Trashy Royals - Hemlock Creatives

Latest Episodes:

142. Lord Bertrand Dawson, Royal Doctor Death Aug 14, 2025

Show notes

While it may be true that the only certainties in this world are death and taxes, we do bumble through our lives with the expectation that our physicians will not knowingly prematurely end us. At least, most of us do. But for British royals in the 1930s, the royal physician, Lord Bertrand Dawson, was making decisions he arguably had no right to make - not only for the mortally ill George V, but two years later, for his sister, Queen Maud of Norway.

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141. Stepmothers with Dr. Alicia King Anderson, Ph.D. Aug 07, 2025

Show notes

This week, Alicia is joined by Dr. Alicia King Anderson to deep dive into the topic of stepmothers. Included within this wide-ranging discussion are the economic realities of women through history, the reason we have these stories in our lore, and more intricate discussions about Jacob Grimm, witches, Hansel and Gretel, Cinderella, Vasilisa and Baba Yaga too.

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Alicia’s Website: https://aliciakinganderson.com

Fairy Tale retelling class: https://www.morbidanatomy.org/classes/p/how-to-write-fairy-tale-retellings-with-alicia-king-anderson-phd-begins-august-19

Alicia’s new book: Magic, Murder & Machines: Reimagining Fairy Tales, by Alicia K. Anderson (Bookshop.og)

From the Beast to the Blonde: On Fairy Tales and Their Tellers, by Marina Warner (Amazon)

Why Fairy Tales Stick: The Evolution and Relevance of a Genre, by Jack Zipes (Amazon)

The Hard Facts of the Grimms' Fairy Tales: Expanded Edition (Princeton Classics) by Maria M. Tatar (Amazon)

Off with Their Heads! Fairy Tales and the Culture of Childhood, by Maria M. Tatar (Amazon)

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140. Arthurian Legends with Dr. Alicia King Anderson, Ph.D. Jul 31, 2025

Show notes

We are taking a very trashy tour back in time this week discussing the Arthurian legends with our resident mythology expert Dr. Alicia King Anderson. Alicia dives into all the classic stories, including the choosing of King Arthur, the magical man Merlin, the love-angst of Guinevere and Lancelot, the trickery of Morgan le Fay, and so much more!

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139. Saint Olga of Kyiv Jul 24, 2025

Show notes

Over a millennium ago, Norsemen loaded up their boats and moved south toward the heart of Europe, traversing its abundant rivers to raid, trade, and conquer. One of these conquests was the city of Kyiv, which these Rus' invaders ('Swedes,' in the local long-ago parlance, Stacie thinks, but also 'men who row') made the seat of the first Eastern Slavic State, way before Moscow was a thing, the Kyivan Rus. The Kyivan Rus's second ruler, Igor I, took a wife at some point during his long reign, and upon his murder, she took both his crown and his vengeance on those who had wronged them both, and their kingdom.

In a notably bloodthirsty series of events, Olga of Kyiv murdered the offending peoples' diplomats, envoys, citizens, and laid siege to the capitol of the Drevlians, ultimately destroying the city entirely. But her story wasn't all revenge; she was an able ruler and regent to her son, establishing the first vestiges of modern governance in the region. After his age of majority, Olga continued to govern the city of Kyiv during his many military expeditions abroad. Olga, perhaps thinking better of some of the aftermath of Igor's death, later converted from Paganism to become a devout Christian, building churches and, through her grandson, ushering in the permanent Christianization of the Kyivan Rus.

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138. Wallis, Duchess of Windsor | The King and Queen of International Society Jul 17, 2025

Show notes

In our finale of the Wallis, Duchess of Windsor series, we spend time with the Duke and the Duchess in their time as the toast of international society. David and Wallis appear in all the best places and at all the best tables, but ultimately that is not a fulfilling life for either of them.

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137. Wallis, Duchess of Windsor | Doing Time in the Bahamas and Post War Days Jul 16, 2025

Show notes

The Duke and Duchess should be in their long-awaited wedded bliss period, but King George VI is going to take his brother David up on that past offer to be of assistance, and off the newlyweds go to the Bahamas. The Duke will have a pretty easy job which he won’t do, but Wallis will dazzle. In this episode, David deals with some family hardships as well as the continuing hardships he places upon himself, both during and after WWII.

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136. Wallis, Duchess of Windsor | Creatures of International Curiosity Jul 14, 2025

Show notes

Married life begins for Wallis and David, and although it is a time of decorating homes and settling into domestic bliss for the couple, there are troubled times brewing. David and Wallis take a trip to Germany they will come to regret in short order. Not only is the world about to enter a war, but David is stubbornly holding onto his own pride and pettiness, so naturally more Windsor family drama included.

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135. Wallis, Duchess of Windsor | Becoming the Duke and Duchess of Windsor Jul 10, 2025

Show notes

In December of 1936, David is off the throne and has a little time on his hands. The former king cannot reunite with his love Wallis at the moment, as her final divorce decree from Ernest Simpson is still pending within the court system. David will not spend much time thinking beyond his abdication as it is happening, and because of his lack of foresight, there are a few uncomfortable months in the early part of 1937 for the couple. There is, as you would expect, a whole lot of family drama throughout this time period, but this episode does end with a wedding between this star-crossed couple - faith healer priest and gorgeous flowers included!

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134. Wallis, Duchess of Windsor | The Instrument of Abdication Jul 09, 2025

Show notes

We have journeyed into this trashy series to fall of 1936, and the abdication of Edward VIII is coming fast and hard. The world now knows about Wallis, and everyone has an opinion about the love affair the world can’t stop discussing. From the people to the palace to the Parliament, we have a whole lot of influences in today’s tale. Wallis is not rooting for David leaving his kingdom, but he is a man-child not to be deterred. The King is going to get his girl, even if he loses his crown.

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133. Wallis, Duchess of Windsor | The Countdown to Abdication Jul 07, 2025

Show notes

No one inside or outside the palace seems all too pleased in this continuing episode of our Wallis series. We are definitely on the countdown to the December 1936 abdication of Edward VIII, and the events of the summer and fall really turn up the temperature on the whole sordid mess.

David isn’t too keen on being the king. Neither are his advisors. A lot of folks would like to see David just walk away from the job. The one lone voice urging him to keep the gig was his lover, Wallis. She wants no part of any of this nonsense, but it seems any chance she had to leave her fate is long gone.

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