Regular panellists Rana Mitter and Hannah Skoda take a look at the history behind crises facing two British institutions in recent months: the royal family and the prison system. How did monarchs in past centuries deal with family members embroiled in scandal? And do recent headlines about escaped inmates tell us something about our shifting view of incarceration? Plus, what happens when a political leader invokes emergency legislation to get the job done?

If you have any questions that you'd like Rana and Hannah to tackle, get in touch: podcast@historyextra.com

History Behind the Headlines is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. For more fascinating stories from the past, head to HistoryExtra, the home of ‘History’s Greatest’ podcasts. Find out more at ⁠⁠historyextra.com/podcast⁠⁠.

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This episode was hosted by Matt Elton with regular panellists Hannah Skoda and Rana Mitter and produced by Lewis Dobbs.

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Erscheinungs­datum: 13.11.2025, 01:00:00