<p>What you'll hear in today's episode is a story that strikes to the dark heart of the British Empire.</p><br><p>Despite being set in the time of Jane Austen's early 19th century polite society, Princess Caraboo's strange tale makes her an instant celebrity.</p><br><p>But how much of it, if any, is true? Where does it lead? And what happens when the truth is a lot darker than the lie?</p><br><p>Joining Kate today is the wonderful Dr. Maddy Pelling, co-host of After Dark and author of <a href="https://www.waterstones.com/book/hoax/madeleine-pelling/9781805222354" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>Hoax: Truth and Lies in the Age of Enlightenment</em></a>, to reveal the truth behind Princess Caraboo.</p><br><p>This episode was edited by Tim Arstall. The producer was Stuart Beckwith. The senior producer was Freddy Chick.</p><br><p>Sign up to History Hit for hundreds of hours of original documentaries, with a new release every week and ad-free podcasts. Sign up at <a href="https://www.historyhit.com/subscribe" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><u>https://www.historyhit.com/subscribe</u></a>.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><br><p><u>You can take part in our listener survey</u><a href="https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/6FFT7MK" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><u> here</u></a><u>.</u></p><br><p>All music from Epidemic Sounds.</p><br><p>Betwixt the Sheets: History of Sex, Scandal & Society is a History Hit podcast.</p> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>