Royal Family Blunders

Episode 17 of the Queens, Kings, and Dastardly Things podcast, hosted by Daily Mail, titled "Royal Family Blunders" was published on July 23, 2025 and runs 32 minutes.

July 23, 2025 ·32m · Queens, Kings, and Dastardly Things

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Summary

What’s the worst Royal blunder of the modern age? Listen to find out!The Royal's public image is a delicate balance; attempts to entertain or appear modern can be seriously cringe.Thumbs up for the late Queen Elizabeth II and her James Bond cameo at the Olympic opening ceremony, but two thumbs down for that ultimate pie-in-the-face moment: the 1987 televised game show, "It's a Royal Knockout." Who was to blame for the Windsors dressing up for a pantomime gameshow? Why did it go so very wrong? Was it a turning point for the public perception of the Royals?Professor Kate Williams has a theory … perhaps the Royals could be saved from further blunders by taking a tip from history - employing a Royal Jester! We look back at some of those merrymakers, like ‘Roland the Farter’ (it’s much worse than it sounds!).However, could a jester really have saved the Royal’s public image from the 101 gaffes of the late Duke of Edinburgh? Some of his jokes were funny, others, these days, would have the Royals cancelled!Hosts: Robert Hardman and Professor Kate WilliamsSeries Producer: Ben DevlinProduction Manager: Vittoria Cecchini Executive Producer: Bella Soames Hosts: Robert Hardman and Professor Kate WilliamsSeries Producer: Ben DevlinProduction Manager: Vittoria Cecchini Content Editor: Joseph PalmerExecutive Producer: Bella SoamesA 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.

Episode Description

What’s the worst Royal blunder of the modern age? Listen to find out!

The Royal's public image is a delicate balance; attempts to entertain or appear modern can be seriously cringe.

Thumbs up for the late Queen Elizabeth II and her James Bond cameo at the Olympic opening ceremony, but two thumbs down for that ultimate pie-in-the-face moment: the 1987 televised game show, "It's a Royal Knockout."

Who was to blame for the Windsors dressing up for a pantomime gameshow? Why did it go so very wrong? Was it a turning point for the public perception of the Royals?

Professor Kate Williams has a theory … perhaps the Royals could be saved from further blunders by taking a tip from history - employing a Royal Jester! We look back at some of those merrymakers, like ‘Roland the Farter’ (it’s much worse than it sounds!).

However, could a jester really have saved the Royal’s public image from the 101 gaffes of the late Duke of Edinburgh? Some of his jokes were funny, others, these days, would have the Royals cancelled!

Hosts: Robert Hardman and Professor 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.