Willy Willy Harry Stee..‪.‬ Charlie Higson

In this special BONUS EDITION of Charlie Higson's history of the monarchy, he takes a fascinating look at how the real life horror of a volcanic eruption in 1815 gave birth to imaginary horrors that haunt us still.

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Willy Willy Harry Stee, Harry Dick John Harry Three, One Two Three Neds, Richard Two, Henry's Four Five Six.........then who? Edward Four Five...Dick The Bad, Harry's Twain and Ned The Lad, Mary, Bessie, James The Vain, Charlie Charlie, James again. William & Mary, Anna Gloria, Four Georges, William and Victoria, Then Comes Edward.....
King Edward VII to be precise, though you may call him Bertie. A man who, as Prince Edward, loved the good things in life but, as we'll hear, matured into a decent King, though, like our current monarch, had to wait a while before taking the throne.
Helping Charlie Higson to dig a little deeper into this fascinating man is Professor Jane Ridley, author of Bertie, A Life Of Edward VII

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Willy Willy Harry Stee, Harry Dick John Harry Three, One Two Three Neds, Richard Two, Henry's Four Five Six.........then who? Edward Four Five...Dick The Bad, Harry's Twain and Ned The Lad, Mary, Bessie, James The Vain, Charlie Charlie, James again. William & Mary, Anna Gloria, Four Georges, William and Victoria!
We're starting to move into familiar territory here as Charlie Higson looks at a Queen we all think we know. Victoria, but as we'll hear, we probably don't know anywhere near as much as we think.
Helping Charlie this episode is proper historian Alex Churchill, podcaster, sub-stacker and author of Victoria's story in Iain Dale's epic, Kings & Queens.

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Willy Willy Harry Stee, Harry Dick John Harry Three, One Two Three Neds, Richard Two, Henry's Four Five Six.........then who? Edward Four Five...Dick The Bad, Harry's Twain and Ned The Lad, Mary, Bessie, James The Vain, Charlie Charlie, James again. William & Mary, Anna Gloria, Four Georges, William.....
After the extravagance of George IV, his more austere son King William IV is pushed into the spotlight. A latecomer to the throne, here was a man who would much rather have been on a battleship than in Buckingham Palace.
Helping Charlie Higson to make sense of this complex man is Roger Knight, author of 'William IV: A King At Sea' in the Penguin Monarchs series.

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Willy Willy Harry Stee, Harry Dick John Harry Three, One Two Three Neds, Richard Two, Henry's Four Five Six.........then who? Edward Four Five...Dick The Bad, Harry's Twain and Ned The Lad, Mary, Bessie, James The Vain, Charlie Charlie, James again. William & Mary, Anna Gloria, Four Georges.....
And so the final George hove's into view, as Charlie Higson brings us George IV. The Prince Regent who became a king, eventually, he liked the finer things in life and changed fashion forever!
Helping Charlie unravel his life is Catherine Curzon, author of Kings of Georgian Britain.


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Before Charlie Higson uncovers the fourth of our run of George's, he brings you this bonus episode, looking at the fascinating – and often over-looked history of black people in Britain, as well as the history of slavery and how that affected British society.
Joining Charlie is Dr. Onyeka Nubia. A writer, presenter and historian, Onyeka is senior lecturer in history at the University of Nottingham, with a particular focus on Africans in ancient and mediaeval England.
In 2013 he published Blackamoores: Africans in Tudor England, Their Presence, Status and Origins


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