Rex Factor Rex Factor

We speak to Dr Ellie Woodacre again, this time about male consorts. Our last mini series had two male consorts (Philip II and Prince George of Denmark) as well as covering the time period of Elizabeth I (with no consort) and William and Mary. We speak to Ellie about where England's experience fits in with other European countries - did England come to queens regnant late? What kind of roles, powers and titles did male consorts have in other countries?

You can follow Ellie on X/Twitter (@monarchyconf) or check out her podcast Royal Studies Podcast.
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We speak to Dr Emma Southon for the second time on the podcast, this time discussing her new book A History of the Roman Empire in 21 Women (or A Rome of One's Own in the US), a fascinating look at women from Roman history that (mostly) people don't tend to have heard of, but who give us a fascinating alternative look at the history of Ancient Rome and the varying experience of women in that history.
For more on Emma, check out her website https://www.emmasouthon.com and her podcast History is Sexy.
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We speak to the author and historian Lead Redmond about her book 'Three Renaissance Women and the Price of Power', which looks at the lives of Catherine de' Medici (Queen Consort and Mother of France), Elisabeth de Valois (Queen Consort of Spain) and Mary Queen of Scots (Queen Regnant of Scotland and Consort of France). For a time, they all lived under one roof, but even when their paths diverged, they continue to be closely connected and were key figures in the web of European diplomacy in the second half of the sixteenth century.
You can follow Leah on Instagram (@leahredmondchang) or find out more at her website: https://www.leahredmondchang.com
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Having finished our mini-series on the Stuart consorts (plus a couple of others), we go through some of your messages, responding to corrections, points of debate and whatever else comes up.
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It's the last of the Stuart consorts this time with the consort of Queen Anne, Prince George of Denmark. Often maligned by contemporaries, George nevertheless had a significant role as the first male consort not to be king. Derided by many but loved by Anne, George was a player in the tumultuous events of the late seventeenth century and a bit of a trailblazer for unambitious chaps, but is that enough for the Rex Factor?
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Mary of Modena is not one of the more famous names for English consorts but subject to one of the most notorious incidents as mother to the so-called 'bedpan baby'. We look at the truth of this as well as Mary's life, second wife to the man who would become James II, at the eye of the storm for the Glorious Revolution of 1688 and then the life of the Jacobite Matriarch in French exile. Will the real Mary warrant her notoriety and does she have enough about her to claim the Rex Factor?
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