Rory Cormac

Richard Aldrich and Rory Cormac, esteemed scholars and co-authors of 'The Secret Royals', explore the British royal family's intriguing ties to espionage. They discuss how Queen Victoria and Elizabeth II operated as intelligence handlers, accessing sensitive information and influencing national security. The conversation touches on spies visiting Buckingham Palace, Princess Diana's complex relationship with the intelligence community, and how modern royals like King Charles engage with secret services today. Secrets steeped in history reveal a legacy of royal intrigue.

Rory Cormac, a Professor of International Relations at the University of Nottingham, delves into the murky world of covert actions and state-sponsored maneuvers. Discover how nations conduct undercover operations, from the U.S. attempts in Venezuela to Russia's intrusions in Europe. Cormac discusses the paradox of how secrecy often becomes public and the challenges of attributing political outcomes to covert interventions. Historical case studies reveal the complex long-term impacts of these clandestine actions and pose critical questions about their ethical use by democracies.

Rory Cormac, a professor and author, discusses the historical relationship between the British Royal Family and intelligence, covering topics such as the involvement of monarchs in advising prime ministers, intelligence gathering for self-protection, the mysterious death of Rasputin, surveillance on King Edward the eighth, and challenges of researching royal intelligence.