Elizabeth II: life of the week
HistoryExtra podcast
04/20/26
•49m
About
Comments
Featured In
This April marks the centenary of the birth of Elizabeth II. In this special episode of our Life of the Week series, historian Kate Williams guides Charlotte Vosper through the late Queen’s life, picking a key moment from each decade that illuminates the monarch's personality, public role, and private life. How did she feel when she unexpectedly became heir apparent to the throne? What did she really think about the media furore that surrounded her and her family? And how should we look back on her reign, almost four years on?
-----
GO BEYOND THE PODCAST
Join Professor Kate Williams for a six-part HistoryExtra series uncovering the little-known stories behind some of history’s most famous queens.
You’ll meet Cleopatra, the brilliant strategist who fought Rome for Egypt’s survival; Marie Antoinette, the queen blamed for a revolution she couldn’t control, and Elizabeth II, whose image shaped modern royalty.
Across millennia, we’ll explore how royal women navigated power, politics, and expectation and how their legacies were shaped long after their deaths.
Find out more at historyextra.com/academy. And all videos are available now, on the HistoryExtra app – click here to learn more and join today: https://www.historyextra.com/app?utm_source=HistoryExtra+podcast&utm_medium=podcast+feed
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Previous Episode
Retracing Eleanor of Castile's final journey
April 19
•39m
At the end of the 13th century, England was gripped by grief as news of the queen's death shook the nation. Eleanor of Castile's funeral procession from Lincoln to London would become one of the most remarkable journeys in medieval English history – and would also be immortalised in stone through the famous Eleanor Crosses. More than seven centuries later, Alice Loxton has retraced that historic route on foot – and, in her latest book, Eleanor: A 200-Mile Walk in Search of England's Lost Queen, she explores the landscapes that connect us to this past.
Emily Briffett caught up with Alice to find out more about how 12 stone crosses act as enduring testaments to royal love – and the history that we can uncover for ourselves by simply stepping outside.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Next Episode
Mary Beard on why the classics still matter
April 21
•41m
What's the role of the classical past in the modern day? In this episode of the HistoryExtra podcast, internationally renowned classicist Mary Beard reflects on her long career, and discusses the ongoing importance of the subject. Speaking to Charlotte Vosper about her new book, Talking Classics: The Shock of The Old, Mary explores her relationship with antiquity – and explains why the ancient past is still relevant today.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
If you like this episode you’ll love
Promoted