Royals Were the Original Reality Television Stars

Under the Influence with Jo Piazza

Jo Piazza, Influence Inc.

Society & Culture, Kids & Family, Parenting, Personal Journals, Technology

4.3 • 833 Ratings

🗓️ 4 June 2026

⏱️ 43 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Before there were influencers, there were royals. For centuries, the British royal family has provided the world with fashion trends, family feuds, public scandals, doomed romances, and enough gossip to fuel generations of headlines. Long before social media, people were obsessing over what royals wore, who they married, and what happened behind palace walls. Bestselling author Melanie Benjamin joins us to talk about her new novel, The Windsor Affair, which revisits one of the most consequential scandals in modern history: King Edward VIII's decision to give up the throne for Wallis Simpson. Together we unpack why we're still fascinated by the royals, how the monarchy became the blueprint for celebrity culture, and what really happened between Wallis Simpson and the future Queen Mother, Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon. They also dig into the parallels between Wallis and Meghan Markle, the media's obsession with pitting women against one another, and why history keeps recycling the same female archetypes. Get The Windsor Affair here. Join our newsletter community here. ORDER The Parisian Heist here. Visit our lovely sponsors here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:30.0	Hey everyone, it's Olivia Culpo, and I can't wait to tell you all about Abercrombie's new
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0:48.4	Shop Abercrombie this summer in the app, online, and in stores.
0:57.6	Blowing ad budget on metrics that look great till the CFO sees them.
1:01.9	That's bullspend.
1:03.1	And marketers are calling it out in dashboard confessions.
1:07.5	I remember telling my boss it'll be good for the brand when leads were slow.
1:12.1	Yeah, it wasn't.
1:14.4	Cut the ball spend.
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1:25.1	Terms and conditions apply.
1:36.4	Hey all, Joe here, and you are listening to Under the Influence.
1:43.3	Do you love a story about female friendship and ambitious women defying all expectations society sets in them? Well, then the Parisian heist is for you,
	...

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