Through most of history, monarchs wielded unlimited political and military power, while their Queens and consorts were in charge of producing heirs and ruling the hearts of the people. Since the fall of feudalism, the 10 remaining hereditary monarchs of Europe have lost their unchecked authority. But their spouses’ so called ‘soft powers’ of hosting diplomats, supporting charities and greeting the public are more important than ever. And they look fabulous doing it! Let’s meet the Queens consort of Belgium, The Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden, and the United Kingdom, the Grand duchess of Luxembourg, and the Princess of Monaco. We’ll also meet the Prince consort of Denmark and the Princess of Liechtenstein who have both recently died. Queen Mathilde of Belgium Queen Mary of Denmark Queen Máxima of the Netherlands Queen Sonja of Norway Queen Letizia of Spain Queen Silvia of Sweden Queen Camilla of the United Kingdom Grand Duchess Maria Teresa of Luxembourg Princess Marie of Liechtenstein Princess Charlene of Monaco Join me every Tuesday when I'm Spilling the Tea on History! Check out my Youtube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/lindsayholiday Follow me on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100091781568503 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/historyteatimelindsayholiday/ Tik Tok: https://www.tiktok.com/@historyteatime Please consider supporting me at https://www.patreon.com/LindsayHoliday and help me make more fascinating episodes! Intro Music: Baroque Coffee House by Doug Maxwell Music: Brandenburg Concerto No4-1 BWV1049 - Classical Whimsical by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Source: http://incompetech.com/music/royalty-free/index.html?isrc=USUAN1100303 Artist: http://incompetech.com/ #HistoryTeaTime #LindsayHoliday Please contact ⁠advertising@airwavemedia.com⁠ if you would like to advertise on this podcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices