BANK HOLIDAY SPECIAL: the King's troublesome younger brother

About this episode

This episode discusses the life and legacy of George, Duke of Clarence, and his parallels to modern figures.

Imagine, if you can, a king with two younger brothers. One of them, the youngest, is hardworking and loyal, a little dull, but always shows up when needed. The middle brother is flamboyant, egotistical, entitled, unreliable and capable of great cruelty and abusive behaviour. After putting up with this for perhaps longer than might be expected, eventually the Crown loses patience and the law takes its course. This is, of course, the story of George, Duke of Clarence, the wayward brother of Edward IV, who lived from 1448 to 1479 when he was executed by being drowned in a butt of Malmsey wine. His bones are stored in a vault in Tewkesbury Abbey in Gloucestershire. For a bank holiday special episode of this podcast I spoke to Professor James Clark of the University of Exeter about the Duke of Clarence and the strange resonances with the modern day. If you would like to support this podcast please consider taking out a paid subscription to my Substack arthursnell.substack.com or if you don't want the hassle of a subscription you can buy me a coffee! ko-fi.com/snellarthur If you want to buy any of the books talked about in this show, please support independent bookshops by using…

People in this episode

Host: Arthur Snell

Guest: James Clark

Topics covered

• British history
• royalty
• executions
• family dynamics
• historical figures
• modern parallels

Keywords

• Duke of Clarence
• Edward IV
• historical execution
• British monarchy
• family conflict
• James Clark
• Arthur Snell

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: University of Exeter

Places: Tewkesbury Abbey, Gloucestershire

More episodes of Behind The Lines with Arthur Snell

• EMERGENCY EPISODE: the resignation of John Healey · June 11, 2026 · 42 min
• Iran Special: Is a deal about to be signed? Charlie Gammell on the future for the Islamic Republic and the Region · June 9, 2026 · 42 min
• The Latest from Ukraine - is the tide turning? · June 4, 2026 · 41 min
• Hinterlands: Europe's Unfinished Frontiers, with Hannah Lucinda Smith · May 26, 2026 · 54 min
• Syria: Is the new government in league with Jihadists? · May 12, 2026 · 39 min
• The Iran War - the Impact on the Gulf Countries · May 6, 2026 · 42 min