Their Tellers, by Marina Warner (Amazon) Why Fairy Tales Stick: The Evolution and Relevance of a Genre, by Jack Zipes (Amazon) The Hard Facts of the Grimms' Fairy Tales: Expanded Edition (Princeton Classics) by Maria M. Tatar (Amazon) Off with Their Heads! Fairy Tales and the Culture of Childhood, by Maria M. Tatar (Amazon) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

We are taking a very trashy tour back in time this week discussing the Arthurian legends with our resident mythology expert Dr. Alicia King Anderson. Alicia dives into all the classic stories, including the choosing of King Arthur, the magical man Merlin, the love-angst of Guinevere and Lancelot, the trickery of Morgan le Fay, and so much more! Listen ad-free at patreon.com/trashyroyalspodcast. To advertise on this podcast, reach out to [email protected]. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Over a millennium ago, Norsemen loaded up their boats and moved south toward the heart of Europe, traversing its abundant rivers to raid, trade, and conquer. One of these conquests was the city of Kyiv, which these Rus' invaders ('Swedes,' in the local long-ago parlance, Stacie thinks, but also 'men who row') made the seat of the first Eastern Slavic State, way before Moscow was a thing, the Kyivan Rus. The Kyivan Rus's second ruler, Igor I, took a wife at some point during his long reign, and upon his murder, she took both his crown and his vengeance on those who had wronged them both, and their kingdom. In a notably bloodthirsty series of events, Olga of Kyiv murdered the offending peoples' diplomats, envoys, citizens, and laid siege to the capitol of the Drevlians, ultimately destroying the city entirely. But her story wasn't all revenge; she was an able ruler and regent to her son, establishing the first vestiges of modern governance in the region. After his age of majority, Olga continued to govern the city of Kyiv during his many military expeditions abroad. Olga, perhaps thinking better of some of the aftermath of Igor's death, later converted from Paganism to become a devout Christian, building churches and, through her grandson, ushering in the permanent Christianization of the Kyivan Rus. Listen ad-free at patreon.com/trashyroyalspodcast. To advertise on this podcast, reach out to [email protected]. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In our finale of the Wallis, Duchess of Windsor series, we spend time with the Duke and the Duchess in their time as the toast of international society. David and Wallis appear in all the best places and at all the best tables, but ultimately that is not a fulfilling life for either of them. Listen ad-free at patreon.com/trashyroyalspodcast. To advertise on this podcast, reach out to [email protected]. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The Duke and Duchess should be in their long-awaited wedded bliss period, but King George VI is going to take his brother David up on that past offer to be of assistance, and off the newlyweds go to the Bahamas. The Duke will have a pretty easy job which he won’t do, but Wallis will dazzle. In this episode, David deals with some family hardships as well as the continuing hardships he places upon himself, both during and after WWII. Listen ad-free at patreon.com/trashyroyalspodcast. To advertise on this podcast, reach out to [email protected]. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Married life begins for Wallis and David, and although it is a time of decorating homes and settling into domestic bliss for the couple, there are troubled times brewing. David and Wallis take a trip to Germany they will come to regret in short order. Not only is the world about to enter a war, but David is stubbornly holding onto his own pride and pettiness, so naturally more Windsor family drama included. Listen ad-free at patreon.com/trashyroyalspodcast. To advertise on this podcast, reach out to [email protected]. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In December of 1936, David is off the throne and has a little time on his hands. The former king cannot reunite with his love Wallis at the moment, as her final divorce decree from Ernest Simpson is still pending within the court system. David will not spend much time thinking beyond his abdication as it is happening, and because of his lack of foresight, there are a few uncomfortable months in the early part of 1937 for the couple. There is, as you would expect, a whole lot of family drama throughout this time period, but this episode does end with a wedding between this star-crossed couple - faith healer priest and gorgeous flowers included! Listen ad-free at patreon.com/trashyroyalspodcast. To advertise on this podcast, reach out to [email protected]. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

We have journeyed into this trashy series to fall of 1936, and the abdication of Edward VIII is coming fast and hard. The world now knows about Wallis, and everyone has an opinion about the love affair the world can’t stop discussing. From the people to the palace to the Parliament, we have a whole lot of influences in today’s tale. Wallis is not rooting for David leaving his kingdom, but he is a man-child not to be deterred. The King is going to get his girl, even if he loses his crown. Listen ad-free at patreon.com/trashyroyalspodcast. To advertise on this podcast, reach out to [email protected]. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

No one inside or outside the palace seems all too pleased in this continuing episode of our Wallis series. We are definitely on the countdown to the December 1936 abdication of Edward VIII, and the events of the summer and fall really turn up the temperature on the whole sordid mess. David isn’t too keen on being the king. Neither are his advisors. A lot of folks would like to see David just walk away from the job. The one lone voice urging him to keep the gig was his lover, Wallis. She wants no part of any of this nonsense, but it seems any chance she had to leave her fate is long gone. Listen ad-free at patreon.com/trashyroyalspodcast. To advertise on this podcast, reach out to [email protected]. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

King George V has passed, and it is David’s time to assume the throne. The new King of England is pretty okay with it, for now – but only if his rules are followed. The people of England are pretty fired up about the monarch who they feel will be a youthful, modern twist to the staid and formal reign of the past. There are a lot of other folks, mostly the ones close to David, who do not share this same enthusiasm. Meanwhile, Wallis is still playing her hand, balancing between an ever more needy lover and a husband who will soon not be too bummed at all that she has been fooling around. What is Ernest playing at? Listen ad-free at patreon.com/trashyroyalspodcast. To advertise on this podcast, reach out to [email protected]. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This week, we bring Wallis and the Prince of Wales together, and it is some scandalous stuff. Walls sells out her friend Thelma. David is resolved to get Wallis into his inner court world, no matter what he must do, even with enemies on all sides. The prince has now become a determined guy, and Wallis is playing a very dangerous game with some very high stakes. Aunt Bessie does try to warn Wallis, bless her heart, not that it does much good. Listen ad-free at patreon.com/trashyroyalspodcast. To advertise on this podcast, reach out to [email protected]. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This week, we progress in our journey to the last lover of the Prince of Wales, before Wallis, that is. Thelma Furness enters the picture. Thelma comes with her own legend, being one of the Magical Morgan Twins, along with her sister Gloria. Thelma thinks she can trust her good friend Wallis to keep an eye on “her little man” when she is needed to support her sister, Gloria Morgan Vanderbilt, back in the United States, who is stuck right in the middle of the “trial of the century,” concerning the custody status of little Gloria Vanderbilt. How history does turn on such things…it does not work out great for Thelma, at least when it comes to David. Listen ad-free at patreon.com/trashyroyalspodcast. To advertise on this podcast, reach out to [email protected]. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

We continue our journey into the love life of the Prince of Wales this week introducing the lovely, and married, Freda Dudley Ward. This phenomenal woman was romantically involved with David for 15 years, and he sure liked it that way, until he didn’t. This one is quite a journey of a wonderful woman who played her role perfectly, in good times and in bad times too. Listen ad-free at patreon.com/trashyroyalspodcast. To advertise on this podcast, reach out to [email protected]. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In this week’s exciting episode of our Wallis, Duchess of Windsor series, we change the focus to the Prince of Wales. With a complicated childhood without a whole lot of family love, you can see how it would be easy for David to be swayed by romance. He does this romance dance quite a lot – sometimes with suitable girls, sometimes not. In this episode, we will explore a few of David’s first loves, including Marion Coke, Lady Sybil Cadogan, Marguerite Alibert, and Rosemary Leveson-Gower. No gal is going to ever be good enough for David at this time, at least according to his royal family. Also, there is a little blackmail and murder thrown into the mix too. Listen ad-free at patreon.com/trashyroyalspodcast. To advertise on this podcast, reach out to [email protected]. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Upon her return to the United States, Wallis will finally obtain her divorce from Win Spencer, and soon enough meet her next husband, Ernest Simpson. Slightly problematic, Ernest is married at the time, but who can stop true love? Wallis will seek and find happiness (finally) here, as a contented married lady and star hostess of London society. Listen ad-free at patreon.com/trashyroyalspodcast. To advertise on this podcast, reach out to [email protected]. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Hold onto your conspiracy theories in this one, darlings! Wallis took a lot of heat for the year she spent in the Orient, her Lotus Year. Many folks pinned a whole lot of terrible deeds on Wallis this year, largely all untrue. Her year in China becomes the basis for the future China Dossier, which was supposed to dissuade the Prince of Wales from his married lover. That plan did not work out too well, and this year, Wallis truly steps into being the woman she is to become. Also, she will break with Win Spencer, for good. Listen ad-free at patreon.com/trashyroyalspodcast. To advertise on this podcast, reach out to [email protected]. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In this second installment of Wallis, Duchess of Windsor, we visit steamy Pensacola, Florida, and meet Wallis’s first husband, Earl Winfield “Win” Spencer, Jr. This flyboy will woo and wed Wallis, only for the relationship to reveal some very large red flags. Listen ad-free at patreon.com/trashyroyalspodcast. To advertise on this podcast, reach out to [email protected]. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Welcome to a whole spider of a series - Wallis, Duchess of Windsor! We know her story, or we think we do. In this first episode, we meet Bessie Wallis Warfield, just a tiny girl making her way in the world surrounded by a whole lot of family drama, on both sides. Between her mother Alice and her uncle Sol, it is no wonder Wallis wants to break free to see a different world than the one she knows. Listen ad-free at patreon.com/trashyroyalspodcast. To advertise on this podcast, reach out to [email protected]. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Alicia is joined by a very special guest this week Alicia King Anderson to break down the story of the original trashy royal couple from mythology, Hera and Zeus. Their story is loaded with tricks, subterfuge and a little revenge too. They take the cake as the trashy couple in mythology, no doubt. Find more of Alicia K. Anderson, Ph.D. in these links: Alicia's Patreon Her upcoming class on "The Dark Feminine for Dark Times" Fairy Tale Retellings now available for pre-order! Listen ad-free at patreon.com/trashyroyalspodcast. To advertise on this podcast, reach out to [email protected]. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Free from Henry at long last, and with Thomas Seymour home from his European duties, Catherine quickly, but discretely, found her way back to her old flame. They married in secret, which displeased both the new king, Edward VI, and Princess Mary, Catherine's good friend. Thomas's brother Edward - by then the 1st Duke of Somerset - was more or less running the country for his nephew, then nine or ten years old, and presented a foil to Thomas, and ultimately led to his downfall. This was a dicey period for Thomas Seymour, because upon his return to England, he fired off a letter to 14-year-old Princess Elizabeth proposing marriage. Catherine must not have known this when, once their marriage was public, she invited both Elizabeth and Lady Jane Grey to live in their household, and it is here where Thomas's personality and proclivities take a dark turn. A member of their household would later testify about inappropriate visits he would make to Elizabeth's bed chamber, inappropriate touching, and, as a last straw, a time when Catherine discovered the pair in an embrace. Elizabeth was sent to live in another noble home in May 1548 - which was the last time she would ever see her much beloved stepmother. Catherine Parr gave birth to a daughter on the 30th of August, 1548, and died on September 5, 1548, of "childbed fever" - a catchall term for any of a number of post-partum infections that were common in the era. Her beloved, but betraying, husband only lived a few months longer. Thomas Seymour was arrested and charged with treason in February 1549, and executed on March 20 of that year. Listen ad-free at patreon.com/trashyroyalspodcast. To advertise on this podcast, reach out to [email protected]. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

As Lady Latimer after her second wedding in 1534, Catherine, her husband, and her step-children found themselves enmeshed in the growing public anger at Henry's moves to impose his new religion, as well as various other political gripes. In 1536 and 1537, a genuine uprising occurred, with Catholic rebels dragging Lord Latimer - a fellow Catholic - from their home to be pressed into service against the King. Catherine and her step-children were held hostage for months, and Lord Latimer found himself slung up in the Tower of London for some time on suspicion of conspiring with the rebels. The whole episode was enough to leave the family wary of their digs in North Yorkshire and set their sights on olde London town. Finally, Catherine was back in civilization - and at court - and though her much older husband would succumb to ill health in 1543, her adventures in the capitol city were only just beginning. Listen ad-free at patreon.com/trashyroyalspodcast. To advertise on this podcast, reach out to [email protected]. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Though the twice-widowed Catherine's heart was definitely with Thomas Seymour, Henry VIII had other plans for his future and final wife. He took to spending time at his daughter Princess Mary's court, where Catherine was part of the household, and eventually dispatched Seymour on an important - and open duration - diplomatic mission on the Continent. It took some wooing, but Catherine finally accepted the King's marriage proposal, and the couple were wed in July 1543 at Hampton Court Palace. Catherine was an exceptional Queen for him. She was deeply engaged in loving relationships with Henry's children, and her influence went a long way to stitching together some sort of family dynamic after the traumas of his exile of Mary's mother and his murder of Elizabeth's. And she thrived in the role. Catherine is the first woman in England to publish a book in her own name, and stood for the first full-length portrait of an English queen, with a rare and fabulously expensive Turkish rug under her feet, as a king would be presented. She was a reformer at heart who only landed seriously on Henry's bad side once, it seems, but was also enough of a diplomat to smooth things over and, let's be honest, possibly save herself from a bad morning on the Tower Green. We leave this episode with Henry's death, but that's not the end of Catherine Parr's story. Listen ad-free at patreon.com/trashyroyalspodcast. To advertise on this podcast, reach out to [email protected]. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The last of Henry VIII's wives, Catherine Parr's story is absolutely fascinating. A daughter of a noble family from the north of England, Catherine was raised by a doting, independent mother who urged her daughters to take a similar approach. Maud Green Parr, Catherine's mother, was a confidant of Queen Catherine of Aragon, and Catherine's younger sister Anne would go on to be a lady in waiting to all six of Henry's wives - including her sister. Catherine was, by all accounts, extremely bright and deeply invested in education, especially languages. Unlike most of his brides, Catherine Parr had been married prior to their relationship. Twice, in fact, and in each case, the marriages presented Catherine with circumstances that shaped her; into a fully fledged Protestant in the first case, and into a devoted step-mother in the second - a circumstance that would be sorely tested by the religious rivalries shaking Henry's England in the aftermath of his break with Rome. But that's a story for the next episode. Listen ad-free at patreon.com/trashyroyalspodcast. To advertise on this podcast, reach out to [email protected]. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.