Evento

Profs & Pints Matinee: Royal Pains

Profs and Pints presents: Royal Pains, a look at the British Royal familys scandals since the 1700s, with Julie Taddeo, associate research professor of history at the University of Maryland at College Park and expert on Britains modern history and popular culture.

In less than two years, Harry and Meghan went from the Royals whose union was bringing Britain into the 21st Century to a couple of ingrates betraying their Royal duties. In the shadow of this scandal, Kate, once dubbed the middle-class Duchess, has been promoted to the princess who never complains. How do we explain this love/hate relationship the media has with the Royals, and how is this relationship shaped by race, class, and gender?

Even the elderly Queen Elizabeth II, heralded in 1953 for ushering in a new Elizabethan age, has been picked on for being too frumpy and aloof. From the Madness of George III to Megxit, the British Royals have given the world plenty to scrutinize and gossip about. Sometimes they are martyred, like Diana, the People's Princess, and at other times they're demonized, like accused Nazi sympathizer Edward VIII. As the royals political power has waned since the 18th century, their public appeal has intensified.

This talk will look at some of the most famous scandals involving British royalty from the Georgian period to todaylove affairs, illegitimate births, insanity, divorce, and the role of the media in shaping our fascination with the House of Hanover/Windsor. What do such scandals tell us about the larger political context of their day? How do TV series like Victoria and The Crown fuel as well as challenge some of our fantasies about this family, and is there any place for the Royals in a post-Brexit world? (Advance tickets: $12. Doors: $15, save $2 with a student ID. Listed time is for doors. Talk starts 30 minutes later. Please allow yourself time to place any orders and get seated and settled in.)