Summary
Rachel Watkyn’s upbringing was a contradiction: aristocratic but impoverished. She was forced to memorise her father’s extensive family tree and was expected to behave as the 'perfect young baroness'. Despite their status the family didn't have clean clothes or heating and she was called ‘fleabag’ by other children at school. This left Rachel isolated, never knowing where she fitted in, and feeling not good enough.
Years later, when Rachel was in her 50s, her father became unwell and made a startling revelation on his deathbed.
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Hello, I'm Greg Jenner. I'm the host of Your Dead to Me, where the best names in comedy and history |
| 0:05.5 | join me to learn about and laugh at the past. You are a traitor. And in the new series, we'll meet |
| 0:11.2 | Aristotle. I think he might have been a time traveller. Someone who's like almost a glitch. |
| 0:15.3 | We'll dive into the causes of the British Civil Wars in the 1600s. In England at this period, |
| 0:19.8 | there's people can't get on the housing ladder. This sounds familiar. And we'll discover the arts and crafts movement. |
| 0:25.3 | I love the clothes. I love the vibe. Yes, we're a comedy show that takes history seriously |
| 0:29.3 | and then laughs at it. You're dead to me. Listen first on BBC Sounds. BBC Sounds, music, radio, |
| 0:36.9 | podcasts. Hello, Radio, podcasts. |
| 0:40.1 | Hello, I'm Dr. Sean Williams. |
| 0:46.4 | Welcome to the series that delves into the extraordinary moments in people's lives that transform everything. |
| 0:50.4 | Today, how do we work out who we are? |
| 0:56.6 | Is identity based on our experiences or the narratives we're given by others or the environment that we grow up in? |
| 0:58.6 | Today's guest has an extraordinary story of aristocracy, status and deeply held secrets. |
| 1:06.2 | It hasn't been told publicly before, but Rachel Watkin got in touch because she wanted to share it with us |
| 1:11.9 | on Life Changing Now. Hello, Rachel. |
| 1:14.8 | Hello. Nice to see you. Thanks very much for coming in. Thank you for inviting me. |
| 1:19.4 | I hinted at it there. You had rather an unusual family set up. So just tell us about it. |
| 1:27.3 | Unusual is one word for it. My mother was married to |
| 1:31.2 | James and it was a loveless marriage. They had two children. My mother started having an affair |
| 1:37.5 | with my father who was aristocracy and conceived me. I was born and I was very blonde and the rest of the family were very dark, |
| 1:46.9 | so it raised lots of questions. It unraveled that she had been having an affair, |
| 1:52.1 | but at the same time my stepfather declared that he'd only married my mother so that he could |
... |
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