Charlotte of Belgium part 1

Queens Podcast

Comedy, History

4.5 • 1.5K Ratings

🗓️ 4 February 2026

⏱️ 55 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

This week, we’re kicking off a two-part series on Charlotte of Belgium (sometimes known as Carlota of Mexico) while sipping on a Ranch Water. In Part One, we meet Charlotte as a beloved child turned purpose-driven young woman, then follow her whirlwind courtship with Archduke Maximilian of Austria and her arrival at the rigid Habsburg court. If that court sounds familiar, it’s because we’ve been here before — this is the same world that made life miserable for Empress Elisabeth of Austria (Sisi), married to Emperor Franz Joseph. Charlotte, however, seems to understand the assignment, quickly becoming everything a Habsburg princess is supposed to be… even as her marriage quietly begins to unravel. From whispered affairs in Italy to a voyage that breaks her marriage beyond repair, Charlotte’s story takes a sharp, devastating turn. And just when it seems like things couldn’t get worse, a knock at the door offers an unexpected — and dangerous — new role: Empress of Mexico. Cheers 🥂 Time stamps: 00:00 – Disclaimer from Vulgar History01:26 – Meet Charlotte of Belgium04:25 – A Very Well-Connected Childhood14:17 – From Happy Kid to Purpose-Driven Princess17:08 – Marriage Season Has Entered the Chat18:50 – Enter: Archduke Maximilian24:59 – Love at First Sight (For Charlotte, Anyway)29:15 – Thrown Into the Austrian Court34:28 – Italy: The Honeymoon That Wasn’t41:27 – The Voyage That Broke the Marriage45:53 – Separate Bedrooms Forever47:46 – So… Want to Be Emperor of Mexico? Sources Charlotte's Chart History Tea Time Thought co Queens Podcast Empress of Austria aka Sisi series Behind the Bastards: King Leopold II Queens podcast is part of Airwave Media podcast network. Please get in touch with advertising@airwavemedia.com if you would like to advertise on our podcast. Want more Queens? Head to our ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Patreon⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, and follow us on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠! Never miss a Queens Podcast happening! Sign up for our newsletter: ⁠https://eepurl.com/gZ-nYf⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	You're listening to an Airwave Media podcast.
0:05.4	Hello everyone. My name is Wesley Levesay from the History of the Second World War podcast.
0:10.7	Join me on a journey to the most destructive conflict in human history, a journey that will take
0:15.7	us not just through the famous campaigns and cataclysmic battles, but also to the lesser
0:20.4	well-known corners of the
0:21.7	war that touched millions all over the world, as we try and answer not just the questions of
0:26.5	what and where, but how and why. You can find History of the Second World War on all major
0:32.2	podcast platforms or at History of the Second World War.com.
0:36.6	Hi there.
0:39.5	It's Anne Foster from the Vulgar History Podcast.
0:47.3	My very good friends, Katie and Nathan, wanted me to tell you to just prepare yourself that their podcast contains some strong language.
0:50.4	My podcast contains some strong language as well.
0:56.3	So if you're really interested in that intersection of women's history with whimsy with screaming about feminism, you may want to check out the Vulgar History podcast as well.
1:02.9	Enjoy their show.
1:04.7	Hi, this is Katie.
1:05.7	And this is Nathan.
1:07.1	And you're listening to Queens Podcast, the show about women in history.
1:26.6	Yeah. And you're listening to Queen's podcast, the show about women in history. Hey, Nathan.
1:27.3	Hey, Katie. Hi, it is... Hey Nathan.
1:28.8	Hey, Katie.
1:30.3	Hi.
1:36.5	It is the first day of February, so dry January is over.
	...

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