Royal Affairs
A Lusty Romp Through the Extramarital Adventures That Rocked the British Monarchy
Failed to add items
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
Prime members: New to Audible?Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Royal Affairs
Buy for $23.42
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
-
Narrated by:
-
Leslie Carroll
-
By:
-
Leslie Carroll
About this listen
A funny, raucous, and delightfully dirty history of 1,000 years of bedroom-hopping secrets and scandals of Britain’s royals
Insatiable kings, lecherous queens, kissing cousins, and wanton consorts—history has never been so much fun.
Royal unions have always been the stuff of scintillating gossip, from the passionate Plantagenets to Henry VIII’s alarming head count of wives and mistresses, to the Sapphic crushes of Mary and Anne Stuart right on up through the scandal-blighted coupling of Prince Charles and Princess Diana. Thrown into loveless, arranged marriages for political and economic gain, many royals were driven to indulge their pleasures outside the marital bed, engaging in delicious flirtations, lurid love letters, and rampant sex with voluptuous and willing partners.
This nearly pathological lust made for some of the most titillating scandals in Great Britain’s history. Hardly harmless, these affairs have disrupted dynastic alliances, endangered lives, and most of all, fed the salacious curiosity of the public for centuries. Royal Affairs will satiate that curiosity by bringing this arousing history alive.
©2008 Leslie Carroll (P)2023 Blackstone PublishingListeners also enjoyed...
-
Royal Romances
- Titillating Tales of Passion and Power in the Palaces of Europe
- By: Leslie Carroll
- Narrated by: Leslie Carroll
- Length: 22 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 1
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 1
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 1
Elegant palaces, dazzling power plays, shimmering jewels, and the grandest of all-or-nothing gambles—nothing can top real-life love among the royalty. Louis XIV defied God and law, permitting his married mistress Madame de Montespan to usurp the role of Queen of France, then secretly wed her successor. And the union of Prince William and the former Kate Middleton continues to enthrall the world. Full of marvelous tales, unforgettable scandals, and bedazzled nobles who refused to rule their hearts, this delightfully insightful book is what the sweetest royal dreams are made of.
By: Leslie Carroll
-
Astor
- The Rise and Fall of an American Fortune
- By: Anderson Cooper, Katherine Howe
- Narrated by: Anderson Cooper
- Length: 8 hrs and 19 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 1,106
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 1,008
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 1,007
From 1783, when German immigrant John Jacob Astor first arrived in the United States, until 2009, when Brooke Astor’s son, Anthony Marshall, was convicted of defrauding his elderly mother, the Astor name occupied a unique place in American society. The family fortune, first made by a beaver trapping business that grew into an empire, was then amplified by holdings in Manhattan real estate. Over the ensuing generations, Astors ruled Gilded Age New York society and inserted themselves into political and cultural life, but also suffered the most famous loss on the Titanic.
-
3 out of 5 stars
-
A family first made, then destroyed by wealth.
- By Barbara W. on 09-23-23
By: Anderson Cooper, and others
-
Notorious Royal Marriages
- A Juicy Journey Through Nine Centuries of Dynasty, Destiny, and Desire
- By: Leslie Carroll
- Narrated by: Leslie Carroll
- Length: 23 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 10
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 9
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 8
Since time immemorial, royal marriages have had little to do with love—and almost everything to do with diplomacy and dynasty. Clashing personalities have joined in unholy matrimony to form such infamous couples as Russia’s Peter II and Catherine the Great, and France’s Henri II and Catherine de Medici—all with the purpose of begetting a male heir. But with tensions high and silverware flying, kings like England’s Henry II have fled to the beds of their nubile mistresses, while queens such as Eleanor of Aquitaine have plotted their revenge.
-
3 out of 5 stars
-
Wtf with the accents
- By Julie M. Farrer on 11-30-23
By: Leslie Carroll
-
Royal Pains
- A Rogues' Gallery of Brats, Brutes, and Bad Seeds
- By: Leslie Carroll
- Narrated by: Leslie Carroll
- Length: 14 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 5
-
Performance3 out of 5 stars 4
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 4
The bad seeds on the family trees of the most powerful royal houses of Europe often became the most rotten of apples: über-violent autocrats Vlad the Impaler and Ivan the Terrible literally reigned in blood. Lettice Knollys strove to mimic the appearance of her cousin Elizabeth I and even stole her man. And Pauline Bonaparte scandalized her brother Napoleon by having a golden goblet fashioned in the shape of her breast. Royal Pains is a rollicking compendium of the most infamous, capricious, and insatiable bluebloods of Europe.
-
3 out of 5 stars
-
Accents in Vlad the Impaler chapter.
- By MDL on 04-06-24
By: Leslie Carroll
-
Inglorious Royal Marriages
- A Demi-Millennium of Unholy Mismatrimony
- By: Leslie Carroll
- Narrated by: Leslie Carroll
- Length: 18 hrs and 37 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 8
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 7
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 7
In a world where many kings, queens, and princes lacked nothing but true love, marital mismatches could bring out the baddest, boldest behavior in the bluest of bloodlines. Brimming with outrageous real-life stories of royal marriages gone wrong, this is an entertaining, unforgettable book of dubious matches doomed from the start.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
Comical Fake Accents
- By Erick DuPree on 11-18-23
By: Leslie Carroll
-
Anne Boleyn & Elizabeth I
- The Mother and Daughter Who Forever Changed British History
- By: Tracy Borman
- Narrated by: Tracy Borman
- Length: 8 hrs and 49 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 104
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 93
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 93
Anne Boleyn may be best known for losing her head, but as Tudor expert Tracy Borman reveals in a book that recasts British history, her greatest legacy lies in the path-breaking reign of her daughter, Elizabeth.
-
1 out of 5 stars
-
Brimming with Inaccuracies
- By Marie A. on 06-20-23
By: Tracy Borman
-
Royal Romances
- Titillating Tales of Passion and Power in the Palaces of Europe
- By: Leslie Carroll
- Narrated by: Leslie Carroll
- Length: 22 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 1
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 1
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 1
Elegant palaces, dazzling power plays, shimmering jewels, and the grandest of all-or-nothing gambles—nothing can top real-life love among the royalty. Louis XIV defied God and law, permitting his married mistress Madame de Montespan to usurp the role of Queen of France, then secretly wed her successor. And the union of Prince William and the former Kate Middleton continues to enthrall the world. Full of marvelous tales, unforgettable scandals, and bedazzled nobles who refused to rule their hearts, this delightfully insightful book is what the sweetest royal dreams are made of.
By: Leslie Carroll
-
Astor
- The Rise and Fall of an American Fortune
- By: Anderson Cooper, Katherine Howe
- Narrated by: Anderson Cooper
- Length: 8 hrs and 19 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 1,106
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 1,008
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 1,007
From 1783, when German immigrant John Jacob Astor first arrived in the United States, until 2009, when Brooke Astor’s son, Anthony Marshall, was convicted of defrauding his elderly mother, the Astor name occupied a unique place in American society. The family fortune, first made by a beaver trapping business that grew into an empire, was then amplified by holdings in Manhattan real estate. Over the ensuing generations, Astors ruled Gilded Age New York society and inserted themselves into political and cultural life, but also suffered the most famous loss on the Titanic.
-
3 out of 5 stars
-
A family first made, then destroyed by wealth.
- By Barbara W. on 09-23-23
By: Anderson Cooper, and others
-
Notorious Royal Marriages
- A Juicy Journey Through Nine Centuries of Dynasty, Destiny, and Desire
- By: Leslie Carroll
- Narrated by: Leslie Carroll
- Length: 23 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 10
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 9
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 8
Since time immemorial, royal marriages have had little to do with love—and almost everything to do with diplomacy and dynasty. Clashing personalities have joined in unholy matrimony to form such infamous couples as Russia’s Peter II and Catherine the Great, and France’s Henri II and Catherine de Medici—all with the purpose of begetting a male heir. But with tensions high and silverware flying, kings like England’s Henry II have fled to the beds of their nubile mistresses, while queens such as Eleanor of Aquitaine have plotted their revenge.
-
3 out of 5 stars
-
Wtf with the accents
- By Julie M. Farrer on 11-30-23
By: Leslie Carroll
-
Royal Pains
- A Rogues' Gallery of Brats, Brutes, and Bad Seeds
- By: Leslie Carroll
- Narrated by: Leslie Carroll
- Length: 14 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 5
-
Performance3 out of 5 stars 4
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 4
The bad seeds on the family trees of the most powerful royal houses of Europe often became the most rotten of apples: über-violent autocrats Vlad the Impaler and Ivan the Terrible literally reigned in blood. Lettice Knollys strove to mimic the appearance of her cousin Elizabeth I and even stole her man. And Pauline Bonaparte scandalized her brother Napoleon by having a golden goblet fashioned in the shape of her breast. Royal Pains is a rollicking compendium of the most infamous, capricious, and insatiable bluebloods of Europe.
-
3 out of 5 stars
-
Accents in Vlad the Impaler chapter.
- By MDL on 04-06-24
By: Leslie Carroll
-
Inglorious Royal Marriages
- A Demi-Millennium of Unholy Mismatrimony
- By: Leslie Carroll
- Narrated by: Leslie Carroll
- Length: 18 hrs and 37 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 8
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 7
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 7
In a world where many kings, queens, and princes lacked nothing but true love, marital mismatches could bring out the baddest, boldest behavior in the bluest of bloodlines. Brimming with outrageous real-life stories of royal marriages gone wrong, this is an entertaining, unforgettable book of dubious matches doomed from the start.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
Comical Fake Accents
- By Erick DuPree on 11-18-23
By: Leslie Carroll
-
Anne Boleyn & Elizabeth I
- The Mother and Daughter Who Forever Changed British History
- By: Tracy Borman
- Narrated by: Tracy Borman
- Length: 8 hrs and 49 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 104
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 93
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 93
Anne Boleyn may be best known for losing her head, but as Tudor expert Tracy Borman reveals in a book that recasts British history, her greatest legacy lies in the path-breaking reign of her daughter, Elizabeth.
-
1 out of 5 stars
-
Brimming with Inaccuracies
- By Marie A. on 06-20-23
By: Tracy Borman
-
Mortal Monarchs
- 1,000 Years of Royal Deaths
- By: Suzie Edge
- Narrated by: Suzie Edge
- Length: 7 hrs and 47 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 257
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 241
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 241
How the monarchs of England and Scotland met their deaths has been a wonderful mixture of violence, infections, overindulgence and occasional regicide. In Mortal Monarchs, medical historian Dr Suzie Edge examines 1,000 years of royal deaths to uncover the plots, accusations, rivalries and ever-present threat of poison that the kings and queens of old faced.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Dead king juices
- By Erin on 01-12-23
By: Suzie Edge
-
Hunting the Falcon
- Henry VIII, Anne Boleyn, and the Marriage That Shook Europe
- By: John Guy, Julia Fox
- Narrated by: Stephanie Racine
- Length: 17 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 71
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 69
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 69
Hunting the Falcon is the story of how Henry VIII’s obsessive desire for Anne Boleyn changed him and his country forever. John Guy and Julia Fox, two of the most acclaimed and distinguished historians of this period, have joined forces to present Anne and Henry in startlingly new ways.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Superb book and superb narration!
- By Buffy Martin Tarbox on 11-01-23
By: John Guy, and others
-
The Princes in the Tower
- Solving History's Greatest Cold Case
- By: Philippa Langley
- Narrated by: Philippa Langley
- Length: 16 hrs and 43 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 71
-
Performance3 out of 5 stars 62
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 62
Philippa Langley reveals the findings of a remarkable new research initiative: ‘The Missing Princes Project'. In the summer of 1483, Edward V (aged 12) and his brother Richard Duke of York (aged 9), disappeared from the Tower of London. For over 500 years, history has judged that they were murdered on the orders of their uncle Richard III. Following years of intensive research in UK, American and European archives, astonishing new archival discoveries have been uncovered that change what we know about the fate of the Princes in the Tower.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
Narrator
- By The Rev. Craig on 12-07-23
By: Philippa Langley
-
The House of Beaufort
- The Bastard Line That Captured the Crown
- By: Nathen Amin
- Narrated by: Graham Mack
- Length: 16 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 35
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 34
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 34
The Wars of the Roses were a tumultuous period in English history, with family fighting family over the greatest prize in the kingdom—the throne of England. But what gave the eventual victor of these brutal and complex wars, Henry Tudor, the right to claim the crown? What made his Beaufort mother the great heiress of medieval England, and how exactly did an illegitimate line come to challenge the English monarchy? This book uncovers the rise of the Beauforts and tracks their fall during the 1460s and 1470s.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
Too many "ashumptions" for me...
- By Vicki Patterson on 12-11-23
By: Nathen Amin
-
Vital Organs
- By: Suzie Edge
- Narrated by: Suzie Edge
- Length: 6 hrs and 48 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 99
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 92
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 92
The remarkable stories of the world's most famous body parts. All too often, historical figures feel distant and abstract; more myth and legend than real flesh and blood. These stories of bodies and its parts remind us that history's most-loved, and most-hated, were real breathing creatures who inhabited organs and limbs just like us - until they're cut off that is. Medical historian Dr Suzie Edge investigates over 40 cases of how we've used, abused, dug up, displayed, experimented on, and worshipped body parts.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Interesting, Educational, and Occasionally Funny
- By Tricia A. Hamblin on 01-08-24
By: Suzie Edge
-
Young Queens
- Three Renaissance Women and the Price of Power
- By: Leah Redmond Chang
- Narrated by: Olivia Dowd
- Length: 18 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 75
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 69
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 69
Orphaned from infancy, Catherine de’ Medici endured a tumultuous childhood. Married to the French king, she was widowed by forty, only to become the power behind the French throne during a period of intense civil strife. In 1546, Catherine gave birth to a daughter, Elisabeth de Valois, who would become Queen of Spain. Two years later, Catherine welcomed to her nursery the beguiling young Mary Queen of Scots, who would later become her daughter-in-law. Together, Catherine, Elisabeth, and Mary lived through the sea changes that transformed sixteenth-century Europe.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Excellent writing, engaging narration
- By WEHOcloset on 09-22-23
-
Crown & Sceptre
- A New History of the British Monarchy, from William the Conqueror to Elizabeth II
- By: Tracy Borman
- Narrated by: Tracy Borman
- Length: 20 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 152
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 136
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 135
Since William the Conqueror, duke of Normandy, crossed the English Channel in 1066 to defeat King Harold II and unite England’s various kingdoms, 41 kings and queens have sat on Britain’s throne. “Shining examples of royal power and majesty alongside a rogue’s gallery of weak, lazy, or evil monarchs,” as Tracy Borman describes them in her sparkling chronicle, Crown & Sceptre.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Great book for those new to the monarchy
- By Chris Corsini on 04-05-22
By: Tracy Borman
-
The Six Wives of Henry VIII
- By: Alison Weir
- Narrated by: Simon Prebble
- Length: 22 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 3,030
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 2,704
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 2,683
This acclaimed best seller from popular historian Alison Weir is a fascinating look at the Tudor family dynasty and its most infamous ruler. The Six Wives of Henry VIII brings to life England’s oft-married monarch and the six wildly different but equally fascinating women who married him. Gripping from the first sentence to the last and loaded with fascinating details, Weir’s rich history is a perfect blend of scholarship and entertainment.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Overview AND Sordid Details
- By Troy on 10-29-13
By: Alison Weir
-
She-Wolves
- The Women Who Ruled England Before Elizabeth
- By: Helen Castor
- Narrated by: Esther Wane
- Length: 16 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 132
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 117
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 115
In the tradition of Antonia Fraser and Alison Weir, prize-winning historian Helen Castor delivers a compelling, eye-opening examination of women and power in England, witnessed through the lives of six women who exercised power against all odds - and one who never got the chance. Exploring the narratives of the Empress Matilda, Eleanor of Aquitaine, Isabella of France, Margaret of Anjou, and other "she-wolves," as well as that of the Nine Days' Queen, Lady Jane Grey, Castor invokes a magisterial discussion of how much - and how little - has changed through the centuries.
-
2 out of 5 stars
-
STORY TELLING IS ERRATIC
- By The Louligan on 07-22-20
By: Helen Castor
-
Lost Heirs of the Medieval Crown
- The Kings and Queens Who Never Were
- By: J.F. Andrews
- Narrated by: Roger Clark
- Length: 7 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 20
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 19
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 19
When William the Conqueror died in 1087, he left the throne of England to William Rufus . . . his second son. The result was an immediate war as Rufus's elder brother Robert fought to gain the crown he saw as rightfully his; this conflict marked the start of 400 years of bloody disputes as the English monarchy's line of hereditary succession was bent, twisted, and finally broken when the last Plantagenet king, Richard III, fell at Bosworth in 1485.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Great Listen
- By PrettyinPink on 01-03-24
By: J.F. Andrews
-
In the Shadow of the Empress
- The Defiant Lives of Maria Theresa, Mother of Marie Antoinette, and Her Daughters
- By: Nancy Goldstone
- Narrated by: Emma Newman
- Length: 23 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 158
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 134
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 133
The vibrant, sprawling saga of Empress Maria Theresa - one of the most renowned women rulers in history - and three of her extraordinary daughters, including Marie Antoinette, the doomed queen of France.
-
1 out of 5 stars
-
Awful narration!
- By Suanne Laqueur on 09-27-21
By: Nancy Goldstone
-
Philip
- The Final Portrait
- By: Gyles Brandreth
- Narrated by: Gyles Brandreth
- Length: 17 hrs and 49 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 49
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 41
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 41
Philip - elusive, complex, controversial, challenging, often humorous, sometimes irascible - is the man Elizabeth II once described as her 'constant strength and guide'. Who was he? What was he really like? What is the truth about those 'gaffes' and the rumours of affairs? This is the final portrait of an unexpected and often much-misunderstood figure. It is also the portrait of a remarkable marriage that endured for more than 70 years.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Interesting Life
- By DSP on 10-06-24
By: Gyles Brandreth
Related to this topic
-
Anne Boleyn & Elizabeth I
- The Mother and Daughter Who Forever Changed British History
- By: Tracy Borman
- Narrated by: Tracy Borman
- Length: 8 hrs and 49 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 104
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 93
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 93
Anne Boleyn may be best known for losing her head, but as Tudor expert Tracy Borman reveals in a book that recasts British history, her greatest legacy lies in the path-breaking reign of her daughter, Elizabeth.
-
1 out of 5 stars
-
Brimming with Inaccuracies
- By Marie A. on 06-20-23
By: Tracy Borman
-
The Temptation of Elizabeth Tudor
- Elizabeth I, Thomas Seymour, and the Making of a Virgin Queen
- By: Elizabeth Norton
- Narrated by: Sarah Nichols
- Length: 9 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 424
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 376
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 376
England, late 1547. King Henry VIII is dead. His 14-year-old daughter Elizabeth is living with the king's widow, Catherine Parr, and her new husband, Thomas Seymour. Seymour is the brother of Henry VIII's third wife, the late Jane Seymour, who was the mother to the now-ailing boy king. Ambitious and dangerous, Seymour begins an overt flirtation with Elizabeth that ends with Catherine sending her away. When Catherine dies a year later and Seymour is arrested for treason soon after, a scandal explodes.
-
3 out of 5 stars
-
Thomas Seymour Biography
- By Janice B. on 10-17-20
By: Elizabeth Norton
-
The Lost Queen
- The Life & Tragedy of the Prince Regent's Daughter
- By: Anne M. Stott
- Narrated by: Anne Flosnik
- Length: 11 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 46
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 42
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 40
As the only child of the Prince Regent and Caroline of Brunswick, Princess Charlotte of Wales (1796-1817) was the heiress presumptive to the throne. Her parents' marriage had already broken up by the time she was born. She had a difficult childhood and a turbulent adolescence, but she was popular with the public, who looked to her to restore the good name of the monarchy.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
excellent
- By meganajjcec on 10-12-20
By: Anne M. Stott
-
Medical Downfall of the Tudors
- Sex, Reproduction & Succession
- By: Sylvia Barbara Soberton
- Narrated by: Christine Rendel
- Length: 10 hrs and 12 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 49
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 46
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 46
The Tudor dynasty died out because there was no heir of Elizabeth I's body to succeed her. Henry VIII, despite his six marriages, had produced no legitimate son who would live into old age. Three of the reigning Tudors (Edward VI, Mary I, and Elizabeth I) died without heirs apparent, the most tragic case being that of Mary Tudor, who went through two recorded cases of phantom pregnancy. If it were not for physical frailty and the lack of reproductive health among the Tudors, the course of history might have been different.
-
2 out of 5 stars
-
Disappointing
- By Kelly Lee on 10-01-21
-
Mary Boleyn
- By: Alison Weir
- Narrated by: Maggie Mash
- Length: 13 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 264
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 231
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 228
Mary Boleyn was the mistress of two kings, Francois I of France and Henry VIII of England, and sister to Anne Boleyn, Henry VIII’s second wife. In this astonishing and riveting biography, Alison Weir’s extensive research gives a new and detailed portrayal, in which she recounts that, contrary to popular belief, Mary was entirely undeserving of her posthumous notoriety as a great whore.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Historiography not a bio
- By Mary Elizabeth Reynolds on 06-03-12
By: Alison Weir
-
Scourge of Henry VIII
- The Life of Marie de Guise
- By: Melanie Clegg
- Narrated by: Anne Flosnik
- Length: 7 hrs and 37 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 42
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 38
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 37
Mary, Queen of Scots continues to intrigue both historians and the general public - but the story of her mother, Marie de Guise, is much less well known. A political power in her own right, she was born into the powerful and ambitious Lorraine family, spending her formative years at the dazzling, licentious court of François I. Although briefly courted by Henry VIII, she instead married his nephew, James V of Scotland, in 1538.
-
1 out of 5 stars
-
Find a Better Bio
- By Amazon Customer on 04-14-20
By: Melanie Clegg
-
Anne Boleyn & Elizabeth I
- The Mother and Daughter Who Forever Changed British History
- By: Tracy Borman
- Narrated by: Tracy Borman
- Length: 8 hrs and 49 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 104
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 93
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 93
Anne Boleyn may be best known for losing her head, but as Tudor expert Tracy Borman reveals in a book that recasts British history, her greatest legacy lies in the path-breaking reign of her daughter, Elizabeth.
-
1 out of 5 stars
-
Brimming with Inaccuracies
- By Marie A. on 06-20-23
By: Tracy Borman
-
The Temptation of Elizabeth Tudor
- Elizabeth I, Thomas Seymour, and the Making of a Virgin Queen
- By: Elizabeth Norton
- Narrated by: Sarah Nichols
- Length: 9 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 424
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 376
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 376
England, late 1547. King Henry VIII is dead. His 14-year-old daughter Elizabeth is living with the king's widow, Catherine Parr, and her new husband, Thomas Seymour. Seymour is the brother of Henry VIII's third wife, the late Jane Seymour, who was the mother to the now-ailing boy king. Ambitious and dangerous, Seymour begins an overt flirtation with Elizabeth that ends with Catherine sending her away. When Catherine dies a year later and Seymour is arrested for treason soon after, a scandal explodes.
-
3 out of 5 stars
-
Thomas Seymour Biography
- By Janice B. on 10-17-20
By: Elizabeth Norton
-
The Lost Queen
- The Life & Tragedy of the Prince Regent's Daughter
- By: Anne M. Stott
- Narrated by: Anne Flosnik
- Length: 11 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 46
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 42
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 40
As the only child of the Prince Regent and Caroline of Brunswick, Princess Charlotte of Wales (1796-1817) was the heiress presumptive to the throne. Her parents' marriage had already broken up by the time she was born. She had a difficult childhood and a turbulent adolescence, but she was popular with the public, who looked to her to restore the good name of the monarchy.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
excellent
- By meganajjcec on 10-12-20
By: Anne M. Stott
-
Medical Downfall of the Tudors
- Sex, Reproduction & Succession
- By: Sylvia Barbara Soberton
- Narrated by: Christine Rendel
- Length: 10 hrs and 12 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 49
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 46
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 46
The Tudor dynasty died out because there was no heir of Elizabeth I's body to succeed her. Henry VIII, despite his six marriages, had produced no legitimate son who would live into old age. Three of the reigning Tudors (Edward VI, Mary I, and Elizabeth I) died without heirs apparent, the most tragic case being that of Mary Tudor, who went through two recorded cases of phantom pregnancy. If it were not for physical frailty and the lack of reproductive health among the Tudors, the course of history might have been different.
-
2 out of 5 stars
-
Disappointing
- By Kelly Lee on 10-01-21
-
Mary Boleyn
- By: Alison Weir
- Narrated by: Maggie Mash
- Length: 13 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 264
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 231
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 228
Mary Boleyn was the mistress of two kings, Francois I of France and Henry VIII of England, and sister to Anne Boleyn, Henry VIII’s second wife. In this astonishing and riveting biography, Alison Weir’s extensive research gives a new and detailed portrayal, in which she recounts that, contrary to popular belief, Mary was entirely undeserving of her posthumous notoriety as a great whore.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Historiography not a bio
- By Mary Elizabeth Reynolds on 06-03-12
By: Alison Weir
-
Scourge of Henry VIII
- The Life of Marie de Guise
- By: Melanie Clegg
- Narrated by: Anne Flosnik
- Length: 7 hrs and 37 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 42
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 38
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 37
Mary, Queen of Scots continues to intrigue both historians and the general public - but the story of her mother, Marie de Guise, is much less well known. A political power in her own right, she was born into the powerful and ambitious Lorraine family, spending her formative years at the dazzling, licentious court of François I. Although briefly courted by Henry VIII, she instead married his nephew, James V of Scotland, in 1538.
-
1 out of 5 stars
-
Find a Better Bio
- By Amazon Customer on 04-14-20
By: Melanie Clegg
-
Queens of the Crusades: Eleanor of Aquitaine and Her Successors
- By: Alison Weir
- Narrated by: Esther Wane
- Length: 17 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 118
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 107
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 105
The Plantagenet queens of England played a role in some of the most dramatic events in our history. Crusading queens, queens in rebellion against their king, queen seductresses, learned queens, queens in battle, queens who enlivened England with the romantic culture of southern Europe - these determined women often broke through medieval constraints to exercise power and influence, for good and sometimes for ill.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
A real Masterpiece!
- By Amazon Customer on 03-30-21
By: Alison Weir
-
Love and Louis XIV
- The Women in the Life of the Sun King
- By: Antonia Fraser
- Narrated by: Rosalyn Landor
- Length: 13 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 322
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 226
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 226
The self-proclaimed Sun King, Louis XIV, ruled over the most glorious and extravagant court in 17th-century Europe. Now, Antonia Fraser goes behind the well-known tales of Louis' accomplishments and follies, exploring in riveting detail his intimate relationships with women.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Excellent!
- By Louise on 04-27-08
By: Antonia Fraser
-
We Two
- Victoria and Albert: Rulers, Partners, Rivals
- By: Gillian Gill
- Narrated by: Rosalyn Landor
- Length: 18 hrs and 19 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 325
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 250
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 250
It was the most influential marriage of the 19th Century - and one of history’s most enduring love stories. Traditional biographies tell us that Queen Victoria inherited the throne as a naïve teenager, when the British Empire was at the height of its power, and seemed doomed to find failure as a monarch and misery as a woman until she married her German cousin Albert and accepted him as her lord and master. Now renowned chronicler Gillian Gill turns this familiar story on its head, revealing a strong, feisty queen, and a brilliant, fragile prince working together to build a family.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
I found it extremely moving.
- By Cheryl on 08-07-09
By: Gillian Gill
-
Royal Witches
- Witchcraft and the Nobility in Fifteenth-Century England
- By: Gemma Hollman
- Narrated by: Heather Wilds
- Length: 10 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 208
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 178
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 176
Until the mass hysteria of the seventeenth century, accusations of witchcraft in England were rare. However, four royal women, related in family and in court ties - Joan of Navarre, Eleanor Cobham, Jacquetta of Luxembourg, and Elizabeth Woodville - were accused of practicing witchcraft in order to kill or influence the king. In Royal Witches, Gemma Hollman explores the lives and the cases of these so-called witches, placing them in the historical context of 15th-century England, a setting rife with political upheaval and war.
-
3 out of 5 stars
-
Hard to listen to
- By donna bahr on 12-10-20
By: Gemma Hollman
-
Young and Damned and Fair
- The Life of Catherine Howard, Fifth Wife of King Henry VIII
- By: Mr. Gareth Russell
- Narrated by: Jenny Funnell
- Length: 15 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 327
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 296
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 293
Written with an exciting combination of narrative flair and historical authority, this interpretation of the tragic life of Catherine Howard, fifth wife of Henry VIII, breaks new ground in our understanding of the very young woman who became queen at a time of unprecedented social and political tension and whose terrible errors in judgment quickly led her to the executioner's block.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Magnifent scholarly work
- By Linda Erlich on 08-08-17
-
Victoria's Daughters
- By: Jerrold M. Packard
- Narrated by: Heather Wilds
- Length: 12 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 219
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 187
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 185
Vicky, Alice, Helena, and Beatrice were historically unique sisters, born to a sovereign who ruled over a quarter of the earth's people and who gave her name to an era: Queen Victoria. Two of these princesses would themselves produce children of immense consequence. All five would curiously come to share many of the social restrictions and familial machinations borne by 19th-century women of less-exulted class.
-
3 out of 5 stars
-
Terrible Narrator
- By Kijana Mayfield on 03-28-17
-
In the Shadow of the Empress
- The Defiant Lives of Maria Theresa, Mother of Marie Antoinette, and Her Daughters
- By: Nancy Goldstone
- Narrated by: Emma Newman
- Length: 23 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 158
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 134
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 133
The vibrant, sprawling saga of Empress Maria Theresa - one of the most renowned women rulers in history - and three of her extraordinary daughters, including Marie Antoinette, the doomed queen of France.
-
1 out of 5 stars
-
Awful narration!
- By Suanne Laqueur on 09-27-21
By: Nancy Goldstone
-
The Six Wives of Henry VIII: A Captivating Guide to Catherine of Aragon, Anne Boleyn, Jane Seymour, Anne of Cleves, Catherine Howard, and Katherine Parr
- By: Captivating History
- Narrated by: Desmond Manny
- Length: 3 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 45
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 40
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 40
Henry VIII, King of England and Ireland in the first half of the 16th century, is one of history’s most famous monarchs for many reasons. He ruled ruthlessly, was quick to cry “treason!” and execute, and equally quick to fall in and out of love. Henry changed the religious fabric of England forever and left his mark on the wider world - but what of the six women he took as his queens? From the regal and capable Catherine of Aragon to the patient and generous Katherine Parr, Henry’s wives represented a range of personalities, goals, beliefs, and influences on the king.
-
3 out of 5 stars
-
Brief Overview of Henry VIII wives and mistresses.
- By Amazon Customer on 01-08-20
-
The Tudors: A Captivating Guide to the History of England from Henry VII to Elizabeth I
- By: Captivating History
- Narrated by: Desmond Manny
- Length: 3 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 26
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 26
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 26
Five Tudor monarchs sat on the throne of England and Ireland from 1485 to 1603. The family earned their royal rights through strategic planning and battlefield prowess, and kept them because of intellect, strength, and sheer determination. The Tudors, one of England’s most powerful and famous royal dynasties, knitted together a fragmented and small island nation that became one of the world’s financial, colonial, and technological superpowers.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
In-depth Story
- By Gail Bishop on 10-16-18
-
Blood, Fire & Gold
- The Story of Elizabeth I & Catherine de Medici
- By: Estelle Paranque
- Narrated by: Anna Wilson-Jones
- Length: 10 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 59
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 52
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 52
Sixteenth-century Europe was a hostile world dominated by court politics and patriarchal structures–and yet against all odds, two women rose to power: Elizabeth I and Catherine de Medici. Much has been written about these shrewd and strategic sovereigns, but though their l legacies have been heavily scrutinized, nothing has been said of their complicated relationship—thirty years of camaraderie, competition, and conflict that forever changed the face of Europe.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
16th Century Feminists
- By Tommy on 01-23-23
By: Estelle Paranque
-
Henry VIII
- By: Abigail Archer
- Narrated by: Sarah Nichols
- Length: 3 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 373
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 332
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 327
Henry VIII ruled England from 1509 to 1547. As a young man, he was fond of sports and hunting and was said to be uncommonly handsome. Standing more than six feet tall, he loomed large in the lives and minds of his subjects as he navigated his country through the tricky diplomatic and military hazards of the 16th century.
-
1 out of 5 stars
-
WASTE OF TIME
- By The Louligan on 09-04-20
By: Abigail Archer
-
Mistress Anne
- The Exceptional Life of Anne Boleyn
- By: Carolly Erickson
- Narrated by: Simon Prebble
- Length: 9 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 81
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 71
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 71
A powerful ruler, an alluring young woman, a scandal that would rock the nation: Anne Boleyn’s life story sounds more like a juicy TV docu-drama than a chapter of English history. Although she is not of noble birth or even especially beautiful, Anne Boleyn manages to rise to the very pinnacle of the English aristocracy. Renowned for her extraordinarily vivid recreations of historical events, Carolly Erickson brings out the full fascinating story of the enigmatic Anne Boleyn.
-
3 out of 5 stars
-
Just OK for me.
- By Amazon Customer on 01-11-12
By: Carolly Erickson
What listeners say about Royal Affairs
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars
-
Performance2 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- Catherine A. Lewis
- 05-31-24
pulpy but overdramatic
The book itself is a fun pop-history romp, but I found it marred by the bizarre impressions the narratored performed. When reading a quote from anyone, she read it out like a cast member of Downton Abbey. it was jarring, and every single person sounded the same, even the Germans. It was enough to take me out of the moment every time
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!