<p><strong>A queen knelt, a sword flashed, a dynasty shifted.&nbsp;</strong></p><p>This episode looks at how and why the execution of Henry VIII’s second wife became one of the most iconic, mesmerising moments in British history.</p><br><p>Professor Kate dives straight into the charged final minutes of the execution, peeling back the myths, the melodrama, and the emotions of that fatal walk to the scaffold.</p><br><p>Anne hoped, right up to the last, that the King might intervene. She rehearsed her courage. She made jokes. She forgave people she absolutely did&nbsp;<em>not</em>&nbsp;need to forgive. And as she stepped onto that scaffold, there were rumours that she harboured a tiny ember of belief that Henry might still call it all off.</p><br><p>And then there’s the Frenchman: the swordsman from Calais, specially imported because he had a reputation for doing the dreadful job swiftly, silently… and with a trick. A trick that meant Anne Boleyn may not even have known the exact second her life ended. A trick that changed the choreography of English executions forever.</p><br><p>Kate and Robert break down the politics, the theatre, the psychological games, and the shocking tenderness of those last moments.&nbsp;</p><br><p>Hosts: Robert Hardman and Professor Kate Williams</p><p>Series Producer: Ben Devlin</p><p>Production Manager: Vittoria Cecchini&nbsp;</p><p>Executive Producer: Bella Soames</p><p>Hosts: Robert Hardman and Professor Kate Williams</p><p>Series Producer: Ben Devlin</p><p>Production Manager: Vittoria Cecchini&nbsp;</p><p>Executive Producer: Bella Soames</p><br><p>A Daily Mail production. Seriously Popular.</p><br><p>Sign up to&nbsp;Palace&nbsp;Confidential, the FREE royals newsletter from the Mail's top experts. Delivered straight to your inbox every Thursday, it's the smartest way to stay in the royal inner circle. Just head to <a href="https://dailymail.co.uk/palaceconfidential" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">dailymail.co.uk/palaceconfidential</a> to sign up today. </p><br><p>&nbsp;&nbsp;</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>