Welcome to the ultimate rogues gallery - those thieves who’ve grabbed the crown jewels! Listen to find out more. In the first of two episodes, Royal historians Robert Hardman and Professor Kate Williams explore the story of Colonel Blood who hammered down a royal crown so that he could slip it into his trousers.  And discover royal secrets: how Queen Elizabeth II’s coronation crown had to be enlarged to fit the head of King Charles III, and how George VI wore his crown while gardening! Hosts also explore the early jewel heists, like that of King John in 1216, which remains shrouded in mystery, with suspicions that the King staged the loss of his crown to cover financial misdeeds. And then there's the more definitive case of Richard of Pudlicott in 1303 who pilfered royal treasures from Westminster Abbey, leading to a medieval black market for royal gems. Hosts: Robert Hardman and Professor Kate Williams Series Producer: Ben Devlin Production Manager: Vittoria Cecchini  Executive Producer: Bella Soames Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Which Royal has survived the most assassination attempts? Listen to find out! In the final of three extraordinary episodes, Royal historians Robert Hardman and Professor Kate Williams look at dastardly plots from history - from fiendish schemes to poison royal saddles to terrorists taking pot-shots at the theatre.  Discover the Royal whose courage inspired a change to the National Anthem, and the Queen who refused to carry a bullet-proof parasol. And, finally, the hosts discuss which King and Queen in history showed the most grace and courage under fire. Also ... find out what happens when you keep Prince Andrew waiting - you’ve been warned! Hosts: Robert Hardman and Professor Kate Williams Series Producer: Ben Devlin Production Manager: Vittoria Cecchini  Executive Producer: Bella Soames  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Which Royal defiantly stood up to an armed attacker outside Buckingham Palace? Listen to find out! In the second of three extraordinary episodes, Royal historians Robert Hardman and Professor Kate Williams look at the motives and mindset of those who have sought to bring harm to the Royals. When are Kings and Queens at their most vulnerable as targets and how has their entourage of security adapted to challenges over the years? History reveals that the Royals have always faced a dilemma - they have a duty to be seen in public but they all know from bitter experience that it's a dangerous thing for them to do! Hosts: Robert Hardman and Professor Kate Williams Series Producer: Ben Devlin Production Manager: Vittoria Cecchini  Executive Producer: Bella Soames  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What’s it like being a Royal living in constant fear of assassination and kidnap? Listen to find out! In the first of three episodes, Royal historians Robert Hardman and Professor Kate Williams reveal the shocking attempts to harm the Royals. How did two Queens react when they found intruders in their bedrooms? Did King Charles III maintain his ‘stiff upper lip’ when someone took a shot at him? What training did Meghan, Duchess of Sussex , and Catherine, Princess of Wales, receive to safeguard their lives! Also, get an insight into the rough and tumble of Prince Harry’s days at boarding school! Each week, Queens, Kings, and Dastardly Things offers a light, historical look at the scandals, intrigues, and often bloody history of Britain's royal family. Hosts: Robert Hardman and Professor Kate Williams Series Producer: Ben Devlin Production Manager: Vittoria Cecchini  Executive Producer: Bella Soames Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Which visitor to Buckingham Palace caused Queen Elizabeth II to be angrier than anyone had ever seen her before? Listen to find out! In the second of two episodes, Royal historians Robert Hardman and Professor Kate Williams reveal the worst Royal house guest in history! Clue: they were one of the world’s most notorious tyrants, and the Queen’s corgis had good reasons to be suspicious of this visitor. Also, a royal family skeleton is revealed - which blood soaked tyrant are the modern royals related to? Download now! Each week, Queens, Kings, and Dastardly Things sneaks a peak behind palace curtains - from Richard III to King Charles III. The hosts offer insights into the lives of the royal family - from Kate Middleton, Princess of Wales, to Elizabeth I; the scandals and intrigues, and the often bloody histories of those that have worn the crown. Hosts: Robert Hardman and Professor Kate Williams Series Producer: Ben Devlin Production Manager: Vittoria Cecchini  Executive Producer: Bella Soames  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Who was the worst house guest at Buckingham Palace?  Listen to find out! In the first of two episodes, Royal historians Robert Hardman and Professor Kate Williams look through the visitors book for Buckingham Palace to discover the tyrants and troublemakers who’ve come to stay. How did Queen Elizabeth II react to the infamous and brutal African dictators Idi Amin and Mobutu, and is it true that Queen Victoria took a surprising shine to the lustful Shah of Persia?   All will be revealed, along with the elaborate and secret details involved in laying out the red carpet for an official state visit. Each week, Queens, Kings, and Dastardly Things takes a look behind palace curtains at royal history - from William the Conqueror to King Charles III. The hosts offer exclusive insights into the lives of the royal family - from Meghan Markle to Anne Boleyn; the royal scandals and intrigues, and the turbulent and bloody history of the crown. Hosts: Robert Hardman and Professor Kate Williams Series Producer: Ben Devlin Production Manager: Vittoria Cecchini  Executive Producer: Bella Soames Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The shocking truth about royal ‘bedding ceremonies’. Listen to find out! Royal historians Robert Hardman and Professor Kate Williams look at how royals throughout history have had their intimate bedroom moments witnessed. And that’s not all! Young royals would have their bedchambers exorcised of demons, and courtiers would then cheer on the couples as they performed their royal ‘duties’. No wonder some royals suffered from performance anxiety! But which ones? Also, discover Robert Hardman’s own wedding night secret - a fiasco with parallels to the extraordinary nuptials of Atilla the Hun! All will be revealed in the new season of the Daily Mail’s podcast, Queens, Kings and Dastardly Things. Hosts: Robert Hardman and Professor Kate Williams Series Producer: Ben Devlin Production Manager: Vittoria Cecchini  Executive Producer: Bella Soames  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Are British royals raised through tough love and tales of chivalry? Listen to find out! Royal historians Robert Hardman and Professor Kate Williams look at the extraordinary schooling of royals throughout history, from ‘whipping boys’ to rosy-cheeked governesses and cold Scottish boarding schools. Where will young Princes George and Louis go to school when they become teenagers - and will their parents have learned a lesson from royal history? Also, hear the scandalous story of ‘Crawfie’, the woman who was shunned by the royals for writing a memoir of her days with the young Princesses Elizabeth and Margaret. All will be revealed in the Daily Mail’s podcast, Queens, Kings, and Dastardly Things. Hosts: Robert Hardman and Professor Kate Williams Series Producer: Ben Devlin Production Manager: Vittoria Cecchini  Executive Producer: Bella Soames Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Do British Queens and Kings have the power to cure illness through their ‘Royal Touch’. Listen to the Daily Mail’s new season of Queens, Kings and Dastardly Things to find out! Royal historians Robert Hardman and Professor Kate Williams explore the secret ceremony at coronations that is said to give royals magical powers. Find out which Queens and Kings were the Hermoine Grangers and Harry Potters of history. Also, discover the superstitions of the modern royals, the member of the Windsor family who’s in the Magic Circle, and what Professor Kate Williams did to earn a ‘Brownie badge’. Hosts: Robert Hardman and Professor Kate Williams Series Producer: Ben Devlin Production Manager: Vittoria Cecchini  Studio Manager: Sam Chisholm Executive Producer: Bella Soames Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Robert and Kate are back with a dastardly Bonus Episode in which they are asking one of history's most pressing questions: did Queen Victoria's son have TWO thrones? Edward VII was famed for his lurid love life, but did our raunchiest 20th Century monarch really have his own ‘sex chair’ in a Paris brothel? And if so, how on earth did it work? Hosted by Daily Mail columnist and royal biographer Robert Hardman and historian Professor Kate Williams, each episode of Queens, Kings, and Dastardly Things delves into the juiciest parts of royal history from eras past, and present... but mainly past.  Hosts: Robert Hardman and Professor Kate Williams Researcher: Tom Sankey Production Manager: Vittoria Cecchini  Executive Producer: Bella Soames  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Robert and Kate are back with a dastardly Christmas Special in which they are exploring royal Christmases from yesteryear... did Queen Victoria really invent Christmas? Were Tudor children whipped on Christmas Day? And could there be any Christmas worse than Elizabeth II's Annus Horribilis? Listen to find out! Hosted by Daily Mail columnist and royal biographer Robert Hardman and historian Professor Kate Williams, each episode delves into the juiciest parts of royal history from eras past, and present... but mainly past.  Hosts: Robert Hardman and Professor Kate Williams Producer: Ben Devlin Researcher: Tom Sankey Production Manager: Vittoria Cecchini  Executive Producer: Bella Soames  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week – in the final episode of Season One – Robert and Kate tackle one of history's most scandalous, unsolved mysteries: what on earth happened to the Princes in the Tower?  The disappearance of Edward V and his younger brother, Richard, Duke of York, has sparked centuries of speculation. Were they murdered, and if so, by whom? Was it Richard III – their own uncle, and that great Shakespearean villain – in a bid to secure the throne? Or, could other powerful figures have been involved?  Join Kate and Robert as they separate fact from fiction and each offer their views on surely one of the juiciest royal scandals of all time. Queens, Kings, and Dastardly Things is the Daily Mail's unmissable podcast that promises listeners a weekly dose of royal history and intrigue by unpacking a different royal scandal each week.  Hosted by Daily Mail columnist and royal biographer Robert Hardman and historian Professor Kate Williams, each episode delves into the juiciest parts of royal history from eras past, and present... but mainly past.  New episodes out every Wednesday, wherever you get your podcasts.  Presenters: Robert Hardman and Professor Kate Williams Producer: Rich Jarman Production Manager: Vittoria Cecchini  Executive Producer: Bella Soames  Thanks to Dr. Fern Riddell  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Nepalese Massacre was one of the most dramatic, bloody royal events to ever happen – and the chances are that most listeners won’t have heard of it.  On a summer’s evening in Kathmandu in 2001, Nepal’s royal family was almost entirely wiped out, in a single night. Hours later, the alleged killer lay in a hospital bed in a coma, having been proclaimed King the moment that his father died. The man in question – Crown Prince Dipendra – allegedly went on a murderous rampage, killing nine members of his own family, including his parents, King Birendra and Queen Aishwarya, before taking his own life.  In this episode, Robert Hardman and Kate Williams will guide listeners through three turbulent Centuries of Nepalese history, tracing the build up to, and the fall out from, this shocking event. Queens, Kings, and Dastardly Things is the Daily Mail's unmissable podcast that promises listeners a weekly dose of royal history and intrigue by unpacking a different royal scandal each week.  Hosted by Daily Mail columnist and royal biographer Robert Hardman and historian Professor Kate Williams, each episode delves into the juiciest parts of royal history from eras past, and present... but mainly past.  New episodes out every Wednesday, wherever you get your podcasts.  Presenters: Robert Hardman and Professor Kate Williams Producer: Rich Jarman  Production Manager: Vittoria Cecchini  Executive Producer: Bella Soames  Thanks to Dr. Fern Riddell  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On 31st May 1810, the Duke of Cumberland – George III’s fifth child, and notorious 19th Century wrong’un – was attacked while asleep in his apartments in St James’ Palace. And, hours later, one of the Duke’s valets, Joseph Sellis, was found dead in his room. His throat had been cut with a razor. It was a grisly crime scene. Sellis’ head was nearly severed from his body, and blood had soaked the bedclothes, furniture, and walls.  Join Kate and Robert as they delve into the circumstances surrounding Sellis’ death by reconstructing what exactly happened on the night of the murder; exploring the Duke of Cumberland’s scandalous background and his subversive relationship with both Joseph Sellis, and his other valet. Queens, Kings, and Dastardly Things is the Daily Mail's unmissable podcast that promises listeners a weekly dose of royal history and intrigue by unpacking a different royal scandal each week.  Hosted by Daily Mail columnist and royal biographer Robert Hardman and historian Professor Kate Williams, each episode delves into the juiciest parts of royal history from eras past, and present... but mainly past.  New episodes out every Wednesday, wherever you get your podcasts.  Presenters: Robert Hardman and Professor Kate Williams Producer: Rich Jarman  Production Manager: Vittoria Cecchini  Executive Producer: Bella Soames  Thanks to Dr. Fern Riddell  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week Robert and Kate tackle one of history's biggest questions: was Anne Boleyn guilty of everything that Henry VIII accused her of? Over the centuries, historians have spilt vast quantities of ink dissecting the evidence, the political intrigue, and the motives behind the charges that led to Anne's tragic demise. Robert and Kate explore the wider context of Anne’s astronomical rise and rapid fall; the key players in her trial; and, whether her alleged infidelities were fabrications to justify Henry VIII’s desire for a new wife, and that longed for son…  Join Kate and Robert as they separate fact from fiction and uncover the truth behind surely one of the juiciest royal scandals of all time. Queens, Kings, and Dastardly Things is the Daily Mail's unmissable podcast that promises listeners a weekly dose of royal history and intrigue by unpacking a different royal scandal each week.  Hosted by Daily Mail columnist and royal biographer Robert Hardman and historian Professor Kate Williams, each episode delves into the juiciest parts of royal history from eras past, and present... but mainly past.  New episodes out every Wednesday, wherever you get your podcasts.  Presenters: Robert Hardman and Professor Kate Williams Producer: Rich Jarman  Production Manager: Victoria Cecchini  Executive Producer: Bella Soames  Thanks to Dr. Fern Riddell  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Despite being immortalised in the iconic song by Boney M, the life and death of Grigory Rasputin remains shrouded in mythology and mystery. A mystic healer, political saboteur, and renegade monk, Rasputin’s life – and his ‘member’ – casts a long shadow over Russian history, not least in the questions surrounding his role in formenting the opposition to the Russian Tsar that ultimately caused the 1917 Revolution, a cataclysmic event that overturned Russia’s social and political order forever, and preceded wider social change in Europe and beyond.  Join Robert and Kate for the second episode of Queens, Kings, and Dastardly Things as they unpack the life and times of Russia’s greatest love machine – surely one of very few dastardly historic icons for whom genital warts and cataclysmic social upheaval can justifiably be included in the same sentence.  Queens, Kings, and Dastardly Things is the Daily Mail's unmissable podcast that promises listeners a weekly dose of royal history and intrigue by unpacking a different royal scandal each week.  Hosted by Daily Mail columnist and royal biographer Robert Hardman and historian Professor Kate Williams, each episode delves into the juiciest parts of royal history from eras past, and present... but mainly past.  New episodes out every Wednesday, wherever you get your podcasts.  Presenters: Robert Hardman and Professor Kate Williams Producer: Rich Jarman  Production Manager: Victoria Cecchini  Executive Producer: Bella Soames  Thanks to Dr. Fern Riddell  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Charles II's sexual appetite was infamously compared to a racehorse, and he revelled in reversing the social strictures that Oliver Cromwell had strictly enforced during the Interregnum. Unsurprisingly, Charles II had mistresses. And lots of them. But Charles II’s mistresses were so much more than footnotes in a new era of frivolity, parties and hedonism –  many of these women wielded significant power in their own right, and played pivotal roles in court politics and international relations. Their close relationship to Charles II during an intense period of social and political change means that they played a key role in shaping the course of English history.  Join Robert Hardman and Kate Williams as they explore the stories of three of these fascinating women – Barbara Castlemaine, Nell Gywnne, and Lucy Walter – and ask what their stories reveal about the wider history of the period. Queens, Kings, and Dastardly Things is the Daily Mail's unmissable podcast that promises listeners a weekly dose of royal history and intrigue by unpacking a different royal scandal each week.  Hosted by Daily Mail columnist and royal biographer Robert Hardman and historian Professor Kate Williams, each episode delves into the juiciest parts of royal history from eras past, and present... but mainly past.  New episodes out every Wednesday, wherever you get your podcasts.  Presenters: Robert Hardman and Professor Kate Williams Producer: Rich Jarman  Production Manager: Victoria Cecchini  Executive Producer: Bella Soames  Thanks to Dr. Fern Riddell Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What do you get when you mix a $20 million diamond necklace; a sycophantic cardinal; a con-artist; and Marie Antoinette? Only one of French history’s biggest royal scandals – a scandal that, arguably, led to the abolition of nearly a thousand years of French monarchy and the demise of France's final two monarchs on the guillotine. Join Kate Williams and Robert Hardman for a rollicking ride through a royal scandal that really does have it all: sex, lies – and Marie Antoinette: one of the most iconic – and most misunderstood – female figures of the 18th Century.  Queens, Kings, and Dastardly Things is the Daily Mail's unmissable podcast that promises listeners a weekly dose of royal history and intrigue by unpacking a different royal scandal each week.  Hosted by Daily Mail columnist and royal biographer Robert Hardman and historian Professor Kate Williams, each episode delves into the juiciest parts of royal history from eras past, and present... but mainly past.  New episodes out every Wednesday, wherever you get your podcasts.  Presenters: Robert Hardman and Professor Kate Williams Producer: Rich Jarman  Production Manager: Victoria Cecchini  Executive Producer: Bella Soames  Thanks to Dr. Fern Riddell  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On June 10 1688, Queen Mary of Modena, the Catholic wife of James II, gave birth to a son, James Francis Stewart.  Or did she? Join Kate Williams and Robert Hardman as they dive into one of royal history’s juiciest, and often forgotten, scandals: an event that should have been a joyous moment (a male heir - hurrah!) but one that instead unleashed a chain of events that would lead to mother, father, and child being driven out of England to spend the rest of their lives in… exile.  Robert and Kate will explore whether Queen Mary really did give birth to a healthy son, or if – as many English Protestants, unwilling to see a Catholic heir on the throne, claimed – the pregnancy was all a ruse. Hosted by Daily Mail columnist and royal biographer Robert Hardman and historian Professor Kate Williams, Queens, Kings, and Dastardly Things delves into the juiciest parts of royal history from eras past, and present... but mainly past.  New episodes out every Wednesday, wherever you get your podcasts.  Follow us on TikTok and Instagram @queenskingspod, and email us at @dastardlythings@mailonline.co.uk Presenters: Robert Hardman and Professor Kate Williams Producer: Rich Jarman  Production Manager: Victoria Cecchini  Executive Producer: Bella Soames  Thanks to Dr. Fern Riddell  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Did Queen Victoria find comfort and love in the arms of a servant following the death of Prince Albert? What can we conclude from the Queen’s disregard for public, parliamentary and family concern about her close relationship with John Brown, the Scottish servant who found himself resident at Buckingham Palace? And, was the Queen so devoted to John Brown that they secretly married? Professor Kate Williams and Robert Hardman reveal all about this mysterious royal relationship that captivated the Victorian public and continues to mystify royal historians and commentators today. Hosted by Daily Mail columnist and royal biographer Robert Hardman and historian Professor Kate Williams, each episode delves into the juiciest parts of royal history from eras past, and present... but mainly past.  New episodes out every Wednesday, wherever you get your podcasts.  Follow us on TikTok and Instagram @queenskingspod, and email us at @dastardlythings@mailonline.co.uk Presenters: Robert Hardman and Professor Kate Williams Producer: Rich Jarman  Production Manager: Victoria Cecchini  Executive Producer: Bella Soames  Thanks to Dr. Fern Riddell  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices