# The Royal Vampire

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/queens-kings-and-dastardly-things-6677838/the-royal-vampire
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/queens-kings-and-dastardly-things-6677838/the-royal-vampire.md
Podcast: [Queens, Kings, and Dastardly Things](https://stenobird.com/podcast/queens-kings-and-dastardly-things-6677838)
Published: 2026-02-02T00:00:00+00:00
Episode link: https://shows.acast.com/queens-kings-and-dastardly-things/episodes/the-royal-vampire
Audio file: https://sphinx.acast.com/p/open/s/6846a16db5ac093b0ca993ec/e/697c954c909c6ed6dfa478a1/media.mp3
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JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/queens-kings-and-dastardly-things-6677838/episodes/the-royal-vampire
Duration seconds: 1524

## Resource

Welcome to royal history with bite. In this episode of Queens, Kings & Dastardly Things, Robert Hardman and Professor Kate Williams head east to Transylvania to unravel one of the strangest threads in modern royal history. King Charles III’s long-standing fascination with Romania turns out to involve more than rural preservation and beautiful churches — it also leads back, genealogically, to Vlad III, the ruler whose brutality helped inspire the Dracula legend. But Vlad is not the region’s only blood-soaked aristocrat uncovered. Their conversation also takes in the infamous Countess Elizabeth Báthory, accused of torturing and killing young women in neighbouring Hungary — and asks whether her reputation reflects historical reality, political convenience, or deep-seated fears about power, inheritance, and women who ruled alone. Hosts: Robert Hardman and Professor Kate Williams Series Producer: Ben Devlin Production Manager: Vittoria Cecchini  Executive Producer: Bella Soames Hosts: Robert Hardman and Professor Kate Williams Series Producer: Ben Devlin Production Manager: Vittoria Cecchini  Content Editor: Joseph Palmer Executive Producer: Bella Soames A Daily Mail production. Seriously Popular. Sign up to Palace Confidential, the FREE royals newsletter from the Mail's top experts. Delivered straight to your inbox every Thursday, it's the smartest way to stay in the royal inner circle. Just head to dailymail.co.uk/palaceconfidential to sign up today.    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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## Transcript

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