Listen Now: Even the Royals

00:00
Speaker 1
For a lot of people, it's a dream to be a prince or princess leading the life of royalty. Well, what if I told you there's a darker side? And when you take a closer look, you'll see that it comes at the expense of everything else. Your freedom, your privacy, sometimes even your head. Well, on Wondery's new podcast, even the royals, they pull back the curtain on royal families, past and present from all over the world. And you can listen for free wherever you get your podcasts. There's one of the most infamous royals in history, Marie Antoinette. Everything you know about her may be wrong. After she became queen at just 19 years old, she ended up in a battle with the french press that started a series of impossible to believe events. It's history's greatest smear campaign, and it certainly had deadly consequences.

00:48
Speaker 1
Or Catherine D'Amadici. History branded her as a cold and power obsessed manipulator. And they said she was responsible for one of the most devastating massacres in french history. But she was an orphan who spent her life as a powerless hostage. And her determination to rise to power led her to some dark places and desperate measures. We're about to hear a clip from even the royals. Make sure to check out even the royals on the wondery app or wherever you get your podcasts. You can binge even the royals ad free right now on wondery.

01:20
Speaker 2
Plus, a quick note about our show. While some scenes are dramatized, we promise we did our homework, and everything is based on facts and a royal heads up. Today's episode contains swearing that would have the royal court calling for our heads. Please be advised. So, Brooke, you and I have been friends for a long time.

01:46
Speaker 3
Yeah.

01:46
Speaker 4
And you know what? Honestly, not long enough. I love to have you. A long time ago.

01:51
Speaker 2
You know, I don't disagree at all. Good times. Yeah, we've kind of been through it all, you know?

01:56
Speaker 3
We have. Yeah.

01:57
Speaker 2
Parking cars for celebrities.

02:00
Speaker 3
Yes.

02:00
Speaker 2
Living together.

02:02
Speaker 3
Yes.

02:02
Speaker 2
Having arguments about how to put the toilet paper in the roll correctly or who turned magnets upside down.

02:08
Speaker 3
Yeah.

02:09
Speaker 4
Real serious stuff.

02:10
Speaker 2
Yeah. We get into the nitty gritty. And here's something else I think our listeners should know about us. We live and breathe rom coms, literally. I feel like that's one of the times where I'm being completely serious.

02:22
Speaker 3
Yes.

02:23
Speaker 4
And we also love the dough eyed cousin of the rom.com, the princess movie. But these stories always end after the princess marries the prince and allegedly lives happily ever after. We never see the part where they get into a screaming match about whose turn it is to clean the moat.

02:39
Speaker 2
Yeah. And honestly, I need to see that.

02:42
Speaker 3
Me, too.

02:42
Speaker 2
That's how you can really tell where the love is when you see two people fight.

02:46
Speaker 3
Yep.

02:47
Speaker 2
But all jokes aside, royal life is hard. I mean, sure, you get to wear a tiara, but you can also get exiled or beheaded.

02:57
Speaker 4
Right? And we're not talking Disney movies. Like, the real life, uncensored version is usually more like Game of Thrones meets Vanderpump rules.

03:05
Speaker 2
Oh, what a great mashup. And that brings us to why we're here. Brooke and I have so much fun pulling back the curtain on the world's biggest celebrities and family dynasties, over, on even the rich, that we wanted to do the same on a show all about royals. So, in this new series, we'll be sharing stories about some royals you may have heard of and some you likely have not. So, Brooke, speaking of someone everyone knows of but who most people don't actually really know, when I say Marie Antoinette, where does your mind go?

03:37
Speaker 4
Listen, I know what most people would say, but here's the thing. When we auditioned for even the rich, they asked us who our favorite royals were, and you said, marie Antoinette, and you were like, she didn't actually say, let them eat cake, and I've never forgotten it.

03:52
Speaker 2
Oh, my God. This is really hitting me in the. You know, while she was a wig wearing fashion icon of her time who ended up getting beheaded, the truth of Marie's story and why she was killed is way more complicated than cake. Like, what if I told you all of this was because of really bad pr? That she was basically the victim of a total bogus propaganda campaign with pornographic cartoons?

04:20
Speaker 4
Okay, well, I know nothing, and I'm now on board.

04:24
Speaker 2
Yeah, this story, truly wild. And that's just the beginning. I mean, if you think a bunch of nude pictures is bad, grab those pearls to clutch for when you hear what she's ultimately accused of. Honestly, it's almost too shocking to believe.

04:37
Speaker 4
Okay, so, this is the story that.

04:40
Speaker 2
Shows how rumors can get you killed. You ready, Brooke?

04:44
Speaker 4
Oh, I am so ready.

04:49
Speaker 2
It's October, 1793, in Paris. Queen Marie Antoinette of France is riding in the back of an open wagon. Her hands are bound, and her once fabulous hair has been hacked off. She's weak, and she's half starved, but she still manages to sit up straight. She chose her outfit carefully today, a pristine morning dress, petticoat, and bonnet all white. She's determined to carry herself like a queen, not like a criminal. Now, pulling on context clues, I'm sure you've guessed she's on her way to be executed for high crimes against France.

05:27
Speaker 4
I did have a feeling maybe that was happening, yes.

05:29
Speaker 2
Yeah. So a huge crowd gathers in the de la revolution to hurl insults at Marie. Now most of these insults are about how she's a traitor and a sexual deviant. Marie wants to yell back at them, but the people didn't listen to Marie during her trial, so why would they now? And part of her is like, fuck them. But then she thinks of her kids, and a pit forms in her stomach when she wonders if her children will remember her as a villain, too. Marie finally arrives at the center of the square. Her eyes shoot up to a platform where the executioner and the guillotine await. It's only a few steps to the top, but for Marie, it might as well be a thousand. She shrugs off the soldier who's leading her to the stairway. She doesn't need or want his help.

06:20
Speaker 2
She's doing this alone. But with each step, her pulse speeds up. She reaches the top of the platform and stares defiantly into the executioner's eyes. He pushes her forward and forces her head onto the chopping block. She catches one last glimpse of the blade dangling overhead. She can't believe it's come to this. When she first came from Austria and was introduced as a future queen of France, people cheered her in the streets. They saw her as a force of change. What did she do to make them turn against her so dramatically? How could they swing so violently from love to hate? She still can't fully understand it. Wooden collar is closed around her neck and her thoughts swirl. Was there something she could have done differently? Could she have listened more? Fought harder?

07:12
Speaker 2
Maybe people would have loved her if she'd acted like someone else. Someone less foreign, less independent, less Marie Antoinette like? Or maybe not. Maybe because she was a strong woman in a world run by men, she was always doomed to a fate like this.

07:38
Speaker 1
You can binge even the royals early and ad free right now by joining Wondery plus in the wondery app or on Apple podcasts.