Charles II's Lost Queen: Catherine de Braganz...

What if the fairy tales you grew up with were never meant for children at all?Long before these stories were transformed into family-friendly animated films, they were forged in the gritty reality of Renaissance Italy and later weaponized by rebellious Parisian aristocrats to cha ...  Show more

How did one man survive serving Henry VIII as principal secretary when others lost their heads? Why is the mastermind behind the King’s final, most turbulent decade so often forgotten?Rising through sheer intellect and royal favour, William Paget navigated bitter religious confli ...  Show more

Catherine of Braganza, Charles II’s Portuguese queen, faced political turmoil, religious strife, and a scandalous court—yet her influence endured. In this episode, historian Susan Abernethy joins me to discuss her book on Catherine’s remarkable life, from roya ...

Lucy Walter, Barbara Palmer, Louise Kérouaille and Nell Gwynn. These are the names of just a key few of King Charles II’s mistresses.In this episode, Kate is joined by Linda Porter to introduce us to these women, in addition to the King’s wife, Catherine of Braganza.We find out w ...  Show more

Henry VIII called her his 'rose without a thorn', but the teenage Catherine Howard was to fall out of favour less than 18 months after becoming Queen of England.Out of all of Henry's wives it could be argued that the young queen, who was a cousin of Anne Boleyn, is most deserving ...  Show more

Catherine Howard was a teenaged bride who captivated King Henry VIII, but was brought down by secrets from her past that refused to remain buried. In episode five of our new series on the dramatic marital history of England’s most notorious monarch, Ellie Cawthorne is joined by K ...  Show more