The Fake Princess Who Fooled Georgian England
episode
Betwixt The Sheets: The History of Sex, Scandal & Society
50 min
3 speakers
5 chapters
transcribed 4 months ago
Transcript
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Transcript generated automatically by AI and may contain errors.
What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
Do you want even more shocking and scandalous history? Like why the ancient Greek statues had such small manhoods or what went on behind closed doors in the Georgian era? Well sign up to History Hit where you can see me discover the scandalous side of history as well as hundreds of hours of original documentaries plus new releases every week covering everything from prehistoric Scotland to the Treaty of Versailles. Sign up to join me in locations around the world and explore the past. Just visit historyhit.com forward slash subscribe Hello, my lovely Betwixters. It's me, Kate Lister. You are back once again listening to Betwixt the Sheets. Hello. Thanks for dropping by. It's so lovely to see you. But before we can go any further together, I have to give you the fair dues warning.
Kate, what's a fair dues warning? Well, that's the warning we have to give you at the top of the show, just in case you wandered in here accidentally and don't know what the show is about. So here it is. This is an adult podcast spoken by adults to other adults about adult things in an adult way covering adult subjects and you should be an adult too and we do that because I don't know why we do it why would you be here if you didn't want to listen to upsetting and smutty things all right fine fine we'll keep doing it that was my producer telling me off right fine okay proceed at your own peril Today's story takes place in a small village between Bristol and Bath at the start of the 19th century.
While Britain is expanding its empire overseas, you could be forgiven for not thinking that a world even exists outside of this tiny little village. But all of that is about to change when a strange-looking woman, claiming to be Princess Caribou no less, staggers into a cobbler's cottage and collapses. And what happens next causes a sensation. Who was she? Where did she come from? Where the hell is Caribou? And what fantastical story does she tell? I'm ready to find out if you are. Hello and welcome back to The Twix Sheets, the history of sex, scandal and society with me, Kate Lister. The line between what is true and what is a great big stonking fib has always been a little bit murky. And long before we had fake news, the Georgians managed to come up with some pretty outrageous stories of their own.
Today's episode focuses on one such story and it takes some incredible twists and turns, but where it ends up is probably the most extraordinary part of it. I won't say anything more than that because joining me today is the fantastic, the wonderful Dr. Maddy Pelling, co-host of our sister podcast, After Dark, whose new book, Hoax, Truth and Lies in the Age of Enlightenment, delves into some of these amazing stories. Right, without further ado, everyone, let's just crack on.
So
Hello, and welcome to Betwixt the Sheets. It's only Maddie Pelling.
How the hell are you doing, gorgeous? Okay, I was just saying to you off mic, I am now so pregnant. By the time people hear this, I'll be holding a baby at home, I'll be crying, there'll be like poo everywhere, and most of it will not be mine. What? I am.
You are not sailing through this glowing, are you? You're not enjoying this at all.
I'm sweating, Kate. It's sweat, not glow. Like, yeah, it's not good. But you've been having a very glamorous time.
What is the fair dues warning given at the start of the episode?
I've been enjoying you on Lucy Worsley's BBC flagship three-part series. It's a bit amazing.
That was a bit of a behind-the-scenes fact for that one. I had the worst flu of my whole life when I was filming that. It really is a sort of a limbset blur. I was watching it back going, oh, I don't sound too bad, actually. That's pretty good.
I will say you looked great on the drugs. So, you know, good for you. You looked fantastic.
Thank you. But we are here not to talk about pregnancy and flu. We're here to talk about a rather extraordinary hoax. I love a good con story. Like, you know, like true crime is that I think it's one of my favourite genres of true crime. And you're always sat there going, why would you believe that?
Yeah, it's people's credulity that you just can't get over how gullible people can be.
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Chapters
5 chapters
1
What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
0:00–3:37
2
What is the fair dues warning given at the start of the episode?
3:37–5:08
3
What strange event occurs in a small village in 1817?
5:08–5:47
4
Who is Princess Caraboo and what story does she tell?
5:47–47:47
5
How does the local magistrate react to Princess Caraboo's arrival?
47:47–50:37