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.

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Queen Cleopatra: Her Rise to Power

The Queen who captivated Rome and changed the course of ancient history: Cleopatra.In this episode, Robert Hardman and Professor Kate Williams begin a two-part exploration of Cleopatra, separating the...

31 Touko 24min

The Fall of Roman Britain

Celebrating the extraordinary Roman legacy that continues to shape Britain.In this episode, Robert Hardman and Professor Kate Williams explore the final centuries of Roman Britain, from the constructi...

24 Touko 26min

Boudicca: Britain's Warrior Queen

Celebrating Britain’s warrior queen who led a revolt against Rome.In this episode, Robert Hardman and Professor Kate Williams examine the uprising of Boudicca in AD 60–61 — why it began, how it unfold...

17 Touko 31min

Julius Caesar's British Invasions

Did Julius Caesar really conquer Britain — or did he simply say he did?In this opening chapter of our Romans in Britain trilogy, Robert Hardman and Professor Kate Williams step back to the edge of the...

10 Touko 27min

Queen Catherine Howard: Vixen or Victim?

Henry VIII’s fifth wife - was she a reckless flirt or a tragic pawn in Tudor history? In this episode of Queens, Kings and Dastardly Things, Professor Kate Williams is joined by the brilliant historia...

3 Touko 29min

Queen Elizabeth and Sir David Attenborough: Global Pioneers

Frogs, foxes, fossils—and four generations of royalty.In part two of this special celebration, we continue our exploration of the remarkable parallel lives of Queen Elizabeth II and Sir David Attenbor...

26 Huhti 24min

Queen Elizabeth and Sir David Attenborough: A Royal Friendship

What do Queen Elizabeth II and Sir David Attenborough have in common? More than you might imagine.In this third episode, celebrating the Centenary of Queen Elizabeth, we explore the remarkable paralle...

13 Huhti 23min

Elizabeth II: The Inside Story (Part 2)

What made Queen Elizabeth II smile?In this special centenary episode, we look back at some of the happiest moments in the life of Queen Elizabeth II — the flashes of humour, the unexpected freedoms, a...

12 Huhti 25min