Why did kings and queens have spectators on their wedding night? Was sex always just for the love of their country and the want of an heir, or were some royals into different kinks?

And what about outside marriage? From an official mistress who does not have sex with the king, to one who put laxatives in her rival’s food, what does it take to get and keep this position?

Kate is Betwixt the royal Sheets with bestselling author Eleanor Herman to find out the nitty gritty from the royal bedchambers.

This episode includes archive clips from Sixty Glorious Years, 1938 and The Private Life of Henry VIII, 1933.

Produced by Charlotte Long and Sophie Gee. Mixed by Matt Peaty.

Betwixt the Sheets: The History of Sex, Scandal & Society. A podcast by History Hit.