Who does the Koh-I-Noor diamond truly belong to? Why is it considered cursed? And should it be returned?

The Koh-I-Noor diamond has been in the headlines this week with Mayor Zohran Mamdani stating that he would tell King Charles III to return it to India. As William and Anita wrote the definitive book on the cursed jewel, they provide a round-up of its long history and how it made its way into the British crown still on display in the Tower of London. 

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Instagram: @empirepoduk

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Assistant Producer and Editor: Imogen Marriott

Social Producer: Charlie Johnson

Producer: Anouska Lewis

Executive Producer: Dom Johnson

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Who were the cowboys and Indigenous people who made up the “Legions of Hell” and why did Bolívar fear them so deeply? How did Napoleon’s invasion of Spain speed up the collapse of its empire? What was Simón Bolívar’s secret revolutionary mission in London?

Get the entire Simón Bolívar miniseries early and ad-free by joining the Empire Club at empirepoduk.com 

In Episode 2 of this series, Anita and William discuss the fragile nature of the Spanish Empire and the total war that broke out in South America in the fight for independence.

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Assistant Producers: Alfie Rowe and Imogen Marriott

Social Producer: Charlie Johnson

Editor: Vasco Andrade

Producer: Anouska Lewis

Executive Producer: Dom Johnson

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Who was the man who liberated Venezuela, Colombia, Panama, Ecuador, Peru, and Bolivia from Spanish rule? How did a privileged upper-class teenage boy become South America’s leading revolutionary of the 19th century? How did tragedy in his youth set Simón Bolívar on the pathway to power?

Get the entire Simón Bolívar miniseries early and ad-free by joining the Empire Club at empirepoduk.com 

In Episode 1 of this series on the life of Simón Bolívar, Anita and William explore his childhood and what it meant to be from the Creole class in Venezuela in the 1800s. 

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Instagram: @empirepoduk

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Assistant Producers: Alfie Rowe and Imogen Marriott

Social Producer: Charlie Johnson

Editor: Vasco Andrade

Producer: Anouska Lewis

Executive Producer: Dom Johnson

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What lessons have been learned from Occupation? How did Hezbollah emerge in the wake of the Iranian Revolution and the Israeli invasion of Lebanon? How did Hezbollah evolve from 1982 to 2023?

In the final episode in the series on the Arab-Israeli Conflict of 1967-1982, William is joined by Kim Ghattas, author of Black Wave: Saudi Arabia, Iran and the Rivalry That Unravelled the Middle East, to discuss the origins of Hezbollah and their role in the Middle Eastern conflict of the 21st century.

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Join the Empire Club: Unlock the full Empire experience – with bonus episodes, ad-free listening, early access to miniseries and live show tickets, exclusive book discounts, a members-only newsletter, and access to our private Discord chatroom. Sign up directly at empirepoduk.com 

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Assistant Producer: Imogen Marriott

Editors: Charlie Rodwell and Harry Swan

Social Producer: Charlie Johnson

Producer: Anouska Lewis

Executive Producer: Dom Johnson

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Is the current invasion of Lebanon a direct ancestor of the 1982 Israeli invasion? How did broken American promises lead to the tragedies of the Sabra and Shatila massacres? Who was Ariel Sharon and why did he spearhead attacks on Beirut?

Anita and William are joined by Kim Ghattas, author of Black Wave: Saudi Arabia, Iran and the Rivalry That Unravelled the Middle East, to discuss the pivotal events of the 1982 Israeli invasion of Lebanon.

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Instagram: @empirepoduk

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Assistant Producer: Imogen Marriott

Editors: Bruno Di Castri and Josh Smith

Social Producer: Charlie Johnson

Producer: Anouska Lewis

Executive Producer: Dom Johnson

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**Binge the entire series ad-free by joining the Empire Club at empirepoduk.com**

In November 1977, Egyptian President Sadat shocked the entire Arab world by boarding a flight to Israel. After refusing to acknowledge its existence, Egypt was seeking to make peace with its neighbour, and was willing to be outcast by every other Arab nation in the process. 

When did the Israeli government transform from Labour to a conservative right-wing leadership? How did American President Carter enact “cabin diplomacy” between Egypt and Israel when all three leaders stayed at Camp David in Maryland? And why were Palestinians excluded from the negotiations? 

William and Anita are joined once again by Professor Eugene Rogan, author of The Arabs: A History, to discuss the 1978 peace negotiations that shifted the power balance of the Arab world.

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Instagram: @empirepoduk

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X: @empirepoduk

Assistant Producer: Imogen Marriott

Editor: Bruno Di Castri

Social Producer: Charlie Johnson

Producer: Anouska Lewis

Executive Producer: Dom Johnson

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**Binge the entire series ad-free by joining the Empire Club at empirepoduk.com**

How did the oil crisis totally transform the wealth of the Gulf states and alter the power balance of the Middle East? Who was Egypt’s underrated president, Sadat? How did water cannons destroy Israel’s seemingly impenetrable defenses along the Suez Canal in 1973?

In Episode 5 of our series on the Arab-Israeli Conflict of 1967-1982, William and Anita discuss the shocking events of the Yom Kippur War and the first time that oil prices were used as a weapon of war.

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Join the Empire Club: Unlock the full Empire experience – with bonus episodes, ad-free listening, early access to miniseries and live show tickets, exclusive book discounts, a members-only newsletter, and access to our private Discord chatroom. Sign up directly at empirepoduk.com 

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Email: [email protected]

Instagram: @empirepoduk

Blue Sky: @empirepoduk

X: @empirepoduk

Assistant Producer: Imogen Marriott

Editor: James Clayden

Social Producer: Charlie Johnson

Producer: Anouska Lewis

Executive Producer: Dom Johnson

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William is joined by Raja Shehadeh, the leading Palestinian writer, lawyer and human rights activist, to discuss his experience of living under Israeli occupation in the West Bank.

Raja describes how his daily life in Ramallah is shaped by segregation, travel restrictions and settler violence. He explains how segregated roads and settlements have physically reshaped the Palestinian landscape. And he discusses why he is hopeful that Palestinians and Israelis can co-exist peacefully in the future.

Raja Shehadeh’s Forgotten: Searching for Palestine's Hidden Places and Lost Memorials is available to buy now. 

For more Goalhanger Podcasts, head to www.goalhanger.com.

Email: [email protected]

Instagram: @empirepoduk

Blue Sky: @empirepoduk

X: @empirepoduk

Assistant Producer: Imogen Marriott

Editor: Imogen Marriott

Social Producer: Charlie Johnson

Producer: Anouska Lewis

Executive Producer: Dom Johnson

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What happened to the Palestinians who chose not to flee the West Bank in 1967? How did Israel use old British and Ottoman laws to seize land and control the occupied territory? And what happened in Jordan during Black September? 

William and Anita are joined by Eugene Rogan, Oxford Professor of Modern Middle Eastern History and author of The Arabs: A History, to discuss the human cost of the 1967 Six-Day war, and the reality of life in the occupied territories.

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Join the Empire Club: Unlock the full Empire experience – with bonus episodes, ad-free listening, early access to miniseries and live show tickets, exclusive book discounts, a members-only newsletter, and access to our private Discord chatroom. Sign up directly at empirepoduk.com 

For more Goalhanger Podcasts, head to www.goalhanger.com.

Email: [email protected]

Instagram: @empirepoduk

Blue Sky: @empirepoduk

X: @empirepoduk

Assistant Producer: Imogen Marriott

Editor: James Clayden

Social Producer: Charlie Johnson

Producer: Anouska Lewis

Executive Producer: Dom Johnson

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How did The Six-Day War redraw the map of the Middle East and establish Israel as a regional superpower? How did the catastrophic Arab defeat unleash a new wave of armed Palestinian resistance? Did the road to modern Islamic extremism begin in Egyptian prisons?

William and Anita are joined once again by Eugene Rogan, Oxford Professor of Modern Middle Eastern History and author of The Arabs: A History, to explore the transformative consequences of the Six-Day War.

Join the Empire Club: Unlock the full Empire experience – with bonus episodes, ad-free listening, early access to miniseries and live show tickets, exclusive book discounts, a members-only newsletter, and access to our private Discord chatroom. Sign up directly at empirepoduk.com 

For more Goalhanger Podcasts, head to www.goalhanger.com.

Email: [email protected]

Instagram: @empirepoduk

Blue Sky: @empirepoduk

X: @empirepoduk

Assistant Producer: Imogen Marriott

Editor: Alex Thornton

Social Producer: Charlie Johnson

Producer: Anouska Lewis

Executive Producer: Dom Johnson

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To listen to the full bonus episode, join the Empire Club at empirepoduk.com.

Wild Swans author, Jung Chang, joins William to discuss her family’s harrowing experiences during Mao’s Cultural Revolution and how Xi Jinping continues his memory in China today. 

She tells the story of how her father defied Mao and paid the price in a detention facility. She explains how she travelled across the countryside as a teenager, working as a peasant labourer and a barefoot doctor. And she discusses how Mao’s legacy in China continues to shape global politics, from Iran to Venezuela.

Jung Chang’s Fly, Wild Swans, is available to buy now.

Join the Empire Club: Unlock the full Empire experience – with bonus episodes, ad-free listening, early access to miniseries and live show tickets, exclusive book discounts, a members-only newsletter, and access to our private Discord chatroom. Sign up directly at empirepoduk.com 

For more Goalhanger Podcasts, head to www.goalhanger.com.

Email: [email protected]

Instagram: @empirepoduk

Blue Sky: @empirepoduk

X: @empirepoduk

Assistant Producer: Imogen Marriott

Editor: Josh Smith

Social Producer: Charlie Johnson

Producer: Anouska Lewis

Executive Producer: Dom Johnson

Wild Swans author, Jung Chang, joins William to discuss her family’s harrowing experiences during Mao’s Cultural Revolution and how Xi Jinping continues his memory in China today. 

She tells the story of her 2 weeks as a Red Guard, and how her father defied Mao and paid the price in a detention facility. She explains how she travelled across the countryside as a teenager, working as a peasant labourer and a barefoot doctor. And she discusses how Mao’s legacy in China continues to shape global politics, from Iran to Venezuela.

Jung Chang’s Fly, Wild Swans, is available to buy now.

For more Goalhanger Podcasts, head to www.goalhanger.com.

Email: [email protected]

Instagram: @empirepoduk

Blue Sky: @empirepoduk

X: @empirepoduk

Assistant Producer: Imogen Marriott

Editor: Josh Smith

Social Producer: Charlie Johnson

Producer: Anouska Lewis

Executive Producer: Dom Johnson

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