{"podcast":{"title":"Queens, Kings, and Dastardly Things","slug":"queens-kings-and-dastardly-things-6677838","podcast_index_feed_id":6677838,"rss_url":"https://feeds.acast.com/public/shows/6846a16db5ac093b0ca993ec","website_url":"https://dailymail.lnk.to/qkdt","image_url":"https://assets.pippa.io/shows/6846a16db5ac093b0ca993ec/1759237102013-c5ec1829-6398-47a5-a0e7-6288742d5348.jpeg","author":"Daily Mail","episode_count":107,"summary":"Expert history with a wicked twist: Queens, Kings and Dastardly Things is the podcast that goes behind palace doors and beyond the balcony smiles, to uncover the stories that the history books have politely skipped. Queens, Kings & Dastardly Things reveals the schemers, lovers, plotters and even the pets who’ve made the British monarchy the world’s longest-running reality show. Hosts, Royal biographers Robert Hardman and Professor Kate Williams trace how power, passion and paranoia have shaped every crown. There are queens who ruled better than their husbands, and princes who partied harder than their people. We meet saints, sinners and those hovering somewhere in between – from the man formerly known as Prince Andrew to the less-vilified Richard III. Sometimes we get reflective: how monarchy survives scandal, how image-making began long before Instagram, and why royal women have always been the best crisis managers in the room. Other times we’re just here for the gossip: who wore what, who slept where, and who accidentally started a war over breakfast. Think of it as history with its crown slightly askew. If you like your royal stories with equal parts grandeur and chaos, step in…","last_synced_at":"2026-07-12T08:18:17.582091+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/queens-kings-and-dastardly-things-6677838"},"episode":{"title":"Elizabeth II: The Inside Story (Part 2)","slug":"elizabeth-ii-the-inside-story-part-2","published_at":"2026-04-12T23:00:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/queens-kings-and-dastardly-things-6677838/elizabeth-ii-the-inside-story-part-2","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/queens-kings-and-dastardly-things-6677838","url":"https://shows.acast.com/queens-kings-and-dastardly-things/episodes/elizabeth-ii-the-inside-story-part-2","audio_url":"https://sphinx.acast.com/p/open/s/6846a16db5ac093b0ca993ec/e/69da5ff4d3f0dd77473439cb/media.mp3","summary":"What made Queen Elizabeth II smile? In this special centenary episode, we look back at some of the happiest moments in the life of Queen Elizabeth II — the flashes of humour, the unexpected freedoms, and the small, human pleasures behind the crown. Rather than the grand set-pieces of state, we focus on something more elusive: what actually made her smile. From dancing anonymously into the crowds on VE Day, to the rare, almost ordinary happiness of life in Malta as a young naval wife, these are the moments when the future queen stepped briefly outside the constraints of her role. We revisit the Balmoral barbecues, where guests found themselves quietly astonished to see the monarch doing the washing up — and the curious aftermath of a gifted pair of yellow rubber gloves. We explore her lifelong love of animals, the joy she took in horses and racing, and the particular satisfaction of seeing her daughter succeed in the saddle. There are glimpses, too, of her connection to a wider world: wartime memories that stayed with her for life, encounters that carried emotional weight long after the cameras had gone, and the enduring appeal of simple routines — driving, walking, small domestic rituals — that offered a sense of normality within an extraordinary existence. Along the way, we ask a deceptively simple question: in a life so defined by duty, where did happiness really reside? 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&nb…","meta_description":"What made Queen Elizabeth II smile? In this special centenary episode, we look back at some of the happiest moments in the life of Queen Elizabeth II — th…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":1517,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/queens-kings-and-dastardly-things-6677838/episodes/elizabeth-ii-the-inside-story-part-2/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/queens-kings-and-dastardly-things-6677838/elizabeth-ii-the-inside-story-part-2.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}