There are no Plantagenet kings after Henry II without Eleanor of Aquitaine. History is not without examples of powerful women, to be sure, but even in that pantheon, Eleanor of Aquitaine is a special case. In this first part of her story, Alicia takes us through her early life in the French province of Aquitaine,…
211. Royal Tea-Time | As The Windsors Turn & Listener Letters
It’s a sad week, friends, and we are distracted by the losses of Dolly Parton and Tim Curry. Today, we do a little Royals Round Up with chatter about Harry and Meghan, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, Sarah Ferguson, and their daughter. Then, we share some listener emails and answer their questions to the best of our distracted…
210. The Stormin’ Normans | Matilda and Stephen
After the unfortunate incident with the boating accident that killed Heir Presumptive William in 1120, King Henry I had a choice to make when it came to succession planning. While he had nephews through his sister and illegitimate children (galore), it was his daughter Matilda, Holy Roman Empress since her arranged marriage at the age…
209. The Stormin’ Normans | William the Conqueror, William II, and Henry I
Today we travel back nearly a millennia to investigate the House of Normandy, the beginning of the line of non-English Kings. William the Conqueror was the first Norman (French) king of England defeating King Harold at the Battle of Hastings in 1066. What follows is the wild ride of William, his wife Matilda of Flanders…
208. Put Up Your Dukes | Dukes and Duchesses
A few weeks ago, we ranked the royals in the UK system. Today, Alicia takes us into the peerage to talk their top of the heap, Dukes and Duchesses. Sponsors Upgrade your every day! Download the Quince app for app-exclusive offers, or go to Quince.com/TRASHYROYALS. Get free shipping on your order and 365-day returns. Now…
207. Princess Margaret
When Queen Elizabeth II was born in 1926, there were years of her childhood that were, compared to other future monarchs, quite normal. After all, she was never supposed to be the Queen. Her father was a second son; her Uncle David would succeed her grandfather, and certainly other male children would come along. And…
206. The Mad-Lib That is Roald Dahl’s Grandson’s Life – He Married, and Divorced, Jordan’s Princess Raiya (A Trashy Divorces Crossover)
As she was idly scrolling Bluesky a few days ago, Alicia (@alicianwonderland.bsky.social) came across the ultimate Mad-Lib of a skeet: “roald dahl’s grandson is a former london-based journalist who once freelanced for the daily dot and then married princess raiyah of jordan during covid but then got divorced and moved to the US where he…
205. Sarah Ferguson’s Windfall?
Alicia – at the prompting of a listener – started to deep dive into Andrew and Sarah’s adult daughters when she learned that an old boyfriend of Sarah’s, who has also been an ally and patron over the decades, has died at the age of 88. Paddy McNally and Sarah dated for a few years…
204. Anne, Princess Royal
While we’re ranking the Royals, Alicia thought it was worth taking a moment to appreciate the hardest working of the bunch, the current Princess Royal, Princess Anne. An Olympic-caliber equestrian, Anne has attended more than 20,000 official engagements on behalf of the Crown, and is a patron or honorary president of more than 300 charitable…
203. Ranking the Royals: Kings, Queens, Princes, and Princesses
Alicia realized that some of our Good Nobles (especially American Good Nobles) may not be fluent in the various ranks of the English aristocracy. So why start at the bottom of the Peerage – the Barons – when you can start at the top of the Royal heap? Today we talk Kings, Queens, Princes, and…