Uploaded March 2023 | Updated September 2026, 2 hours ago
QUESTION: What do Henry VIII, Mary I, Elizabeth I, Charles I, James II, Mary II, Queen Anne, George I, William IV, George V and George VI have in common, beyond being royalty? Answer: they were all royal spares who became heirs, then ultimately took the crown. The men were never meant to King, the women were never meant to be Queen, but all made it to the throne nonetheless through a combination of early deaths, the occasional revolution and even, famously, the abdication crisis of 1936. Some were even born as the heir to the throne, only to lose that position then regain it. In this week’s royal history documentary from History Calling I’m going to take you through the past 500 years of English history to bring you the story of the people who unexpectedly became monarchs and how they did it. The problems of lost heirs and ambitious spares is one which has affected all the royal houses of England, including the Tudors, the Stuarts, the Hanoverians and the Windsors, as Princes of Wales either passed away before producing any children of their own, decided they didn’t want the top job after all or were even shunted aside by their big sisters. Yes, unlikely as it may sound, this video will also include a story of two daughters who stole their father’s throne and usurped their brother’s claim to it. This video is inspired by Prince Harry’s memoir, Spare, a reference to his former position as spare to his brother, Prince William, though nowadays the role of spare is filled by Princess Charlotte who is in line to the throne after her brother, Prince George.
BUY MY BOOK (Find Your Irish Ancestors Online): amzn.to/3Z2ChnG
Website (with 2 FREE DOWNLOADS): historycallingofficial.com
Patreon: patreon.com/historycalling
Amazon storefront: amazon.com/shop/historycalling
Instagram: instagram.com/historycalling
YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE:
TUDOR MONARCHS’ PLAYLIST
youtube.com/playlist?list=PLLSjVq5Qtb0FD_vatnjVq9egboPYy8Kg0
SIX WIVES OF HENRY VIII PLAYLIST youtube.com/playlist?list=PLLSjVq5Qtb0Hb5Wjykc2hBrBddQYXDUqU
ROYAL WOMEN PLAYLIST youtube.com/playlist?list=PLLSjVq5Qtb0HnqxlXmoJ1C3iQK3bXNO_g
WHAT HAPPENED TO CHARLES I’S CORPSE?
youtu.be/71HpXT1q0EU
HOW JAMES II LOST THE THRONE
youtu.be/4uwpYY6njcE
WHAT HAPPENED TO QUEEN ANNE STUART’S CHILDREN?
youtu.be/qUc0wmJGTgg
SCANDALOUS LOVE LIFE OF GEORGE I
youtu.be/Ycoh_arGzi8
GEAR USED
Apple MacBook Pro Laptop (for video editing): amzn.to/3S6IoRK
DJI Drone: amzn.to/38h1vXr (UK LINK) OR amzn.to/39hROZm (US LINK)
Go-Pro Hero 10 camera: amzn.to/3EPIK9U (UK LINK) OR amzn.to/3rTWScL (US LINK)
GoPro 3-Way 2.0 (Tripod/Grip/Arm): amzn.to/37CdC1r (UK LINK) OR amzn.to/3vaVxjU (US LINK)
Memory Card: amzn.to/36QvcOQ (UK LINK) OR amzn.to/3KeLZZs (US LINK)
Microphone: amzn.to/3MFtoaK (UK LINK) OR amzn.to/3rYtjH8 (US LINK)
Thumbnail: King George VI, Flickr, National Film Board of Canada. Photothèque. Library and Archives Canada, e010955855, CC BY 2.0 (detail). Other photographs of portraits are either my own, or in the public domain.
NB: Links above may be affiliate links. This means if you make a purchase through one of these links, I earn a small commission. It in no way affects the price you pay.
Creative Commons licenses used see creativecommons.org/licenses
QUESTION: What do Henry VIII, Mary I, Elizabeth I, Charles I, James II, Mary II, Queen Anne, George I, William IV, George V and George VI have in common, beyond being royalty? Answer: they were all royal spares who became heirs, then ultimately took the crown. The men were never meant to King, the women were never meant to be Queen, but all made it to the throne nonetheless through a combination of early deaths, the occasional revolution and even, famously, the abdication crisis of 1936. Some were even born as the heir to the throne, only to lose that position then regain it. In this week’s royal history documentary from History Calling I’m going to take you through the past 500 years of English history to bring you the story of the people who unexpectedly became monarchs and how they did it. The problems of lost heirs and ambitious spares is one which has affected all the royal houses of England, including the Tudors, the Stuarts, the Hanoverians and the Windsors, as Princes of Wales either passed away before producing any children of their own, decided they didn’t want the top job after all or were even shunted aside by their big sisters. Yes, unlikely as it may sound, this video will also include a story of two daughters who stole their father’s throne and usurped their brother’s claim to it. This video is inspired by Prince Harry’s memoir, Spare, a reference to his former position as spare to his brother, Prince William, though nowadays the role of spare is filled by Princess Charlotte who is in line to the throne after her brother, Prince George.
BUY MY BOOK (Find Your Irish Ancestors Online): amzn.to/3Z2ChnG
Website (with 2 FREE DOWNLOADS): historycallingofficial.com
Patreon: patreon.com/historycalling
Amazon storefront: amazon.com/shop/historycalling
Instagram: instagram.com/historycalling
YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE:
TUDOR MONARCHS’ PLAYLIST
youtube.com/playlist?list=PLLSjVq5Qtb0FD_vatnjVq9egboPYy8Kg0
SIX WIVES OF HENRY VIII PLAYLIST youtube.com/playlist?list=PLLSjVq5Qtb0Hb5Wjykc2hBrBddQYXDUqU
ROYAL WOMEN PLAYLIST youtube.com/playlist?list=PLLSjVq5Qtb0HnqxlXmoJ1C3iQK3bXNO_g
WHAT HAPPENED TO CHARLES I’S CORPSE?
youtu.be/71HpXT1q0EU
HOW JAMES II LOST THE THRONE
youtu.be/4uwpYY6njcE
WHAT HAPPENED TO QUEEN ANNE STUART’S CHILDREN?
youtu.be/qUc0wmJGTgg
SCANDALOUS LOVE LIFE OF GEORGE I
youtu.be/Ycoh_arGzi8
GEAR USED
Apple MacBook Pro Laptop (for video editing): amzn.to/3S6IoRK
DJI Drone: amzn.to/38h1vXr (UK LINK) OR amzn.to/39hROZm (US LINK)
Go-Pro Hero 10 camera: amzn.to/3EPIK9U (UK LINK) OR amzn.to/3rTWScL (US LINK)
GoPro 3-Way 2.0 (Tripod/Grip/Arm): amzn.to/37CdC1r (UK LINK) OR amzn.to/3vaVxjU (US LINK)
Memory Card: amzn.to/36QvcOQ (UK LINK) OR amzn.to/3KeLZZs (US LINK)
Microphone: amzn.to/3MFtoaK (UK LINK) OR amzn.to/3rYtjH8 (US LINK)
Thumbnail: King George VI, Flickr, National Film Board of Canada. Photothèque. Library and Archives Canada, e010955855, CC BY 2.0 (detail). Other photographs of portraits are either my own, or in the public domain.
NB: Links above may be affiliate links. This means if you make a purchase through one of these links, I earn a small commission. It in no way affects the price you pay.
Creative Commons licenses used see creativecommons.org/licenses
