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History Extra podcast

Queen Victoria's secret love affair

History Extra podcast

Immediate Media

History

4.34.5K Ratings

🗓️ 31 July 2025

⏱️ 39 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Ever since the 1870s, rumours have swirled around Queen Victoria and her Highland servant John Brown. Were the pair in love? Could they have got married? And might they even have had a secret child? Historian Fern Riddell investigates these claims in her book Victoria's Secret, and has made some dramatic discoveries that she believes cast the story in a new light. Speaking to Ellie Cawthorne, she outlines her findings.  (Ad) Fern Riddell is the author of Victoria's Secret: The Private Passion of a Queen/ (Ebury, 2025). Buy it now from Waterstones: https://go.skimresources.com?id=71026X1535947&xcust=historyextra-social-histboty&xs=1&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.waterstones.com%2Fbook%2Fvictorias-secret%2Ffern-riddell%2F9781529199314. The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0

So, what are you watching at the moment?

0:01.8

Squid Game, Dad.

0:03.0

Let's watch it together this weekend.

0:04.9

Would that be nice?

0:06.0

What's it on again?

0:06.8

Netflix. You've got EETV, so you just switch it on. What season are we up to? Um, four? That's Stranger Things, Mum. And what about the kids? Don't worry, they'll watch Coca-Mellon for the hundredth time. Switch on Netflix with EETV, plus change up sports and entertainment.

0:04.5

It's TV with the ultimate flex for the hundredth time. Switch on Netflix with EETV. Plus change up sports and entertainment.

0:22.4

It's TV with the ultimate flex for the whole family.

0:25.4

EETV requires EE Broadband, separate 24-month contracts for TV and broadband content of airy-term supply.

0:34.3

Welcome to the History Extra podcast, fascinating historical conversations from the makers of BBC History Magazine.

0:44.3

Ever since the 1870s, rumours have swirled around the relationship between Queen Victoria and our Highland servant, John Brown.

0:57.8

Were the pair in love? Could they have got married?

1:04.8

And might they even have had a secret child? In her new book, Victoria's Secret,

1:10.7

historian Fern Riddell investigates these claims and has made some dramatic new discoveries that she believes could

1:12.1

cast the story in a new light. I spoke to Fern to find out more. Fern, you offer a new take on

1:19.5

the relationship between Queen Victoria and her Highland servant John Brown in your new book,

1:24.5

Victoria's Secret. Before we get into your new findings on this matter,

1:30.2

can you give us some context on the story for anyone who's not so familiar? So where do we find

1:34.6

Victoria at this point in her life? And who was John Brown? The story of John Brown and Queen

1:40.6

Victoria is one that has floated around the corners of our culture for

1:45.0

160 years. And I think it's something that people think they know about but aren't really sure of

1:52.4

the information. We meet Victoria when she's just lost Albert, who we believe has been the love of

...

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