Secrets hidden behind the walls of one of England's greatest country houses!

In this special episode, Robert Hardman and Professor Kate Williams step inside Badminton House with its chatelaine, the Duchess of Beaufort, to uncover the extraordinary royal and historical stories that lie beyond the immaculate lawns.

Spoiler alert: Prince Harry once demonstrated some very poor judgment after a party there.

The episode explores Badminton's long royal connections. Hear how Queen Mary spent the Second World War at the house, reportedly waging war on the estate's ivy, how a secret floor was discovered hidden within the building, and how the sport of badminton itself was born under its roof.

Along the way, the Duchess reveals what it's really like to live in a house that welcomes more than 100,000 visitors a year, hosts one of Europe's great sporting events, and is now opening its gardens to a new generation through the RHS Badminton Flower Show.

A story of queens, duchesses, gardeners, hidden rooms and English eccentricity, proving that some of the most fascinating chapters in royal history are growing quietly behind the garden wall.

Guest: Georgia, Duchess of Beaufort

Hosts: Robert Hardman and 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.

Love and death: Queen Cleopatra, Mark Antony, and the truth about that asp.

In this second episode on Cleopatra, Robert Hardman and Professor Kate Williams follow the Egyptian queen through the final and most famous chapter of her life.

After the assassination of Julius Caesar, Cleopatra found herself navigating a dangerous new world of Roman power struggles. Her alliance with Mark Antony would become one of history's most celebrated love stories, but was it really a great romance, or a brilliant political partnership designed to protect Egypt's independence?

We explore Antony and Cleopatra's extraordinary relationship, from their first meeting aboard her spectacular royal barge to the growing conflict with Octavian, the future Emperor Augustus. As Rome descended into civil war, the fate of Egypt hung in the balance.

The story culminates in the dramatic events surrounding the Battle of Actium, the fall of Alexandria, and Cleopatra's death. Did she really take her own life using a deadly asp, as legend claims? Or has one of history's most enduring stories obscured a more complicated truth?

Along the way, Robert and Kate separate fact from fiction, exploring the real Cleopatra behind the myths of beauty, seduction, and snakes.

Hosts: Robert Hardman and 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.

The Queen who captivated Rome and changed the course of ancient history: Cleopatra.

In this episode, Robert Hardman and Professor Kate Williams begin a two-part exploration of Cleopatra, separating the woman from the myth, and tracing her rise in one of history’s most dangerous political worlds.

Born into the turbulent Ptolemaic dynasty, Cleopatra inherited a kingdom rich in power but riddled with family betrayal, Roman interference, and brutal succession struggles. Forced into exile by her younger brother, she faced a stark choice: disappear from history or outmanoeuvre the most powerful men in the world.

The episode follows her first encounters with Rome, and her pivotal alliance with Julius Caesar. Along the way, it revisits some of the most famous stories ever told about Cleopatra, including the legendary 'carpet' meeting and asks how much of her reputation was shaped by hostile Roman propaganda rather than fact.

From palace intrigue and dynastic murder to Caesar’s assassination and the uncertain future of her son Caesarion, this is the opening chapter in the story of a ruler who has been mythologised for two thousand years but whose real political brilliance may be even more remarkable than the legend.

Hosts: Robert Hardman and 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.

Celebrating the extraordinary Roman legacy that continues to shape Britain.

In this episode, Robert Hardman and Professor Kate Williams explore the final centuries of Roman Britain, from the construction of Hadrian’s (Game of Thrones style) Wall to the collapse of imperial control in AD 410.

As Roman rule matured, Britain became one of the empire’s most important frontier provinces. Emperors came in person, vast engineering projects reshaped the landscape, and Roman military life became embedded in British soil. The episode visits Hadrian’s Wall, the frontier fort of Vindolanda, and Roman York, where emperors ruled, died, and made history.

But beyond the frontier, pressure never ceased. Northern tribes remained resistant, overseas raiders sensed weakness, and Rome itself came under increasing attack. As the empire began to fracture, Britain’s garrisons were gradually withdrawn, leaving the province exposed.

From birthday invitations written by Roman women in Northumberland to the moment Britain was effectively told to fend for itself, this is the story of how Roman Britain reached its height and how one of history’s greatest empires finally let it go.

Hosts: Robert Hardman and 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.

Celebrating Britain’s warrior queen who led a revolt against Rome.

In this episode, Robert Hardman and Professor Kate Williams examine the uprising of Boudicca in AD 60–61 — why it began, how it unfolded, and what it reveals about life under Roman rule.

After the death of her husband, the Romans annexed his kingdom, publicly flogged Boudicca, and assaulted her daughters. In response, she united several tribes in eastern Britain and launched a coordinated revolt.

The rebels destroyed key Roman centres, including Colchester, London, and St Albans, killing thousands of settlers and forcing Rome into a rapid military response. The episode traces the campaign from its origins through to its decisive confrontation with Roman forces, and considers how close the revolt came to ending Roman control in Britain.

Set against the unstable reign of Nero, this is an account of one of the most significant challenges Rome faced in Britain — and the magnificent woman who led it.

Hosts: Robert Hardman and Kate Williams

Series Producer: Ben Devlin

Production Manager: Vittoria Cecchini

Executive Producer: Bella Soames

'Boudicca Rap' by Matilda Hardman

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.

Did Julius Caesar really conquer Britain — or did he simply say he did?

In this opening chapter of our Romans in Britain trilogy, Robert Hardman and Professor Kate Williams step back to the edge of the known world: Iron Age Britain. A land of tribal rivalries, painted warriors, and swirling myths — and, to Roman eyes, a place as strange and distant as the moon.

Twice, Caesar crossed the Channel in search of glory. Twice, he faced treacherous tides, reluctant troops, and fierce resistance. The result? No lasting occupation, no firm control — and yet, back in Rome, celebrations, triumphs, and headlines proclaiming victory.

So what really happened on those windswept shores? Was Britain ever truly “conquered” by Caesar — or was it one of history’s earliest and most effective pieces of political theatre?

With elephants, chariots, and a healthy dose of Roman propaganda, this episode asks a simple question with a surprisingly slippery answer:did Caesar win Britain?

Hosts: Robert Hardman and 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.

Henry VIII’s fifth wife - was she a reckless flirt or a tragic pawn in Tudor history?

In this episode of Queens, Kings and Dastardly Things, Professor Kate Williams is joined by the brilliant historian Professor Suzannah Lipscomb to unravel one of Tudor history’s most debated figures. Was Catherine a naïve teenager caught up in deadly court politics, or a young woman who made all the wrong choices?

From her chaotic upbringing in a crowded aristocratic household to her sudden elevation as queen at just 17 or 18, this episode explores the relationships that shaped her — and the rumours that would ultimately destroy her. Along the way, we step inside the glittering, perilous world of Henry VIII’s court, where favour could turn to fatal suspicion in an instant.

With insight, wit, and a touch of dark Tudor irony, this is a gripping re-examination of an English queen.

Victim or vixen? Or something far more complicated?

Host: Professor Kate Williams

Guest: Professor Suzannah Lipscomb

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.

Frogs, foxes, fossils—and four generations of royalty.

In part two of this special celebration, we continue our exploration of the remarkable parallel lives of Queen Elizabeth II and Sir David Attenborough—two figures born just weeks apart in 1926 who went on to shape how we see the modern world.

From wartime childhoods to global influence, we trace how both became defining voices of the 20th and 21st centuries: one through monarchy, the other through the lens of a camera. Along the way, we uncover surprising connections—shared beginnings in 1952, a mutual passion for the natural world, and a quiet but powerful influence on generations of royals, from Prince Philip to King Charles III and beyond.

There are stories of early wildlife filmmaking, royal expeditions, and the radical beginnings of conservation—long before it was fashionable. Plus, a glimpse of the man behind the legend: Attenborough the colleague, the traveller, the reluctant celebrity who chose economy class over first.

By the end, what emerges is something more than coincidence: two lives moving in parallel across a century of change, united by curiosity, duty, and an enduring belief that small actions can shape a much bigger world.

Hosts: Robert Hardman and 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.