Royal Mistresses

The arrest of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, formerly Prince Andrew (who denies any wrongdoing and is innocent until proven guilty), has encouraged news outlets to look at the precedent of royals falling foul of the law. Many have referred to the trial and execution of Charles I ove ...  Show more

In 1381, after plague, famine and war had pushed England to the brink, a final blow sparked an extraordinary uprising. This episode explores the Peasants’ Revolt, not as a chaotic riot, but as a coordinated challenge to royal and religious power in England.To cut through the myth ...  Show more

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 ...

From Catherine Howard’s affairs whilst she was with Henry VIII, to Charles II’s mistress staging a lesbian wedding as part of a threesome… Hampton Court has seen it all. 

Today’s guest is Gareth Russell, historian and author of <a href="https://www.waterstones.c ...

To mark the passing of the Queen, Noiser brings you this episode from the archive of Short History Of… As the Queen’s family life became more complex, the relationship between palace and press intensified. But balancing the need for security and privacy against her very public re ...  Show more

In a programme first broadcast in November 2018, Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the Austrian princess Maria Antonia, child bride of the future French King Louis XVI. Their marriage was an attempt to bring about a major change in the balance of power in Europe and to undermine th ...  Show more