An Interview With Royally Obsessed Hosts Rachel Bowie And Robert Fiorito – Royal Central

When you love quizzing individuals on royal details or have a royally-obsessed individual in your reward listing this yr, a brand new e-book will certainly tick all of the bins. Releasing 21 December, Royal Trivia by Royally Obsessed podcast hosts Rachel Bowie and Roberta Fiorito covers details on all the pieces from royal births, weddings, nicknames, hobbies, and extra.

Named among the best podcasts of 2021 by City & Nation, Royally Obsessed has a military of devotees generally known as “RoRos” and a devoted Fb group with greater than 6,000 members. Bowie and Fiorito each write concerning the Royal Household for PureWow and took over the podcast from its earlier hosts in 2020.

“Probably the greatest issues concerning the podcast is how a lot of a neighborhood we’ve sort of stepped into,” Fiorito mentioned.

Due to the recognition of the present, the duo was approached to jot down Royal Trivia. Whereas they aren’t planning on any follow-up books in the meanwhile, Bowie mentioned she appreciated how their title took a “barely completely different spin” on the royal reward e-book format.

“This format, specifically, intrigued us,” she mentioned. “It allowed us to take a number of the issues that may really feel nearly like fantasy and put them in a query type and then go in-depth on the narrative round it.”

Royal Central joined the authors for a energetic video chat concerning the writing course of, favorite royal details, and what’s up subsequent for the podcast.

Kristin Contino: The e-book is tremendous thrilling – how did it come about? Stroll me by what made you determine to jot down it.

Rachel Bowie: So mainly, Roberta and I took over Royally Obsessed in April 2020, which seems like a lifetime in the past. It was round Thanksgiving time, I assume, that Ulysses Press obtained in contact with us. They reached out to me – a buddy of mine leads their advertising and marketing staff – and they have been seeking to do a e-book concerning the royals, figuring out that Spencer was popping out and The Crown was getting additional buzzy.

As an creator myself, I discover the co-writing course of actually attention-grabbing. How did you construction it? Did you’re taking turns writing chapters or simply sort of break it down like, ‘okay, I’m going to jot down this, you’re going to jot down that?’

Roberta Fiorito: So, the construction is 5 chapters, and it’s The Cambridges, The Sussexes, Diana, Charles, and The Queen. We felt like we have been reducing individuals a little bit in a way, but additionally, it felt that when we narrowed it down, our focus was very clear. From there, we simply cut up up the sections and wrote all of the questions first. [It was] strolling a high-quality line too as a result of we all know there are some individuals who don’t know a lot concerning the royals, and there are some people who find themselves going to know even the smallest little tidbit about, you understand, Princess Diana’s marriage ceremony gown. We needed the inquiries to mirror that in order that it wasn’t tremendous alienating to individuals who didn’t know a lot, but it surely additionally felt like, ‘oh yeah, that’s attention-grabbing’ for somebody who listens to all these podcasts and follows the royals carefully.

Rachel Bowie (left) and Roberta Fiorito (proper) – images by Nicki Sebastian and Kaitlin Simpson

What’s your favorite incontrovertible fact that’s within the e-book?

Bowie: It’s like selecting a favorite baby. I might say for me, although, one of many issues that I genuinely had no concept about was that Kate had so many appearing credentials. I didn’t know that she starred in My Truthful Woman and you can watch these clips on YouTube. I used to be underneath a rock when that broke as information! She’s so multi-talented basically, and I believe it simply underscored that she’s only a jack of all trades. She’s so athletic, however she’s good at gardening, and she’s an newbie photographer. After which to know that she can also sing, and I believe we lately realized that she’s a talented piano participant.

Fiorito: I really feel like if I had to decide on, I actually loved writing sections of The Queen. I had simply completed a biography about her, and so I used to be simply actually excited about her historical past and didn’t know as a lot about her childhood and rising up. One of many issues that struck me was that the Royal Household loves nicknames. She used to name her grandfather King George V Grandpa England, which I assumed was actually cute. She clearly referred to herself as Lilibet, and then it connects to Harry and Megan with the naming of their baby.

Previously year-and-a-half or so that you simply’ve been internet hosting the podcast, do you assume that it’s impacted or modified any of your ideas on members of the Royal Household? And is there something specifically that you simply’ve realized from a visitor that stunned you?

Bowie: For me, one thing that’s modified is simply – it’s not that my fandom was surface-level earlier than, however I believe particularly the post-Oprah royals, as soon as Harry and Meghan went on that –  I undoubtedly am much more tuned into the behind the scenes manipulation like the boys in gray fits, the entire Agency. I believe that that’s one thing that I spend much more time taking note of than I did earlier than. It’s not that I ignored it earlier than or didn’t see it, I believe now it simply seems like there’s much more data and we sort of know extra of the important thing gamers. I don’t assume I knew as many behind-the-scenes individuals.

Fiorito: For the second a part of your query, the factor that all the time sticks in my head about considered one of our company is Tom Jennings. He got here on to speak about his documentary Diana: In Her Personal Phrases. He went over to London and met with Andrew Morton after many, many emails and obtained to take heed to the entire tapes. The factor that struck him was that Diana was simply so humorous. I used to be reminded of that seeing Spencer … it’s so critical, and it actually focuses on lots of the drama that she skilled. It’s so good to image her being this very charismatic and very humorous individual.

What are you most enthusiastic about arising for the podcast and for the royals?

Fiorito: We’ve so many company arising, however Lainey Gossip is considered one of them on the finish of December, so we’ll report it quickly. We’re actually enthusiastic about that as a result of I believe we’re going to do a better of the yr with her, which we actually discover enjoyable. We haven’t talked to her earlier than, and I like her content material and the entire tales she places out concerning the royals.

Bowie: I believe for me, it’s not even essentially a visitor; I’m simply actually enthusiastic about and interested in what’s going to play out within the subsequent a number of months between now and the Platinum Jubilee. I believe we maintain having this emotional rollercoaster, not seeing The Queen and then seeing The Queen and worrying about her well being. I believe I’m simply on the sting of my seat. And one of many aspirations that we’ve is to recover from to the UK collectively at any time when restrictions have left. I might like to report an episode in individual with Roberta, too, since we’ve been distant this entire time.

Royal Trivia is accessible for pre-order wherever you purchase books.