Scandals of various sorts have punctuated the history of royal dynasties, caused by family feuds, dubious financial arrangements, and frequently by sexual affairs and marriages considered incompatible with royal tradition and dignity.

Such scandals attract much public attention, but also raise questions about individual figures and the monarchies of which they are a part. Royals are also forced to devise strategies for surviving scandals.

In this episode, we offer some fresh perspectives on one of the most famous modern scandals – the relationship between King Edward VIII and Wallis Simpson, and the king’s eventual abdication in 1936 – and see how it involved not only the British but made international news.

Image - King Edward VIII and Mrs Simpson on holiday in Yugoslavia, 1936 (Creative Commons)

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Monarchy is one of the oldest and most widespread forms of government in the history of the world. Even today, more than forty countries have a monarch as the head of state. Love them or loathe them, monarchs are some of the most important figures in history. However, monarchs and their dynasties have faced many challenges through the centuries. This is the stuff of history and of drama, as anyone who has ever read or watched a play by Willliam Shakespeare will know.

Join Emeritus Professor Robert Aldrich, and Associate Professor Cindy McCreery - both from the University of Sydney - on this 8-episode podcast series about monarchy. With the help of expert guests, the series will examine challenges faced by monarchies in modern history – such as revolution, assassination, and scandal – and why some monarchies have survived, and others have disappeared.