Asexual Royals from History

Asexual Royals from History

Author: Lindsay Holiday June 2, 2026 Duration: 29:45
Throughout history, across cultures and in every walk of life, there have always been people with varied sexual attractions, or lack there of. Asexuality, in particular, has only been identified and studied since the early 20th century. People in the past did not have the concepts, terminology or relative freedom we have today. So those who might now identify as asexual had a limited understanding of what they were experiencing. This makes it difficult for historians to identify people from the past who may have been asexual. Sexual attractions and relationships of every variety often left evidence, like steamy love letters and reports from others. But a lack of sexual desire was much less likely to be expressed. Sexuality, particularly among royals and especially among women, was often not a matter of choice. Princes and Princesses had to marry and reproduce with whoever their parents told them to. In many cases, particularly when young princesses were wed to much older kings, their own desires were invalid. So unless they risked their lives by having an affair, we can’t know if they were secretly lusting after the stable boy, the kitchen maid, or if they just wanted to be left alone to enjoy a slice of cake. As with all of my LGBTQIA+ videos, I am sensitive about outing people posthumously. These people are no longer able to tell us their own stories, and we must therefore rely on journals, letters and reports from others, which can’t give us a complete picture. But despite the gaps in our knowledge, these people deserve to have their stories told. I think it is incredibly important for people of all sexual orientations and gender identities to see themselves represented in history and to know that they are not alone in the world or in time. And I have had many requests to do a video about ace royals from the past. So today let’s meet 6 royals from history who’s experiences and actions indicate that they may have been asexual. Join me every Tuesday when I'm Spilling the Tea on History! Check out my Youtube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/lindsayholiday Follow me on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100091781568503 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/historyteatimelindsayholiday/ Tik Tok: https://www.tiktok.com/@historyteatime Please consider supporting me at https://www.patreon.com/LindsayHoliday and help me make more fascinating episodes! Intro Music: Baroque Coffee House by Doug Maxwell Music: Brandenburg Concerto No4-1 BWV1049 - Classical Whimsical by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Source: http://incompetech.com/music/royalty-free/index.html?isrc=USUAN1100303 Artist: http://incompetech.com/ #HistoryTeaTime #LindsayHoliday Please contact ⁠⁠⁠advertising@airwavemedia.com⁠⁠⁠ if you would like to advertise on this podcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Every Tuesday, Lindsay Holiday pours a fresh cup and settles in to share the fascinating, often overlooked tales from our past. History Tea Time is built on the idea that history is best served with a generous helping of personality and a focus on the compelling narratives that textbooks tend to skip. Lindsay’s approach feels like a conversation with a knowledgeable friend who has a real knack for digging up the juiciest details. While you’ll often find episodes delving into the lives of queens and royalty from across the globe, there’s a consistent spotlight on women’s history, bringing forward the stories of figures who shaped the world from behind the throne or beyond the traditional spotlight. Listening to this podcast feels like uncovering a secret side of the past, one where the human drama, ambitions, and scandals are given center stage. Each episode is a deep dive into a specific story, told with clarity and a genuine enthusiasm that makes even the most complex historical moments accessible and utterly engaging. If you’ve ever wanted the real, unvarnished, and truly interesting stories behind the names and dates, this is your weekly invitation to listen in.
Author: Language: en-us Episodes: 218

History Tea Time
Podcast Episodes
The Romanov Daughters - Olga, Tatiana, Maria & Anastasia [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 41:19
Thanks HelloFresh! Go to https://www.hellofresh.com/50teatime and use code 50TEATIME for 50% off plus free shipping! The daughters of Tsar Nikolai II of Russia and his wife Alexandra Feodrovna were born into the wealthie…
Queen Guinevere & The Women of Arthurian Legend [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 31:17
Queen Guinevere, Morgan le Fey and Nimue, the mystical lady of the lake have been cast as heroins, virtuous women and wicked femme fatals by the many people who have retold the legend of King Arthur over 1500 years. I'll…
Queens Who Had The Most Children [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 29:19
If you think the kids in your family are a lot to handle, imagine having over a dozen of them! That was the reality for the royal women in today’s video. The primary expectation of Queens and other well born women of the…
The 6 to 8 Wives of Ivan the Terrible [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 32:07
What 16th century megalomaniac monarch magnified the power of his nation, ordered the violent executions of thousands of his own people, became obsessed with fathering male heirs and went through at least 6 wives, severa…
Henry VIII's OTHER Children [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 30:51
Thanks HelloFresh! Go to HelloFresh.com/TEATIME50 and use code TEATIME50 for 50% off plus free shipping! Everyone knowns Henry VIII’s three surviving legitimate children, Queen Mary I, Queen Elizabeth I and King Edward V…
Queen Liliʻuokalani of Hawai'i [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 31:23
Queen Lili’uokalani was the first Queen Regnant and last monarch of the Islands of Hawai'i. She fought to keep her country and people free from the conquest of British and American colonist and preserved her culture and…
The Queen Mum, Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 25:32
Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon was the first non-royal to marry an English monarch in 400 years. She took on the unexpected mantle of Queen when her brother in law abdicated amid scandal and was a national symbol of strength in WW…
US States & Cities Named After Historic Royals [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 32:39
The East coast of the United States is littered with places named in honor of European royals. But the monarchical monikers don’t stop there, 2 major midwestern cities bare the names of French Kings, Texas once bore the…
A History of Drag [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 39:19
Thanks HelloFresh! Go to HelloFresh.com/teatime16 and use code teatime16 for 16 free meals plus free shipping! Please go to https://transequality.org/ to help fight discrimination! Want to travel with me in 2024? Take th…
2 Slavic Queens: Olga of Kyiv (Ukraine) & Jadwiga of Poland [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 42:34
Olga was the wive of Igor, the Grand Prince of the Kievan Rus’, a federation of people whose capital was the city of Kyiv, now the capital of modern day Ukraine. When her husband was brutally murdered by a subsidiary tri…