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
How Many of Queen Victoria's Descendants had Hemophilia? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 37:22
Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom was known as the grandmother of Europe. She and her husband Prince Albert had 9 children, 42 grandchildren, 85 great-grandchildren and 142 great-great-grandchildren. Many of her majes…
4 Royal Assassinations [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 23:18
Assassination – the murder of a prominent person, often for political motives. These calamities shock the world and can change the course of history. But as we will learn from the following shocking accounts, violence ca…
The Sultanate of Women 3/3: Kösem & Turhan [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 25:15
Ottoman Sultans kept a harem of hundreds of enslaved concubines to bear their children. But from 1533 to 1656 a handful of remarkable women bent the harem system to their wills and exercised extraordinary political influ…
The Sultanate of Women 2/3: Nurbanu & Safiye [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 26:28
Ottoman Sultans kept a harem of hundreds of enslaved concubines to bear their children. But from 1533 to 1656 a handful of remarkable women bent the harem system to their wills and exercised extraordinary political influ…
The Sultanate of Women 1/3: Hürrem Sultan [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 25:15
Ottoman Sultans kept a harem of hundreds of enslaved concubines to bear their children. But from 1533 to 1656 a handful of remarkable women bent the harem system to their wills and exercised extraordinary political influ…
A History of Names [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 27:25
A double header about the history of first names and last names. “What's in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet” As Romeo pondered the significance of the moniker of his beloved we ha…
Henry VIII's Christmas Feast [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 31:26
King Henry VIII liked to live large and luxurious 365. But especially at Christmas. He and his wife of the moment enjoyed decadent feasts including classics we know today like mince pie and gingerbread and more surprisin…
The 12 Days of Medieval Christmas [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 32:02
We’re familiar with the Christmas carol “The 12 days of Christmas” but in the middle ages, this extended holiday Christmas looked a bit different. There were plenty of lords-a-leaping and ladies dancing but the only part…
Sons of King Christian IX of Denmark [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 20:50
The latest season of The Crown shows how Prince Philip provided the crucial DNA sample which identified the remains of his slain cousins, the Romanovs. Let's explore how the British, Russian and Greek royal families are…
Daughters of King Christian IX of Denmark [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 26:25
The latest season of The Crown shows how King George V failed to save his first cousin, Tsar Nikolai of Russia and his family from execution during the Russian revolution. Let's explore how the British and Russian royal…