Sips tea.

We are talking about Royalty today, or should I say Royal Tea? Uh, sorry, we had to pun. But really, it works on both levels, because we do have to pause every now and then and ask ourselves, what is the importance of Royal tea in our modern times? And if you take a step back, you can really start to see the importance the gossip machine plays in keeping monarchs relevant. It’s a love/hate relationship on both sides, with few real winners, but oh my, is it fascinating!

This time, we talk about Suleyman the Magnificent, Ottoman contemporary of Henry VIII. He also had a unique approach to marriage, actually getting married! He and his wife Roxelana set a new precedent for Ottoman Sultans and concubines, one that was never repeated but blazed a trail for powerful women to follow and started a new approach to succession.

This time, we say “Aloha!” to the Kingdom of Hawaii, and then “Aloha!” about a century later. Yeah, they weren’t going for Japanese-style longevity there. But even if the Hawaiian royals were a mere blip in the islands’ long history, its a fascinating blip, and surprise surprise, America doesn’t come off so well in the story of the only monarchy in its borders.

This week, we delve into the man behind the Conquest of Istanbul, nee Constantinople. Who was Mehmed II, how did he come to ride his horse into “the city” as a conquering hero? We talk about all that, plus, a surprise Dracula cameo!

We’re finally talking about the Ottomans! But first, we set the scene for the rulers with a rundown of the rise of the Ottoman Empire. It changed the course of history, but it wasn’t an overnight rise. We walk through the early years and the rising threat to Byzantium and Western Christendom, before the triumphant capture of Constantinople by Mehmed II.

Emperor Akihito of Japan abdicated his throne on April 30, 2019. What are the implications for the Imperial Family and how does this tie into the context of Japan’s recent past?

We’re back and we are talking Baby Sussex, Baby Sussex’s name, and royal titles! We mean it, this episode might be our longest to date, but it’s full of everything you didn’t know you needed to know about royal titles, who gets them, and what they mean. It’s confusing, to say the least, with plenty of fun English spellings vs. pronunciations to trip us up! Plus, we catch up on five months of royal gossip and movie reviews!