The Scandalous Private Life of Charles II
Dan Snow's History Hit
History Hit
4.7 • 13.7K Ratings
🗓️ 12 February 2026
⏱️ 30 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
He had at least 14 known mistresses and a hoard of illegitimate children; Charles II's private life was as politically charged as it was scandalous. He presided over the Restoration court, a world of excess, intrigue, gambling, gossip and a lot of sex. Dan is joined by the host of the Betwixt the Sheets podcast, Dr Kate Lister, to explore the salacious side of Restoration England and examine how power, pleasure, and reputation collided at court.
A warning that this episode isn't suitable for children!
Produced by Mariana Des Forges and edited by Dougal Patmore.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Hi folks, welcome to Dan Snow's history. |
| 0:05.0 | The people of England, Scotland and Wales, I'm sure collectively breathe a sigh of relief |
| 0:11.0 | when Charles II returned to London and was restored to the monarchy in 16 at 60. |
| 0:20.0 | After 11 years of Puritan rule, people had grown pretty sick and |
| 0:24.3 | weary of living under endless, strict rules. Intense religious observance, bands on, well, lots |
| 0:32.1 | of things, the joys of life, celebrations, alcohol, the theatre, Christmas. When Charles |
| 0:37.0 | returned, so did fun. Pubs reopen. |
| 0:40.6 | Women were allowed to perform on stage for the first time. Literature and art and science. |
| 0:45.8 | Flourished. It's no wonder, Charles II, who presided over this restoration, earned himself |
| 0:51.6 | the moniker, the merry monarch. He certainly practiced what he preached. |
| 0:57.1 | His court was notorious for gambling, gossip, and sex. He himself had no less than 14 mistresses |
| 1:05.5 | over his life, and they're the ones we know about. Many had illegitimate children. So to peek |
| 1:10.6 | behind the curtain of Charles's |
| 1:12.9 | salacious sex life. There's only one person I could call, and that is, of course, the wonderful |
| 1:17.1 | Dr. Kate Lister, historian, and host of our sister podcast, Betwixt the Sheets. It's a pretty wild |
| 1:24.1 | one this one, folks, so maybe don't watch this one with the kids. |
| 1:29.2 | T-minus 10. |
| 1:31.3 | The Thomas bomb dropped on Hiroshima. |
| 1:33.0 | God save the king. |
| 1:36.4 | No black white unity till there is first than black unity. |
| 1:39.4 | Never to go to war with one another again. |
| 1:42.6 | And lift-off, and the shuttle has cleared the tower. Kate Lister, good to have you on the podcast. Hello. How's it going? It's going really good. How are you going? Well, I'm doing really well, partly because we're going to talk about one of the most colourful, is that the right word? Colourful monarchs of... It's historian word for it. Yeah, yeah. Complex. That's another good historian work. |
... |
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