Queens Podcast - Queens Podcast

Latest Episodes:

Anne Bonny & Mary Read: Pirate Queens with Greg Jenner (You're Dead to Me) Oct 14, 2026

Show notes

We've got a VERY special guest aboard the Queens ship! Greg Jenner, historian, author, and host of the BBC's You're Dead to Me, joins Katy and Nathan to discuss two of the most infamous women of the Golden Age of Piracy: Anne Bonny and Mary Read.

Were Anne and Mary besties? Lovers? Just two women trying to make it in a very dangerous, very male-dominated world? The historical record is messy, the legends are even messier, and Greg is here to help us sort through it all.

Grab your rum, hoist the sails, and prepare for some high-seas scandal!

Love Greg? Check out his BBC history-comedy podcast, You're Dead to Me, here: https://link.mgln.ai/YDTM-Queens

Timestamps:

00:00 – Welcome & introducing Greg Jenner

01:25 – Getting to know Greg: Horrible Histories, castles & comedy

09:00 – Pirate queens & the Golden Age of Piracy

19:00 – Mary Read: Our first pirate lady

27:15 – Anne Bonny: Our second pirate lady

32:00 – Anne & Mary meet: Friendship, romance & life at sea

41:15 – The downfall: Capture, trials & mysterious endings

47:00 – Wrap-up & where to find Greg Jenner

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Queens podcast is part of Airwave Media podcast network. Please get in touch with advertising@airwavemedia.com if you would like to advertise on our podcast. Want more Queens? Head to our ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Patreon⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, and follow us on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠!

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Mary I of England Part 2 Sep 30, 2026

Show notes

Mary Tudor has already lost her title, her mother, and any illusion that her father is going to come to his senses. And somehow… things are about to get even messier.

In Part 2, Anne Boleyn is out, Mary is bullied into submission, and she's finally welcomed back into Henry VIII’s good graces. We follow her through new stepmothers, the brutal execution of Margaret Pole, and an uneasy reconciliation with the father who turned her life into a psychological horror story.

Then Henry dies, her baby brother becomes King and Mary’s Catholic faith puts her right back in danger.

By the end, Edward is dead. Mary is queen… right?

Well. Yes and no.

Timestamps:

00:00 — Tarot, moon water & catching up with Mary I
07:00 — Eustace Chapuys: Mary’s Tudor court gossip source
17:00 — Henry VIII forces Mary to submit
29:00 — Margaret Pole’s arrest and execution
37:00 — Henry VIII dies & Edward VI becomes king
43:00 — Mary I vs. the Protestant Reformation
47:00 — Mary’s escape plan & showdown with Edward VI
52:00 — Edward VI is dying: Is Mary about to become Queen?

Sources

https://www.englandcast.com/2022/01/henry-viii-anne-boleyn-yellow/
https://www.tudorsociety.com/9-april-1533-no-longer-queen-sarah-bryson
Mary’s relationship with her stepmothers: https://tollbit.historyextra.com/period/tudor/bloody-mary-tudor-relationship-stepmothers-henry-viii-anne-boleyn/

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Mary I of England (Part 1) Sep 16, 2026

Show notes

Before she became Mary I of England, the queen history remembers as “Bloody Mary,” Mary Tudor was Henry VIII’s beloved only daughter.

Born to Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon in 1516, Mary grew up ridiculously educated, wildly privileged, and fully expecting to become a queen.

Then came the King’s Great Matter.

As Henry fought to end his marriage to Catherine and marry Anne Boleyn, Mary’s world collapsed. She was separated from her mother, stripped of the title Princess, declared illegitimate, removed from the succession, and sent to serve in the household of her new baby sister, Elizabeth.

And when Henry demanded Mary accept his new marriage and authority over the Church of England? Absolutely not.

In Part 1, we follow Mary from spoiled Tudor princess to the family crisis that would shape England’s future queen.

Timestamps:

00:06:00 — Meet Mary Tudor: Henry VIII’s beloved little princess
00:16:00 — Royal engagements, first cousins & Mary’s queen-in-training era
00:30:00 — The King’s Great Matter & Anne Boleyn enters the chat
00:46:00 — Princess Mary becomes Lady Mary
00:54:00 — The Act of Supremacy & Mary refuses to submit

Resources:

- The Myth of Bloody Mary by Linda Porter

- HIstorical Royal palaces: Mary I

- Princess Mary, Henry VIII and Tudor history’s greatest battle of wills

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Eleanor of Aquitaine with Right Answers Mostly Sep 02, 2026

Show notes

Eleanor of Aquitaine was Queen of France, Queen of England, Duchess of Aquitaine, mother to Richard the Lionheart and King John, and one of the most powerful women of the Middle Ages.

While we get our Season 10 premiere ready, we’re sharing Katy’s visit to Right Answers Mostly, where she joined hosts Tess Bellomo and Claire Donald to tell the story of Eleanor’s marriages to Louis VII and Henry II, her time on the Second Crusade, the rebellion that landed her in captivity for 15 years, and her return to power later in life.

Want the deeper dive? Listen to our full three-part Eleanor of Aquitaine series:

Eleanor of Aquitaine

Follow our friends:

Right Answers Mostly (where this episode originally aired)

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Ann Richards (Patreon rerun) Aug 19, 2026

Show notes

Before there was Dubya, there was Ann Richards the sharp-tongued, silver-haired Democrat who went from schoolteacher to Governor of Texas.

Ann Richards battled alcoholism, got sober, transformed the Texas Treasury, and became a national political star after her unforgettable speech at the 1988 Democratic National Convention. But first, she had to survive one of the wildest gubernatorial races in Texas history, featuring an opponent who seemingly could not stop saying the worst possible thing at the worst possible time.

Nathan tells Katy the story of the woman behind the famous one-liners, her rise through Texas politics, and the legacy she left behind.

You can watch her DNC speech here:

- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5pvrvRT23is

- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_CzzkUHyDLI

Timestamps:

00:00 Patreon Preview Intro

01:06 Who Was Ann Richards?

07:09 Ann Richards Enters Texas Politics

11:47 Alcoholism, Rehab & Political Comeback

14:10 Texas State Treasurer & “Magic Money”

17:44 Ann Richards’ 1988 DNC Speech

23:38 The 1990 Texas Governor’s Race

26:53 Ann Richards vs. Clayton Williams

31:03 Ann Richards Becomes Governor of Texas

34:18 Education Reform & the Texas “Robin Hood” Plan

38:46 Life After the Governor’s Mansion

41:21 Ann Richards’ Death & Legacy

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Eleanor Cobham & Medieval Witchcraft Aug 05, 2026

Show notes

This week we're peeking behind the Patreon wall with one of my favorite Katy's Corner episodes!

When Eleanor Cobham, Duchess of Gloucester, was accused of witchcraft in 1441, was she actually casting spells... or simply too close to the English throne at the wrong moment?

We follow Eleanor's rise from noblewoman to one of the most powerful women in England, her romance with Humphrey, Duke of Gloucester, and the political intrigue that turned astrological predictions into charges of treason and sorcery.

If you like this episode, you may also like our Margaret of Anjou series. Find episode one here: https://open.spotify.com/episode/4hcxHSkmoUU4NP1m8lCLfs

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Maggie Dickson aka Half-Hanged Maggie Jul 22, 2026

Show notes

She was hanged. Declared dead. Buried... almost.

This week we're sharing one of our favorite stories from the Queens Podcast Patreon vault: the unbelievable tale of Margaret "Half-Hanged Maggie" Dickson, one of the most famous women in Scottish history.

Join us as we travel to Edinburgh's Grassmarket, explore the history behind public executions, body snatchers, and the city's infamous medical schools, and unravel the true story of the woman who survived her own hanging.

If you enjoy this episode, you'll find hundreds more bonus episodes covering forgotten women, haunted history, scandals, cults, and more over on Patreon.

Cheers, and enjoy!

time stamps:

00:00 A Story From Scotland 06:04 Meet Half-Hanged Maggie 14:12 A Crime Punishable by Death 26:05 She Wakes Up 31:28 The Legend of Half-Hanged Maggie

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Queens podcast is part of Airwave Media podcast network. Please get in touch with advertising@airwavemedia.com if you would like to advertise on our podcast. Want more Queens? Head to our ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Patreon⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, and follow us on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

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The Chevalier d'Éon with Historical Homos Jun 24, 2026

Show notes

This week we're joined by our friend Bash from Historical Homos to tell one of the most unbelievable stories we've ever covered.

Meet the Chevalier d'Éon: an 18th-century French noble who somehow managed to be a spy, soldier, diplomat, bestselling author, blackmailer of the King of France, celebrity fencer, and one of the earliest people in history to have their gender officially recognized by the state.

Seriously. This story has everything.

From secret missions in Russia to political scandals in London, royal intrigue at Versailles, and a transition that left all of Europe gossiping, d'Éon's life feels less like history and more like something a Netflix writer would get rejected for making too unrealistic.

Join us and Bash as we dive into one of history's strangest, funniest, and most fascinating lives.

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Queens podcast is part of Airwave Media podcast network. Please get in touch with advertising@airwavemedia.com if you would like to advertise on our podcast. Want more Queens? Head to our ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Patreon⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, and follow us on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

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Dorothy Martin and the UFO Cult Jun 17, 2026

Show notes

This week, Katy and Nathan take a break from queens and head into the world of UFO cults.

In 1950s Chicago, housewife Dorothy Martin began receiving messages through automatic writing from beings she believed lived on the planet Clarion. With the help of a small group called the Seekers, she spread a startling prediction: a catastrophic flood would soon destroy Earth, and flying saucers would arrive to save the faithful.

The prophecy never came true, but what happened next fascinated psychologist Leon Festinger. His study of the Seekers would eventually lead to one of the most influential concepts in modern psychology: cognitive dissonance.

Join us for a story featuring alien Jesus, failed doomsday predictions, flying saucers, and the surprisingly important cult that helped explain why people cling to beliefs even when faced with evidence that they're wrong.

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Alexandra Feodorovna, Part 2 (2026) Jun 03, 2026

Show notes

In the Season 9 finale of Queens, we're back in Russia with Alexandra Feodorovna, the last Tsarina of the Russian Empire.

When we last left Alexandra, she had married Tsar Nicholas II and stepped into one of the most powerful—and unforgiving—courts in Europe. Now, the pressure to produce an heir, her son Alexei's devastating hemophilia diagnosis, and the arrival of Grigori Rasputin will change the course of Russian history forever.

As Russia faces war, political unrest, and revolution, Alexandra becomes one of the most controversial women of her era. But was she truly the villain history remembers, or a devoted wife and mother caught in an impossible situation?

Join us as we explore Rasputin, the Romanovs, the Russian Revolution, and the tragic final chapter of the last Empress of Russia.

Time stamps:

00:00 Intro & Patreon shout outs!

03:37 All Daughters No Heir

05:32 Stress and Phantom Pregnancy

08:52 Faith Healer Philippe de Lyon

09:53 IT'S A BOY! Then... uh oh

13:59 Rasputin Enters

21:05 Russo Japanese War

23:43 Bloody Sunday

29:25 War Sparks Suspicion

31:15 Alexandra as Regent