King of the Castle: Famous & Fascinating Royal Dads (ep 60)

For much of royal history, Kings literally ruled. And a King’s
primary job description was to ensure peace and prosperity at
home, protect against enemies abroad, and secure the succession.
Be a judge, be a soldier, be a dad. A King’s success was
typically judged against these criteria, at least through the
Middle Ages and into the sixteenth and seventeenth century. Then
Queens took the throne, which shifted the focus on family roles
somewhat. Parliament began to take more control. A constitutional
monarchy emerged. Still, the focus on fathers continued well into
the 20th century.

We’re going to take a look at five royal fathers: Henry II,
Edward III, Henry VIII, Prince Albert, and George VI. For all,
we’ll be considering this well-known question: Does father know
best?

We start with a first and a second: first Plantagenet King and
second husband of Eleanor of Aquitaine, Henry II. Henry produced
many sons and created a dynasty. Not a bad start.

And now on to Edward III. Edward and Philippa produced 13
children, 9 of whom lived to adulthood. He had an impressive five
sons, although the descendants' behavior implies that might have
been too many.

Next up: Henry VIII, one of the most famous…and infamous…royal
fathers. The obsession of his life and his reign was laser
focused on the goal of producing a son. So after all that effort
to finally have a son, what kind of father was he?

Our next royal father was never King himself, but he was father
of a King and some Queens, and grandfather of many royals all
across Europe. I’m speaking of Prince Albert, the consort of
Queen Victoria.

Our final father is quite recent: George VI, the father of the
current Queen. It’s easy to see how George VI’s dedication to his
family benefitted his daughters and his nation.


History shows us what's possible.