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It’s Reigning Men @itsreigningmen.bsky.social · Jul 14

Princess Delphine invited It’s Reigning Men to her home in Brussels to discuss her art, her truth, and her identity

What did that long battle cost her?

It’s Reigning Men @itsreigningmen.bsky.social · Jul 14

Eventually, she won a court-ordered DNA test, a landmark decision

In her 50s, she was formally acknowledged as the King’s daughter and granted the title of Princess

It’s Reigning Men @itsreigningmen.bsky.social · Jul 14

She spent years trying to get the King to recognize her

First privately, then through the courts

His denial persisted for decades

Princess Delphine of Belgium: Exclusive Interview (Part 1)

It’s Reigning Men @itsreigningmen.bsky.social · Jul 14

At 18, Delphine Boël discovered her biological father was King Albert II of Belgium

He refused to acknowledge her

Her story is one of legal battles, royal resistance, and a fight for truth

podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/i...

🧵

Podcast Episode · It's Reigning Men · Ep12 Bonus · 31m

King Charles III of Canada

Reposted by It’s Reigning Men

Carolyn Harris 🇨🇦 @royalhistorian.bsky.social · Mar 16

. @plagasse.bsky.social and I discussed King Charles III, King of Canada with @danielrosney.bsky.social on the @itsreigningmen.bsky.social podcast! Listen here:

It’s Reigning Men @itsreigningmen.bsky.social · Mar 16

What should the King of Canada do about Donald Trump’s wish for Canada to be the 51st state of the USA?

The King has invited the President to the UK on a state visit, but what about Canadians?

This week’s pod is all about Charles III as Canada’s monarch:

podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/i...

Podcast Episode · It's Reigning Men · 16/03/2025 · 31m

King Charles III of Canada

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It’s Reigning Men @itsreigningmen.bsky.social · Mar 16

What should the King of Canada do about Donald Trump’s wish for Canada to be the 51st state of the USA?

The King has invited the President to the UK on a state visit, but what about Canadians?

This week’s pod is all about Charles III as Canada’s monarch:

podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/i...

Podcast Episode · It's Reigning Men · 16/03/2025 · 31m

King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck of Bhutan

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It’s Reigning Men @itsreigningmen.bsky.social · Mar 10

The latest epsiode of our podcast series is about how Bhutan measures its sucess through wellbeing/ happiness with the country’s Prime Minister walking us through it. Take a listen! 😊 podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/i...

Podcast Episode · It's Reigning Men · 09/03/2025 · 26m

King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck of Bhutan

It’s Reigning Men @itsreigningmen.bsky.social · Mar 10

The latest epsiode of our podcast series is about how Bhutan measures its sucess through wellbeing/ happiness with the country’s Prime Minister walking us through it. Take a listen! 😊 podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/i...

Podcast Episode · It's Reigning Men · 09/03/2025 · 26m

King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck of Bhutan

It’s Reigning Men @itsreigningmen.bsky.social · Mar 10

The latest episode of our podcast series is all about Bhutan measuring its success with happiness 😊

podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/i...

Podcast Episode · It's Reigning Men · 09/03/2025 · 26m

It’s Reigning Men @itsreigningmen.bsky.social · Feb 16

🇳🇴 Europe’s eldest king turns 88 this week, but why do we view aging monarchs differently to aging presidents?

Plus how recent scandals in the royal family are affecting support for Norway’s monarchy and King Harald V

All in the latest It’s Reigning Men: podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/i...

It’s Reigning Men @itsreigningmen.bsky.social · Feb 14

But that’s not the only scandal to hit the Luxembourg monarchy during Grand Duke Henri’s reign

To find out more listen and subscribe to my podcast It’s Reigning Men now, with another episode coming this weekend

podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/i...

It’s Reigning Men @itsreigningmen.bsky.social · Feb 14

In both the Belgian and Dutch cases a solution was found

But in Luxembourg the Grand Duke’s refusal to sign the bill was causing a constitutional crisis and officials were concerned he could try to prevent future laws

So, they changed the constitution to strip him of that power

It’s Reigning Men @itsreigningmen.bsky.social · Feb 14

🇳🇱 Shortly after the end of World War II, The Netherlands had a “conscientious objector” of its own with its monarch at the time

Queen Juliana in 1951 and 1952 refused to sign the death warrants of four Nazis known as the Breda Four

Instead they were sentenced to life in prison

It’s Reigning Men @itsreigningmen.bsky.social · Feb 14

The work around?

King Baudouin of the Belgians asked the government to declare him unfit to rule for 24 hours

The constitution stated if the king was unfit to rule the government assumed the role of head of state

So, for one day Belgium had no monarch and the bill was signed

It’s Reigning Men @itsreigningmen.bsky.social · Feb 14

🇧🇪 There was precedent for this in neighbouring Belgium where officials there had found a way around the then King Baudouin’s refusal to sign a bill legalising abortion in 1990

Again the monarch claimed his catholic faith prevented him from approving the legislation

It’s Reigning Men @itsreigningmen.bsky.social · Feb 14

Henri, a devout Catholic, said he couldn’t sign the bill because of “reasons of conscience”

Officials were blindsided by his decision because the democratically elected parliament had voted to legalise euthanasia, and had wrongly assumed the monarch would sanction the law

It’s Reigning Men @itsreigningmen.bsky.social · Feb 14

🇱🇺 This is Grand Duke Henri of Luxembourg - who’s stepping down later this year

Eight years into his reign, in 2008, he caused a constitutional crisis when he tried to use his ‘veto power’ to stop a euthanasia bill

Henri’s approval and signature was needed for it to become law

It’s Reigning Men @itsreigningmen.bsky.social · Feb 14

Since World War II three European monarchs have refused to sign a bill/ give royal assent - despite the legislation being passed by parliament

This is explored in my podcast series It’s Reigning Men: podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/i...

🧵So what happened in Luxembourg, Belgium and The Netherlands?

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It’s Reigning Men @itsreigningmen.bsky.social · Jan 26

Another episode of It’s Reigning Men out now

🇸🇪 This time it’s all about Europe’s longest-reigning monarch: Sweden’s King Carl XVI Gustaf

Stripped of all political power, has he maintained the monarchy’s relevancy?

Listen on Apple, Spotofy and everywhere else: podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/i...

It’s Reigning Men @itsreigningmen.bsky.social · Jan 19

Interested in modern monarchy?

The first episode of It’s Reigning Men is out now!

It’s Reigning Men @itsreigningmen.bsky.social · Jan 19

The brand new podcast series all about modern monarchs is out now: podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/i...

This week we're in Denmark hearing about the beginnings of a scandal, how the new king "upset" businesses in 2024 after a “shaky start”, and how far he can go with Donald Trump over Greenland

It’s Reigning Men @itsreigningmen.bsky.social · Jan 17

More than 40 countries in the world still have a monarchy

None of those monarchs are women

With this new series - It’s Reigning Men - I’ll explore who these men are born into palaces and privilege

First ep out Sunday - pls subscribe wherever you listen to pods: podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/i...