0:00

Wondery Plus subscribers can listen to Even the

0:02

Royals early and ad-free right now. Join Wondery

0:04

Plus in the Wondery app or on Apple

0:06

Podcasts. A quick note about

0:08

our show. We do a lot

0:10

of research for our stories, but we

0:12

also aren't your boring high school history class,

0:15

so some details and scenes are dramatized. This

0:18

episode contains discussions of suicide that

0:20

some listeners may find distressing. There's

0:23

also swearing and some serious

0:25

theater kid energy throughout, so

0:27

please be advised. Wondery

0:31

Plus. It's

0:38

June 13, 1886. King

0:40

Ludwig II hunches over his plate at

0:43

the dining table in Splossberg, a royal

0:45

castle that's located about 20 miles south

0:47

of Munich. He's 40 years

0:49

old now and doesn't look anything like

0:52

the thin 18-year-old who first inherited the

0:54

Bavarian throne. Yeah, who would? Exactly.

0:58

But King Ludwig is puffy and overweight

1:00

after years of extravagant feasts. Now

1:02

to be fair, he's more of a soup

1:05

guy now, and that's because he only has

1:07

about four teeth left. Oh no. Shout

1:10

out to Modern Dental Care. Outside,

1:13

dark storm clouds gather around the Alps,

1:16

but Ludwig pays no attention to the thunder

1:18

rumbling in the distance. He

1:21

just sips his wine and savors the taste.

1:24

He looks around at all the grand art he's

1:26

collected. He has worked his whole

1:28

life to bring more beauty to this world, but

1:31

in this moment, it all

1:33

feels so suffocating. Ludwig

1:35

stands up, a little unsteady. He

1:38

staggers to the door, but when he

1:40

opens it, he finds an orderly stationed

1:42

outside. He tries to

1:44

leave, but the orderly blocks his exit.

1:47

Because technically, Ludwig isn't really the

1:49

king anymore. He's a

1:52

prisoner. Oh no. Yesterday,

1:55

Ludwig was declared unfit to

1:57

rule and brought against his will to

1:59

this world. Fairy Castle. He

2:01

could not believe the allegations. He still

2:04

can't. And now his castle

2:06

has become a real life prison. Ludwig

2:08

suddenly feels a hot rage overwhelm

2:11

him. He wants to

2:13

scream at the Orderly, pound his fists

2:15

against the man's chest, and use

2:17

every last ounce of his strength to force his way

2:19

out. But he knows it's useless.

2:22

He doesn't stand a chance against the

2:24

Orderly. Ludwig goes back to his seat

2:26

and reaches for another form of escape. Drinking

2:29

glass after glass of wine. But

2:32

after five glasses of wine, two

2:35

glasses of liquor, plus a beer, Ludwig

2:37

does not feel any better. Duh, I

2:39

know. Also, why are they giving him

2:41

so much alcohol? That doesn't sound like

2:43

any prison I've ever heard of. Yeah,

2:45

they've definitely downgraded prison since then. But

2:49

what Ludwig needs now is some air,

2:51

except he can't go for a walk

2:53

unattended. So Ludwig calls

2:55

for his psychiatrist, Dr.

2:58

Bernard von Goudin. When

3:00

Dr. BVG arrives, Ludwig tells him he

3:02

wants to go for a walk, like

3:04

right this second. Notorious

3:07

BVG hesitates. It's

3:09

dark and cold outside. But

3:11

Ludwig doesn't care. He needs

3:13

this walk. The

3:16

doctor sighs and gives in. Now,

3:18

usually someone would go with Ludwig and

3:20

the doctor, but tonight, the

3:22

doc says, NBD, I got this solo.

3:25

So even the doctor needs an escort?

3:27

Can you escort for the escort? Okay,

3:29

it's just this long line of escort.

3:32

Like a massage train. Yeah. The

3:35

sky is full of rain clouds as Ludwig and

3:37

the doctor go out into the night. Ludwig

3:40

stumbles and shivers in the cold. But

3:42

still, it feels good to be outside,

3:45

to escape the confines

3:47

of his prison even just for a bit.

3:50

Unfortunately, though, Ludwig will not

3:52

enjoy the fresh air for long. This

3:55

brisk walk will be his last,

3:58

because neither Ludwig, nor Dr. BVG

4:02

will ever return alive. Rocket

4:33

Money is a personal finance app that

4:35

finds and cancels your unwanted subscriptions, monitors

4:37

your spending, and helps lower your bills.

4:41

Rocket Money has over 5 million users and has

4:43

helped save its members an average of $720 a

4:45

year with over $500 million in canceled

4:47

subscriptions. Stop

4:51

wasting money on things you don't use! Cancel

4:54

your unwanted subscriptions by

4:57

going to rocketmoney.com/wendry. That's

4:59

rocketmoney.com/wendry. rocketmoney.com/wendry.

5:04

Angie's List is now Angie, and we've heard

5:06

a lot of theories about why. I thought

5:08

it was an eco move. For your words,

5:10

less paper. No, it was so

5:13

you could say it faster. No, it's to

5:15

be more iconic. Must be a tech

5:17

thing. But those aren't quite right. It's

5:19

because now you can compare upfront prices,

5:22

book a service instantly, and even get

5:24

your project handled from start to finish.

5:26

Sounds easy. It is, and it makes

5:28

us so much more than just a

5:30

list. Get started at angie.com. That's A-N-G-I.

5:32

Or download the app today. I'm

5:39

Aressa Stemore Williams. And I'm Brooke Siffrin.

5:41

And this is Even The Royals. This

5:45

two-part series

5:49

is all about Luke the

5:51

Second. The

5:55

supposed mad king of Bavaria. luckily

6:00

became king when his father died. But

6:03

instead of leading his country, he poured

6:05

his money and time into the operas

6:07

of Richard Wagner and Wagner

6:09

himself. But now, Ludwig's obsession

6:11

with fantasy world is about to make his

6:13

real one a living nightmare. This

6:16

is part two, unhappily

6:18

ever after. All

6:21

it is is a gold. It's

6:27

the spring of 1872, 14

6:30

years before Ludwig's fateful walk with Dr.

6:32

B.B.G. Ludwig

6:34

is still king, and he's still very

6:37

much in love with the theater. It's

6:40

3 p.m. on a Monday, and the

6:42

26-year-old king is watching a short play

6:44

inside the residence theater in Munich. And

6:47

he is totally geeking out. Ludwig

6:50

is full on playing hooky from work. He

6:52

doesn't even pretend to do his royal duties

6:54

anymore. Politics was never his

6:57

jam, but it's more than that. Ludwig

6:59

hasn't really been the same since he saw

7:01

a battlefield littered with the dead. It's

7:04

been almost six years since the war between

7:06

Austria and Prussia went sideways. But

7:08

Ludwig has not forgotten how horrific it

7:10

was. Yeah, I feel like that's

7:13

something that stays with you. Forever. Yeah,

7:15

it should. If it ever leaves you, then that's

7:17

not good. Yeah. Today,

7:19

the king has managed to drag himself out of bed

7:22

so he can see the theater company

7:24

perform the Countess du Barry. It's

7:26

a play about one of Marie Antoinette's frenemies,

7:28

which... Oh, quick. ...royals verse fact.

7:31

In case you forgot, Marie got

7:33

royally screwed by a bajillion-dollar diamond necklace

7:35

that was made for her in-laws side

7:37

piece. And Countess du

7:40

Barry is said side piece.

7:42

Oh, okay. Interesting. We

7:44

love a three-line, you know? We really do. Ludwig

7:47

loves every minute of the play. When

7:49

it finishes, he leaps to his feet

7:52

and applauds. But

7:54

his claps sound lonely and hollow in the

7:56

theater because there's no audience. Ludwig...

8:00

the theater to put on a special performance just

8:02

for him. But it's not because he

8:04

wants the extra leg room, he just

8:06

hates people staring at him. He's not exactly

8:08

beloved by his subjects at the moment. Now

8:12

remember, Ludwig has a habit of putting

8:14

more money and time into his operas than

8:16

his nation, even when Bavaria

8:18

was at war. So yeah, his

8:20

kingship did not get off to a great

8:22

start. First of all, can you just imagine doing

8:24

a production for one person in a theater? Like,

8:26

that's gotta be the most awkward thing in

8:28

the world. Paging every celebrity that's ever

8:31

done that. Yeah, it couldn't

8:33

be me. Could not, no. Ludwig

8:35

cheers louder as the actors take their bows.

8:38

But as much as he loved the show, being in

8:40

this theater makes him think of his old friend,

8:42

Richard Wagner. The

8:44

once close pair have drifted apart and it's been

8:46

years since they've seen each other. It started

8:49

with a fight over creative direction. Wagner

8:51

felt like Ludwig was getting too involved

8:53

in his art. And I know what

8:55

you're thinking, really fucking ripped

8:58

for a guy who was trying to get involved in

9:00

politics as an artist. Yeah,

9:02

that's a really good point. I wasn't thinking that though. I'm still

9:04

thinking about them being lovers. On

9:08

the other side, Ludwig thought that

9:10

footing the bill entitled him to at least

9:13

a little input into Wagner's art.

9:15

Fair. But Ludwig misses his

9:17

friend and how he could lose himself

9:20

inside the beautiful fantasies in Wagner's operas.

9:23

Ludwig bumps out of the theater and decides

9:25

fight or no fight, he has to see

9:27

his friend. Bavaria can wait.

9:30

Again. Just

9:35

around the time of this performance, Ludwig

9:37

gets a lucky surprise when he finds

9:40

out that Wagner has recently moved back

9:42

to Bavaria to a little

9:44

town called Bayreuth. It's not

9:46

super close to Munich, but it's way

9:48

closer than Switzerland. And in the

9:50

summer of 1876, Ludwig finally gets to

9:53

see his bestie again. Wagner

9:56

puts on a new opera series called

9:58

The Ring and Ludwig is the

10:00

VIP guest and considering he

10:02

footed the bill for it he should

10:04

be. Yeah fun fact for you,

10:07

a huge opera fan. Yeah. This

10:09

is the opera where Rise of the Valkyries comes

10:11

from. You know the interesting

10:16

I've never heard of it in my life the ring. Yeah

10:18

I just thought it was the thing with the creepy girl

10:20

on the tv. Yep. The

10:22

reunion though is everything Luke Vig dreamed

10:24

it would be. After the final performance

10:26

Wagner tells the crowd that he couldn't

10:29

have made this masterpiece without the King's

10:31

Halt. Luke Vig practically

10:33

fanboy faints out of pride and happiness.

10:35

He desperately needed to hear this.

10:38

He knows that he kind of sucks at being

10:40

a king but maybe it won't matter because

10:42

bringing beautiful works of art to the world

10:44

will be his true legacy. Okay. And

10:47

not just music. For the last six years

10:50

Luke Vig has been indulging in a

10:52

new escapist activity building

10:54

giant castles. Oh.

10:56

Like we're talking full-on fantastical castles

10:58

that Walt Disney decided would be

11:00

fit for his stories. Literally.

11:03

I mean we talked about this

11:05

last time. Yeah. One of them

11:07

is Neuschwanstein Castle which, reminder, later

11:10

inspired the castle in Sleeping Beauty.

11:13

Is anybody living in these castles?

11:15

These are just random castles he's building for fun?

11:17

Well Luke Vig's is just you know parading

11:20

around from one castle to another. Like you

11:22

do with your two houses. Exactly. Okay I

11:24

get it then. Yeah. But

11:26

that castle is just the start. Luke

11:28

Vig has been pouring piles of money

11:31

into building castles all around Bavaria. He

11:33

does it partly to spread a little more beauty

11:35

in the world and partly because it gives him

11:38

plenty of places to hide. Each

11:40

castle is more gilded and ornate than the

11:42

last. One is inspired

11:45

by the palace of Versailles. Another

11:47

has an entire custom-made waterfall and

11:49

lake. That's gotta be gigantic. Yeah

11:52

god I would love a custom-made waterfall. Not

11:55

the castle though. No just

11:57

a waterfall. Yeah. Now

11:59

that Wagner is back in his life, Ludwig feels

12:01

like he finally has everything he's

12:03

always dreamed of. Castles,

12:05

operas, and his BFF. Perks

12:08

like this make having to be king a little better.

12:11

But Ludwig's about to learn how easily

12:13

the good stuff can disappear. It's

12:21

February 1883, and a

12:24

37-year-old Ludwig sits at his desk in

12:26

the royal residence in Munich. His

12:28

in-person reunions with Wagner didn't last nearly as

12:30

long as Ludwig would have liked. Wagner

12:33

is almost 70 and not in great

12:35

health, and now lives in Italy. He

12:38

hopes the good vibes and even better wine

12:40

would help him, which frankly sounds like a

12:42

great chore for whatever ails you. There's a

12:44

reason that's still people's medicine today. Mm-hmm,

12:47

exactly. And Ludwig is hoping

12:49

for his friend's good health, too. It's

12:51

been just over two years since the king saw his

12:53

friend, but they've stayed in touch. In

12:56

fact, right now, the floor around Ludwig is

12:58

littered with crumpled-up papers. He's

13:00

working on a letter to Wagner, but is struggling

13:03

with what to say. Wagner's writing

13:05

is always so eloquent and artistic,

13:07

while Ludwig sounds like freshman year

13:09

poetry. He's just gonna speak from

13:11

his heart, you know? That's all

13:13

you can ask of people, you know? Yeah, that's all you can

13:15

do. Ludwig, though, crumbles up the

13:18

paper and grabs a fresh sheet. His

13:20

pen is hovering over the blank page when his

13:22

secretary rushes in. He shouts at

13:24

the secretary like a frustrated teenager.

13:27

Leave me alone, I'm writing! Oh

13:29

my god. Ludwig is

13:31

not in the mood to deal with work.

13:33

Whatever royal message the secretary has from parliament

13:36

can wait. The guy

13:38

strikes back, but he doesn't leave. He

13:41

actually does not have a message from parliament. He

13:43

has a message from Italy. Oh.

13:46

Ludwig perks up. Maybe Wagner

13:48

sent news about his latest opera. But

13:51

then, at this moment, Ludwig notices

13:54

the AIDS frown. The news is not good.

13:56

Oh no. The secretary tells

13:58

him that Wagner suffered... a heart attack.

14:01

The composer is dead. That

14:03

was a turn. Damn. I'm sorry. I'm not

14:06

sad at all because this guy's dead. Ludwig,

14:09

though, can't believe what he's hearing. His

14:12

best friend, his idol, the

14:14

man who made his life a little more

14:16

beautiful, is dead. In

14:18

a flash, his heartache turns into anger. The

14:21

king begins to stomp his feet so hard

14:23

that he cracks an actual floor

14:26

tile. Jeez. But he doesn't

14:28

care. All the color has drained out

14:30

of his world. He feels

14:32

truly and utterly alone. At

14:35

least he doesn't have to write that letter anymore. That

14:37

seemed stressful. Yeah. Really

14:40

focusing on the wins here. After

14:44

Wagner's death, Ludwig goes full email

14:46

and orders all the pianos in

14:48

his castles be draped in black.

14:51

Oh. Now, here's the thing. Just

14:53

like detective Sifrin has discerned, some

14:56

historians do argue that Ludwig had

14:58

a romantic relationship with Wagner, or

15:00

at the very least, he was in love

15:02

with them. Yes. But whether it was consummated

15:04

or even reciprocated by Wagner is a whole

15:07

other question that's up for debate. But

15:09

we do know that the composer and his

15:11

operas were the things Ludwig cared about most.

15:14

Now, Ludwig is overwhelmed by the loss.

15:17

And what's a guy to do when he's

15:19

feeling sad and overwhelmed? Build

15:21

more castles. The

15:24

worse Ludwig's life gets, the more he

15:26

clings to these buildings. They're the closest

15:28

he can get to creating the fantasy

15:30

of Wagner's operas. And he'll

15:32

pay whatever it costs to make sure the

15:34

castles are as amazing as they are in

15:36

his imagination. In fact, he

15:38

once said, quote, I must build

15:41

or die. Well, if you build it, they

15:43

will come. So they say.

15:46

And that's exactly what Ludwig intends to do,

15:49

no matter the cost. A

15:57

few months after Wagner's death, Ludwig stands at the bow

15:59

of the wall. of a gondola, as two men

16:01

row him across the lake. They're

16:03

surrounded by fog, but Ludwig can just make

16:06

out the giant spires of a castle on

16:08

an island up ahead. He

16:10

purchased this island a decade ago as a

16:12

base for one of his grandest castles yet.

16:15

But 10 years later, it's still nowhere

16:17

near complete. Ludwig is

16:19

anxious for it to be done because he's

16:21

determined to make this his greatest

16:23

masterpiece ever. And even

16:26

in its stellicle form, Ludwig can tell it

16:28

will be. But the king

16:30

has a big problem that might get in the way. He's

16:33

been financing these castles out of his own

16:35

pocket. But his money is

16:37

not infinite, even if his dreams are. He's

16:40

in a ton of debt and had to borrow some

16:42

extra cash to finance this new project. But

16:45

he still doesn't have enough to pay the builders, and

16:47

the IOUs are really piling up. I love

16:49

the idea that he went to get a

16:51

loan and they were like another castle? Yeah,

16:54

like do you think maybe you should take a break? Yeah,

16:57

maybe do anything else. So

16:59

today, Ludwig's anxious to see that

17:01

the castle is still progressing like

17:04

it should, despite his cash flow

17:06

problems. He's particularly interested in checking

17:08

on the progress of a very

17:10

special marble statue. Now,

17:12

he knows marble is expensive, so he's desperate

17:14

to see the statue, to make sure

17:16

none of this not-enough-money foolishness is holding

17:19

it back. The

17:21

boat docks, and Ludwig can finally see what

17:23

he's been waiting for. The statue

17:26

seems to sparkle, even on this cloudy

17:28

day. But Ludwig races over

17:30

to feel the statue for himself. Except

17:33

the minute his palm touches the cool surface,

17:36

he knows something is wrong. It

17:38

feels weak, like if he pushes hard enough,

17:40

he could put his hand right through it.

17:43

Ludwig lifts up his walking cane and

17:46

taps it against the statue. It's

17:49

hollow. Then

17:51

he hits it again, harder and harder.

17:54

And it's a pinata! I'm just kidding.

17:56

Happy birthday! No,

17:59

but he does crackle. the statue a

18:01

la pinata. No candy falls

18:03

out. Oh darn. Lutvig

18:05

is shocked to discover that it's not a

18:07

marble statue after all. It's

18:10

plaster. Ooh.

18:13

Not acceptable. Lutvig's statue? It's

18:15

a knockoff. And he's

18:18

pissed. Wow. More than that

18:20

though, he's scared. Ignoring

18:22

his money problems may no longer

18:24

be possible. So of course

18:26

he does what a grown-ass man who lives in

18:28

make-believe land does when he's mad. He

18:31

throws a full-on fit. I'll allow

18:33

it this time. That's bullshit. Yeah.

18:35

Lutvig flings his cane down in

18:37

disgust. And then he yells, and

18:39

I quote, Everything is false.

18:44

What a wonderful tangent to have. I can't wait to

18:46

say that every day. All

18:48

the time. Whenever something doesn't go my way.

18:50

Everything's false. Everything is false. Lutvig

18:53

is desperate to find the money to finish

18:55

his castles. With Wagner gone, his

18:57

castles are the only escape he had

19:00

left. But a solution to

19:02

his money problem isn't find a job

19:04

or cut back on expenses. Of course

19:06

not. Instead he decides his only option

19:08

is to rob a bank.

19:11

Oh my god. A turn I

19:13

did not see coming. Okay,

19:16

so Lutvig doesn't exactly pull a

19:18

heist, but he does order his

19:20

servants too. Oh man. Come

19:22

on. I mean, if

19:24

you have servants, what's the point if not to have them

19:27

rob a bank for you? So

19:29

first Lutvig tells them to go all across

19:31

the world to beg other kings and queens

19:33

for loans. Now countries will often

19:36

loan each other money, but Lutvig

19:38

isn't asking for help to pay for a war or

19:40

some vital service. This is just so

19:42

he can build more gigantic houses. Which

19:45

means other royals are like, what? No, we're

19:47

not chipping in for you to have a

19:50

bunch of houses, weirdo. They're like,

19:52

I'm so sorry, you've passed the 15 castle limit.

19:54

People are allowed to have so unfortunately no

19:56

more. We gotta cut you off. But...

20:00

Ludwig has a backup plan. He

20:02

orders a group of his servants to rob the nearest bank

20:04

and race back to Bavaria with the

20:06

stolen money. Of course, yeah. Now

20:08

these servants, they need a real talking

20:10

to because they do not take his order seriously.

20:13

It's just one more example of the king

20:16

desperately clawing at anything that will keep his

20:18

fantasy alive. But the rest

20:20

of Bavaria is not as kind. Ludwig's

20:23

behavior is now next level embarrassing

20:25

to the entire kingdom. The

20:27

water and gas companies even sue him because

20:29

he can't pay his bills. Oh

20:31

wow. Which is bad because Ludwig loves

20:34

his bath. Well, he has a

20:36

whole lake he can use at one of those castles. Yeah,

20:38

because lakes are the exact same as baths. It's

20:41

a giant bath, Arisha. It is. Just

20:43

as gross. Honestly, yeah. But

20:46

at this point, he can't even afford to

20:48

fill up his bathtub, lake or no lake.

20:51

The members of Ludwig's government, you

20:53

know, the people actually leading the country

20:55

while the king is off in his fantasy land. They're

20:58

not thrilled about any of this, but

21:00

no one is more upset than the

21:03

Bavarian prime minister, Johann von Lutz. Lutz

21:06

handles just about all of the king's

21:08

governmental duties, but he is getting

21:10

tired of cleaning up Ludwig's

21:13

methods. And now he's

21:15

getting ready to take action, which

21:17

means Ludwig is about to have a much bigger

21:20

problem than an empty bathtub because

21:22

his own government is hatching a plan to

21:24

get him off the throne

21:26

once and

21:28

for all. Say

21:37

hello to a new era of

21:39

mental health care. Cerebral is here

21:41

to help you achieve your mental

21:43

wellness goals with professional therapy and

21:45

medication management support 100% online. You'll

21:49

experience the all new cerebral way,

21:51

an innovative approach to mental wellness

21:53

designed around you. You'll get a

21:55

personalized treatment plan from a therapist,

21:57

prescriber or both in a safe

22:00

judgment-free space. Your cerebral

22:04

therapist or prescriber will outline a customized plan

22:07

with clear milestones along the way so you

22:09

can get to feeling your best. Sign up

22:11

today at cerebral.com slash podcast and

22:13

use code WONDERY to get 15% off your first

22:15

month. Offer only valid on

22:17

monthly plans. Other exclusions may apply. Offer ends

22:19

April 30th. See site for details. Whether

22:21

you're shipping 100 packages a month or thousands, ShipStation

22:25

lets you do it all. We're here to help you. ShipStation

22:29

lets you automate routine shipping

22:31

tasks and easily handle returns,

22:34

manage orders, print labels, compare rates,

22:36

optimize every shipment,

22:38

and automate delivery notifications with

22:40

ShipStation's easy-to-use dashboard. Plus, you

22:44

can access industry-leading discounted rates from

22:46

USPS, UPS, DHL, and GlobalPost

22:49

with discounts up to 89% off USPS and

22:53

UPS rates. Over 130,000 companies have grown

22:57

their e-commerce businesses with ShipStation and

22:59

98% of companies that

23:01

stick with ShipStation for a year become

23:03

customers for life. Optimize and

23:05

keep up your momentum for growth

23:07

with ShipStation. Use promo

23:10

code WONDERY today at shipstation.com to

23:12

sign up for your free 60-day

23:14

trial. That's shipstation.com, promo code WONDERY.

23:27

It's after 1am on June 10th, 1886, and Ludwig

23:31

is holed up in his most

23:33

extravagant castle, Neuschwanstein, aka the Disney

23:37

Castle. Ludwig is pacing up

23:39

and down the halls and reciting verses of

23:41

poetry. When the king turns

23:43

around, he finds a lowly coachman standing

23:45

before him. The man is muddy

23:47

and out of breath, like he just leapt off a

23:49

horse. Because, well, he

23:52

did. The man tells Ludwig that he's just

23:54

ridden as fast as he could from a nearby town,

23:57

where a group of men were eating dinner. He's

24:00

heard those men say that they no longer

24:02

answer to the king, and that they're coming

24:04

to arrest Lutvig tonight. Just a bunch of

24:06

randos are gonna arrest him? Yeah.

24:10

Lutvig is stunned. And

24:12

he's like, I'm sorry, what? Or

24:15

more literally, he says, quote,

24:17

it cannot be. Everything

24:20

is false. I know everything is false. Lutvig

24:23

doesn't believe it. But just

24:25

to be safe, he orders the castle gates

24:27

closed anyway. And then he goes back to one

24:29

of his favorite pastimes, pretending that

24:32

didn't just happen. I

24:34

love that pastime too. I know. It's

24:36

one of my favorites too. Yeah. But shortly

24:38

afterward, another town's person arrives at his castle

24:40

in a tizzy. She's one

24:43

of the locals who actually likes Lutvig. The

24:45

woman backs up the coachman's claims that men from

24:47

Munich are coming to arrest him. But

24:50

once again, Lutvig refuses to believe it.

24:52

Oh my god, snap out of it,

24:54

man. That is,

24:56

until the woman starts listing off the names of

24:58

the men who are on their way. Lutvig

25:02

knows all of them. They're

25:04

guys from his own government. His

25:07

first thought is that these men must have

25:09

gone rogue, which means this threat may actually

25:11

be for real. He

25:13

goes eight-shit and demands his castle staff stop the

25:16

men coming for him. And

25:18

in typical Lutvig fashion, he lets his

25:20

imagination run a little wild. He

25:22

wants the men after him to be

25:24

chained, starved, beaten, and skinned alive. Okay,

25:27

that's a lot.

25:29

It's definitely a little intense, or

25:31

a lot intense, but Lutvig is

25:34

putting down a rebellion. He's

25:36

going to make an example out of these bad apples,

25:38

just like any king would do. But

25:41

Lutvig quickly learns that these men aren't rebels who

25:43

have gone rogue. These men have

25:45

been sent on official state business, and

25:47

they've already decided who will replace him.

25:50

Lutvig's uncle, Louis-Pold. Lutvig

25:53

finally gets it. This

25:56

is a full-on coup. Two

26:03

days after Ludwig gets the horrible news, he

26:05

sees a small army of men on horseback

26:07

riding up to his gate. And

26:10

here's the thing, the king knows that people

26:12

are coming for him. And

26:14

yet, somehow, this man holds onto the

26:16

hope that the horse riders are coming

26:18

to protect him as if they're his own

26:21

knights in shining armor. That's so

26:23

cute. They're gonna pick him up and ride off in

26:25

the desert this sense. Take my

26:27

hand. He really is a resident on Delusion

26:29

Boulevard, I'll give you that. But

26:32

then, all of the lights around him

26:35

go out, and the entire castle

26:37

is plunged into darkness. Ludwig

26:40

grasps in the dark for a phone, but the

26:42

line is dead. He shouts

26:44

for the last few remaining servants to run around

26:46

and light every lantern and torch they can find.

26:50

The castle is now cast in this

26:52

eerie glow of candlelight. I'm

26:54

picturing Eddie Murphy's haunted mansion lighting

26:56

right now. Ooooh, yeah yeah. And

26:59

as Ludwig stares out his window at the men below,

27:01

he has a sinking feeling in the pit of his

27:03

stomach. The king is starting to

27:05

realize that this isn't like his favorite fairy

27:07

tales. His electricity and phone

27:09

lines aren't off by accident. The

27:12

government caught them. And

27:14

no one is going to save him now. Suddenly,

27:17

Ludwig does not feel like a king. He

27:20

feels like a child again, alone and

27:22

ignored by everyone in the world. He

27:25

opens a bottle of liquor and starts to drink. A

27:28

lot. Unfortunately, that only

27:30

makes him feel worse. He

27:33

slips into a pit of despair and begins to

27:35

consider another kind of escape. Taking

27:37

his own life. Uh oh. He

27:39

asks one of his servants to give him the key to the

27:41

high tower. The servant resists

27:44

at first, but he eventually gives Ludwig

27:46

the keys. And they

27:48

race towards the tower together. Ludwig's

27:50

chest heaves as he hurriedly unlocks the

27:53

tower door. He thanks his

27:55

servant and leaps up the stairs. Until

27:58

someone jumps out. to block

28:00

his way. It's not one

28:02

of his faithful servants, but one of the men

28:04

who have come to detain him. They've

28:07

been here waiting all along. Oh

28:09

no. Ludwig's servant led him straight

28:11

into a trap. That's right, this

28:13

is from the beginning. Two

28:15

men grab his arms and a third steps out

28:18

in front. He introduces himself

28:20

as Dr. Gudin, AKA

28:22

the notorious BVG. The

28:25

doctor tells Ludwig that he's been declared

28:27

unfit to rule, and the reason? Insanity.

28:31

Ludwig is shocked and angry as they drag him

28:34

away and put him in a carriage. It's

28:36

the lowest point of his life. As

28:40

the carriage leaves his castle gate, Ludwig

28:42

looks outside the window to see the

28:44

local townspeople. He's expecting them

28:46

to boo and hiss, maybe even

28:48

chuck a tomato or two. But

28:50

to his surprise, they begin to bow.

28:53

Oh. A few even throw flowers onto

28:55

his carriage as he passes by. Wow.

28:58

It's a small gesture, but it brings tears to

29:00

his eyes. He might have been

29:02

the reclusive king to most of Bavaria, but

29:05

in this little idyllic town he created, he's

29:08

their fairy tale king. On

29:10

the worst day of his life, he feels

29:12

just a little bit less alone. Ludwig

29:19

is transported to a nearby castle called

29:21

Schlossberg, where he is basically held captive.

29:24

This is yet another royal castle of his,

29:26

but not one he built, which

29:29

honestly, for Ludwig, he can't

29:31

even be a prisoner in one of his pretty

29:33

castles. I know. God, they're literally just sitting there.

29:36

I know. God, rest them out or something. Seriously,

29:39

Airbnb. Yup, Airbnb, it's perfect.

29:42

Now, it's unclear whether Ludwig ever learned

29:44

the whole story about the scheme to

29:46

kick him off the throne, but here's

29:48

the deal. So remember

29:50

his prime minister, Johann von

29:52

Lutz? Yeah. So he's

29:54

the guy who was basically running Bavaria while

29:56

Ludwig was off building castles. So...

30:00

He got to his scheming and hatched a

30:02

plan with Ludwig's uncle to spin

30:04

Ludwig's flights of fantasy into something

30:06

more menacing. So, forget Fairy Tail

30:09

King, they frame Ludwig as the

30:11

Maxis, a king who is

30:13

too mentally unstable and too unfit to rule,

30:15

and they decide that Ludwig should be kicked

30:17

off the throne and replaced

30:19

with his uncle. Is this Uncle Jamie

30:22

Spears? Dead. Now,

30:26

to make this happen, Lutz hired one

30:28

of the foremost experts on mental illness,

30:31

Dr. Bernard Van Gouden. He

30:33

had him prepare an official report. The

30:36

report said, and I'm quoting here, the

30:39

mental powers of his majesty are disrupted

30:41

to such an extent that all judgment is

30:43

lacking and his thinking is in total contradiction

30:45

with reality. So basically,

30:48

he's unfit to rule. Yeah.

30:50

Which to be fair, I want to say that

30:52

about every single person in our government, but I'll

30:55

refrain. I mean, even

30:57

worse though, none of the doctors

30:59

who signed the report had ever

31:01

even examined Ludwig. Their diagnosis was

31:03

based on rumors and testimonies from

31:06

Ludwig's former aides, many of

31:08

whom were paid for their time. That's crazy.

31:11

Yeah. Yeah. Now,

31:13

to be fair, given Ludwig's obsessive behavior

31:15

and preference for living in fantasy worlds,

31:17

he may not have been in a

31:19

state to rule, but today this

31:22

report would definitely not hold up. For

31:25

Ludwig's contemporaries though, this diagnosis was

31:27

enough for the government to order

31:29

a decree that Ludwig be kept under

31:31

strict doctor's care to begin his treatment.

31:34

It's giving Britney conservatorship, but in a castle

31:37

instead of a Malibu mansion. 100%. I've

31:39

been thinking this entire time. Yeah.

31:41

Yeah. So now at

31:43

40 years old, Ludwig is imprisoned

31:45

inside his own castle. If

31:47

he ever wants to be free again, he'll have

31:49

to do the impossible, prove he's

31:52

not insane or figure out

31:54

how to escape. It's

31:59

due to... On 13th, 1886, Ludwig

32:02

is pacing back and forth around his

32:04

room at Schlossberg Castle. He

32:07

listens as Dr. BVG and his

32:09

partner lay out a plan for

32:11

Ludwig's supposed treatment. Ludwig

32:14

is spiraling. He knows he

32:16

needs to prove to the doc that he's not

32:18

mad, but he can't think straight. He's

32:21

still in shock about what happened, how it

32:23

only took a few minutes for his entire

32:25

life to fall apart. Ludwig

32:27

manages to pull himself together and does his

32:29

best to answer all of the doctor's questions

32:32

about his mental health. And then

32:34

he asks the doctor when he can return to his

32:36

palace in Munich. Dr. Gudin

32:38

calmly tells Ludwig that he won't be living

32:40

there anymore, or in any

32:42

of his other magical castles. Ludwig

32:44

feels himself starting to panic. The

32:47

Munich Theater will be preparing another season of shows

32:49

soon. He'll have to get back to the city in

32:51

the next month or two. That's what

32:53

he's most worried about? Who are we

32:56

without our art broke? I mean, that's

32:58

so true. The

33:00

doctor though just smiles and shakes his head.

33:03

He tells Ludwig that he will not be leaving.

33:05

Not to Munich. Not to the theater. Not

33:08

anywhere. Harsh. Ludwig will

33:10

be held at Berg Castle until he's better. Or

33:13

whenever Dr. Gudin says he is, at least. Ludwig

33:17

feels sick as the doctor calmly explains what

33:19

Ludwig's life will look like from here on

33:21

out. He will be confined

33:23

to this castle. He'll work with

33:26

the doctors regularly. And he will

33:28

have to give up some of his more eccentric

33:30

habits, like spending all of his time alone and

33:32

his night owl sleep schedule. And

33:35

finally, reality sinks in. It

33:38

doesn't matter if Ludwig proves he's seen or not.

33:41

He's a prisoner. For now, until

33:43

the end of his life. A

33:52

few hours later, around dinner time,

33:54

Ludwig eats a big meal alone. But

33:57

the sprawling Schlossberg Castle has felt

33:59

cluster. Dyphobic ever since he realized

34:01

it's his only home from now

34:03

on So he decides he's

34:06

ready for his evening walk outside to get some

34:08

fresh air Now if this

34:10

scene sounds familiar Brooke, it's because he finally made

34:12

our way back to where we started our episode

34:15

Dormy night when Ludwig guzzles wine and demands

34:17

to go for a walk even though it's

34:19

dark and stormy out I

34:21

don't trust this doctor. No, let's see

34:24

how this plays out because I'm very curious

34:26

Oh, let's dig in the dock leave

34:28

for a walk around the castle grounds Ludwig

34:30

drunkenly staggers off into the night

34:32

and dr. Gudin follows after him The

34:35

pair are supposed to return at 8 p.m. But

34:38

by 8 30 the aids start

34:40

to worry The rain

34:42

has only gotten worse and

34:45

the doctor and Ludwig have

34:47

disappeared Well-being

34:53

isn't just a once-a-year moment. It's

34:55

a personal Multifaceted journey

34:58

get closer to the best you all

35:00

year round with audible audible offers a

35:02

rich variety of content that gets you

35:04

closer to The voices and sounds that

35:07

can change your life like bedtime stories

35:09

with Evo Longoria and Sterling K Brown

35:11

or best sellers such as Atomic

35:13

habits by James clear as an

35:15

audible member you can choose one

35:17

title a month to keep from

35:19

their growing selection of included audiobooks

35:21

audible originals and podcasts new

35:24

members can try audible free for 30 days visit

35:27

audible comm slash wonder epod

35:29

or text wonder epod to 500-500

35:32

to try audible free for 30

35:34

days. That's audible comm slash wonder

35:37

epod or text wonder epod

35:39

to 500-500 to try

35:41

audible free for 30 days Okay,

35:57

Brooke, so our main guy loot vague

35:59

and his psychiatrist are missing. And

36:01

here's where our story gets extra interesting

36:04

and mysterious. Okay. And

36:06

this is also where you get to put your

36:08

detective hat on. Are you ready? It's been on.

36:10

I know. It never comes off really. Come on.

36:13

Exactly. So no one but Ludwig

36:15

and Gudin know what happened between the

36:17

time they left the castle and the

36:19

time that their bodies are found.

36:21

Ooh. Damn it. Yeah.

36:24

But here's what we do now. Around

36:26

8 30, a search party sets off

36:28

to the desk to look for Ludwig and Dr.

36:30

Gudin around the castle's ground. 30 minutes

36:33

pass and then an hour and there's no

36:35

sign of either of them. Now

36:38

at this point the search party is wet,

36:40

cold, and definitely worried, which is a

36:42

recipe for some cranky saviors. Oh yeah.

36:45

Finally someone suggests the search party

36:48

should head down to a nearby lake. Maybe

36:50

Ludwig and the doctor decided to take a stroll

36:52

around the water, even though it's

36:54

dark and absolutely disgusting

36:56

outside. Yeah. But they've looked nearly

36:59

everywhere else so they figure, okay

37:01

sure, why not? So

37:03

in the dark the men stumble across something odd

37:05

at the shore. Ludwig's

37:08

hat, coat, and jacket have been thrown

37:10

haphazardly near the water's edge. Gudin's

37:13

umbrella and hat are also nearby. And

37:16

then they see the bodies. Out

37:18

in the water, Ludwig's lifeless body

37:20

is floating, face down. Gudin's

37:23

body is just a few paces away. The

37:26

search party hauls the corpses out of the water

37:28

and carries them back into Berghastle.

37:30

And now the question is, how

37:32

did they die? Obvious. See? This

37:34

is why they call you the queen of

37:36

escape rooms this side of the Mississippi. That

37:38

is what they say. But I do have

37:41

some more clues for you so hold

37:43

on to that theory. Okay. Now

37:45

at first it seems like Ludwig and Dr.

37:47

Gudin both drowned. But that's strange, because why

37:50

would they go swimming at night, especially in

37:52

the middle of a storm, and

37:55

especially since they're all both basically fully

37:57

clothed, minus those jackets? Stranger,

38:00

though, is Guten's corpse is

38:02

all roughed up. He has

38:04

a bruise over his right eye, and he

38:06

has scratch marks on his forehead and nose.

38:10

So whatever happened, it's not as simple as a

38:12

late-night dip gone wrong. Over

38:14

the next few hours, the Bavarian government agrees

38:16

on an official story of events. But

38:19

here's the thing. They don't definitively

38:21

conclude how Ludwig died. In

38:24

fact, on the death certificate, only Guten

38:26

says death by drowning. The cause of

38:28

death on Ludwig is left blank. So

38:31

he's still alive? Yep. He's

38:33

actually here right now. Come on out,

38:35

Ludwig! Oh my god! Woo! Yeah!

38:38

But the other thing is, the investigation of

38:42

Ludwig's death was overseen by his

38:44

enemies. So guys who had good

38:46

reason to want to control the narrative of how

38:48

he died. Which of

38:50

course, leads to a lot of theories and

38:53

speculation about what really happened that night. And

38:56

the theories take many forms, including that

38:58

Ludwig died accidentally while trying to escape.

39:01

But there are two main ones. Suicide

39:03

and murder.

39:06

Shh. Shh. Shh.

39:09

Shh. Shh. Shh.

39:12

Shh. Shh. Shh.

39:15

Shh. Shh. Shh.

39:18

Shh. Shh. Shh. Shh.

39:22

Shh. Shh. Shh.

39:25

In the end, Ludwig and Dr. Gutten scroll

39:27

down to the water's edge. Ludwig

39:29

listens again, as Gutten goes

39:32

on and on about his supposed mental

39:34

illness and his new life of treatment.

39:36

The gravity of the entire situation catches

39:39

up to Ludwig. He's

39:41

no longer the king, no more operas,

39:43

no more castles. He's a

39:45

disgrace. Prisoner until the day he

39:47

dies. Overcome with

39:49

emotion, Ludwig decides this kind

39:51

of life isn't worth living, and he

39:53

runs towards the lake, fully clothed. Dr.

39:56

Gutten tries to stop him by grabbing his coat,

39:59

but Ludwig... just throws it off and races

40:01

to the water. Dr. Gutten

40:03

throws off his coat too and follows him in

40:05

trying to stop him. Once

40:07

they're deep into the water, Dr. Gutten

40:10

reaches Ludwig, tries to haul him back,

40:12

but Ludwig loses it, he turns on

40:14

the doctor, the man who's responsible for

40:16

destroying his entire life, and

40:19

attacks him with every last ounce of his strength.

40:22

Ludwig has bottled up his anger since he was a

40:24

little kid. He distracted himself with

40:27

fairy tales and tried to forget about

40:29

his lonely childhood and unhappy life as

40:31

a king. But in

40:33

this moment, all his feelings are

40:35

coming racing to the surface. He

40:37

claws at the doctor's neck and beats him

40:39

over the head, knocking him unconscious. And

40:43

now, Ludwig can finally end his

40:45

life in peace. He

40:47

just wades into the cold lake until the

40:49

water overtakes him. And

40:52

seen. That was beautiful. I

40:54

saw it so clearly. So

40:56

in this version of the story, Ludwig's

40:58

death is a suicide by drowning. Any

41:01

thoughts? I think that's

41:04

a very likely scenario. Honestly.

41:07

It's something I was kind of picturing myself

41:09

with my original theory. Okay. All

41:11

right. All right, Doctor.

41:13

But here's a little wrench to

41:15

complicate this theory. A coroner's

41:17

report doubted that Ludwig's death was due

41:20

to drowning, which could be why

41:22

the official cause of death was left blank on the

41:24

death certificate. Which brings

41:26

us to our second theory. And

41:28

it's a little bit bloodier. Sometime

41:33

around 7 p.m., Ludwig and Doctor Guten stroll

41:35

down to the edge of the water. But

41:38

Ludwig isn't paying much attention to Guten's words.

41:41

His eyes are scanning the shore. At

41:44

some point during the last few days,

41:46

a message supposedly reached Ludwig from the

41:49

few loyal followers in Bavaria he had

41:51

left. Now there's no

41:53

concrete proof that Ludwig ever received a

41:55

message. But he did have at least

41:57

a few people still rooting for him in the water.

42:00

Bavaria, like those towns people who bowed

42:02

when his carriage left. So

42:04

perhaps some of them were still willing to fight and

42:06

die for their King. Suddenly

42:08

the rain lets up for a moment

42:10

and Ludwig can see it floating just

42:13

offshore. A boat here

42:15

to rescue him. Okay.

42:18

He throws off his coat and bolts into the

42:20

water to swim to the boat. Startled,

42:23

Dr. Guten chases after him. These

42:26

two men then tussle in the water

42:28

and Ludwig knocks the doctor unconscious and

42:30

continues to race to the boat. But

42:33

before he can reach the home, a shot

42:35

rings out from the shore. And this is

42:38

where the fury gets bloody. A

42:40

bullet rips through Ludwig's chest and

42:42

he falls forward. He's dead before

42:44

he hits the water. The rescue

42:46

boat frantically rose away, leaving

42:48

Ludwig's body floating in the lake. And

42:53

scene take two. Okay.

42:55

Here's my question about that

42:57

theory. Wouldn't

43:00

the bullet hole in his chest

43:02

be mentioned in the autopsy? Get

43:05

the FBI on the phone. We've got ourselves a

43:07

real agent here. But

43:09

yeah, I mean, of course you're like, okay, wouldn't

43:12

the search party have found gunshot holes? There

43:14

was no mention of it. Yeah, which maybe

43:17

they did, but they covered it up. Exactly.

43:19

Maybe they had a reason to hide the

43:21

fact. So according to an article

43:23

from the Independent back in 2007,

43:26

a Munich man came

43:28

forward swearing that when he was

43:30

a child, he was shown Ludwig's

43:33

coat, which included bullet holes in

43:35

the back. So the

43:37

jacket apparently had been saved by a

43:40

woman who looked after Ludwig's family's

43:42

assets. But it's since disappeared after

43:44

a house fire. Nothing seems more

43:46

suspicious to me. Yeah. Now

43:49

a painting of Ludwig's body done

43:51

right after his death also allegedly

43:53

shows blood trickling from his mouth, which

43:56

is another clue that he might have been shot rather

43:58

than drowned. So

44:01

with all of this information, you know

44:04

these theories, what do

44:06

you think really happened to Ludwig? You

44:11

know, I don't know. Because I think,

44:13

listen, if the government set up to

44:15

have him shot, then of

44:17

course they would cover that up and

44:20

there would be no evidence of that because they wouldn't

44:22

want that to be known. But I don't trust this

44:24

doctor. So it's like maybe, maybe this doctor drowned

44:26

him. And

44:30

then to cover it up, takes off his

44:32

jacket, sets it on the beach, takes off his stuff, sets

44:34

it all, though how would he have drowned? Damn it. He's

44:37

like, I've really got to commit to this and drown

44:39

myself. But listen, there's a reason the story has got

44:41

a lot of theories because the truth is still a

44:43

bit of a mystery. With that

44:46

said, Ludwig's body is buried in a tomb in

44:48

Munich. Now if his living relatives

44:50

decide to exhume his body, his remains could

44:52

offer more clues as to exactly how he

44:54

died. But until they decide to

44:57

do that, his death will remain a mystery. But

45:00

thanks to 23andMe, maybe

45:02

we'll find out that one of us is

45:05

a descendant and we can then request an

45:07

exhumation because you know how much we hate

45:09

unsolved mysteries. I'll really do. Just dig them

45:11

up. Like come on. The second you

45:13

were like, we're not going to, only those

45:16

two know what happened. I was like, I

45:18

hate it already. Like I'm out, cancel.

45:20

Yep. But here's the thing. Regardless

45:23

of what happened, one thing is clear.

45:25

The fairy tale king did not find

45:28

his fairy tale ending. But it's

45:30

not all a grim tale. Ludwig once

45:32

said, I wish to remain

45:34

an eternal enigma to myself and to

45:36

others. And after a century,

45:38

his life and death continue to be a

45:40

mystery. So maybe he got exactly

45:43

what he wanted. An enigma

45:45

with a fantastical legacy. His

45:47

ornate castles are still standing and her legacy

45:49

lives on. As do the operas

45:51

he helped fund. It's nothing

45:53

else. Ludwig wanted to bring a

45:56

little bit more beauty into the world. And

45:58

at that, at least. At least

46:01

he succeeded. So

46:11

Brooke, there you have it. The story of

46:13

King Ludwig, the second of Bavaria. Let's

46:15

hear those thoughts. Man, you

46:18

know, I feel bad for him. I

46:20

can appreciate a whimsical dreamer, you

46:23

know? A grown-up who doesn't want to

46:25

grow up. All

46:28

he just wanted was to be loved, you

46:30

know? And to love in return.

46:32

Yeah, it's like a bad form. I will

46:34

say, as far as the whole death theory

46:37

goes, and like the doctor having bruises and

46:39

claw marks, Ludwig doesn't seem

46:41

like a violent guy. You know,

46:43

I can't see him attacking

46:45

that doctor out of

46:48

like malice. I don't know. I

46:50

just feel like that's an interesting part of it

46:52

for me. I know. Me too. But yeah, I

46:54

feel like his

46:56

life is so tragically pathetic.

46:59

Like I know because it's just, you know, what a

47:01

lonely life. Like

47:04

he never got married. Not that you have

47:07

to have a partner to like not have a

47:09

fulfilled life. But if I'm going

47:11

off the theory that he

47:13

was in love with Wagner, like you're

47:16

in love with a trash human being

47:18

who's not reciprocating it. Unrequited love, too

47:20

relatable for me. And then

47:23

like the end of your life is spent with

47:25

people controlling you and

47:28

basically imprisoning you. Like I...

47:31

Yeah. Pretty sad.

47:33

It's a sad state and a hell of

47:35

a way to kick off our first male

47:38

royal. I know. Man,

47:40

this has had some twists and turns. I

47:42

loved it. I was very invested. So,

47:45

five stars. Follow

47:50

EvenTheRoyals on the Wundery app. Amazon Music or

47:52

wherever you get your podcasts. You can listen

47:54

to every episode of Even The Royals early

47:56

and ad-free right now by joining Wundery Plus

47:58

in the Wundery app. or on Apple

48:01

Podcasts. Before you go, tell us

48:03

about yourself by completing a short

48:05

survey at wondery.com/survey. This

48:12

is a Happily Ever After, part

48:15

two of our two-part series on Ludwig II of Bavaria. We

48:19

use many sources when researching our series,

48:21

but we especially recommend Ludwig II of

48:23

Bavaria, the Swan King, by

48:25

Christopher McIntosh. And that's so

48:27

Happily Ever After, the Tale of

48:30

King Ludwig II by Susan Barnard.

48:32

I'm Arisha Goodmore-Williams. And

48:35

I'm Brooke Ziffrin. River Donahue wrote this

48:37

episode. Story editing by Andrew Barbeau and

48:39

sound design by Sam Ada. Our associate

48:41

producer is Hannah Ward. Our coordinating producer

48:44

is Taylor Sniffen and our managing producer

48:46

is Sophia Martin. Rachel Engelman and Julie

48:48

Magruder are our producers and our executive

48:50

producers are Jenny Lauer Beckman, Ginny Blum,

48:53

Marsha Louis, and Erin O'Flaherty for Wondery.

49:10

Hey, I'm Arisha. And I'm

49:12

Brooke. And we're the hosts of

49:15

Wondery's podcast, Even the Rich, where we

49:17

bring you absolutely true and absolutely shocking

49:19

stories about the most famous families and

49:21

biggest celebrities the world has ever seen.

49:24

Our newest series is all about pop

49:26

superstar Taylor Swift, a lonely kid who

49:28

ached for friendship. She did everything in

49:30

her power to let her music be

49:32

her voice. But as her career explodes

49:34

and she rockets to stardom, she'll still

49:36

have to learn how to deal with

49:38

the dark side of being famous. In

49:40

our series, Taylor Swift Fearless, we'll tell

49:42

you how a lonely girl desperate for

49:44

connection became the biggest pop star on

49:46

the planet. Follow Even the Rich

49:48

on the Wondery app or wherever you get

49:50

your podcasts. You can binge Even the Rich

49:52

and Taylor Swift Fearless early and ad free

49:54

right now on Wondery Plus.