Princess Diana, Prince Harry & George Michael: Inside Kensington Palace with Victoria Arbiter

[00:00:00] Welcome to Plot Twist Radio, the show where creativity, storytelling and the unpredictable path of the creative life all collide. I'm your host Erin Egnatz. Hi Victoria, welcome to Plot Twist Radio. Thank you so much for having me. It's wonderful to have you. Before we get going, can you introduce yourself to the audience? Yes, my name is Victoria Arbiter, British obviously, but I have gone around the houses a little bit.

[00:00:25] I was born in Zimbabwe, raised in the UK, spent, gosh, almost 30 years living in New York and now I'm in Melbourne. So perhaps that defines the Plot Twist of my life. For sure, you've been all over. That's really cool though. I've always wanted to be like a world traveler, but I've yet to leave the US, other than Canada, but you know, Canada. I hope you can. Do you have a country that's at the top of your wish list?

[00:00:49] I want to go to the UK. Most of my family is from there. I definitely want to go to Italy, Australia for sure. I'm addicted to all of your animals there. I have a bearded dragon. She's looking at me right now like, what's going on? Oh my goodness. Oh my goodness. Well, I hope you can do all of it. I mean, I truly, I think travel is one of life's great privileges and it's amazing how much you learn, how much you enjoy, how much it opens your eyes to a new perspective as well. So I hope you can start ticking off those countries soon.

[00:01:19] Oh yeah, me too. But getting back to you and your extraordinary career, but it's even a childhood. Can you tell us a little bit about your connection to the royal family? Your father, I believe, was the press secretary for Queen Elizabeth?

[00:01:35] He was one of the press secretaries. Yes. It's so funny, isn't it? When you're a child, you don't really think about what it is that your parents do. You're just your mom, your dad, whoever is looking after you. They just go off to work and you don't really think that much of it. And it's only sort of much later in life, I suppose, that I've been able to really have a respect and a tremendous appreciation for my childhood because it was unusual.

[00:01:58] My parents separated when I was very small and I stayed living with my dad in the UK. And at weekends, he couldn't get a babysitter. And at the time, he was working for LBC Newsradio. He was one of the very first court correspondents that was ever assigned. And there had been people, reporters, talking about the royal family before. But sort of with the arrival of Diana, there was such a saturation of royal news and they needed specialized reporters.

[00:02:25] So he was one of the first royal reporters. And at weekends, there might be Remembrance Sunday or Trooping the Colour or the Garter would be on Monday or the Lord Mayor's Show. There were all these sort of big national events, maybe state events, these big royal occasions. And he would just take me with them. And I'd be given a very firm talking to beforehand to behave myself because he was going to be on air. And the last thing he needed was me tugging on his trousers going, daddy, daddy, daddy, you know.

[00:02:52] But I think really what happened is that he was able to share his knowledge, his passion, his insight into this world simply because that was what he did. But he loved it. And we're both, to this day, we're both such history geeks. But for a small child being on the balcony opposite the royal family at Remembrance Sunday and seeing the mass bands and seeing the sense of ceremony and the respect shown to veterans really was quite extraordinary.

[00:03:20] And I remember it having a profound impact, even though I was very small. Anyway, there was a point when he crossed over. He says he went from poacher to gamekeeper and he crossed over into working at Buckingham Palace. He was invited initially to Charles and Diana's office, which, of course, was an opportunity you're going to accept. So he went to work for Charles and Diana and it was a challenging time. The outside image was one of a happy marriage, but things were sort of imploding behind the scenes.

[00:03:49] And the job at the press office was to keep a lid on that and make sure everyone thought everything was still nice and friendly. But during that tenure, we went to live at Kensington Palace. And again, you know, in hindsight, I can appreciate just what an extraordinary opportunity that was. But at the time, I was thinking, right, if I climb out my bedroom window this way, I have to get past the police guard this way to get outside to go and meet my friends.

[00:04:14] But it was it was an unusual time, too, because Paul Burrell, who was Diana's infamous butler, he was living there. Sir Miles Hunt Davis, who was working for Prince Philip, he was living there. Diana's sister, Lady Jane Fellows, was right next door to us. So I've often described it in the past as a very regal version of Melrose Place, because everyone was connected to this royal sphere, but in a different capacity. But I do it is imperative that I sort of manage the impression of this.

[00:04:43] There is Kensington Palace itself. And there's the long driveway that goes up to Kensington Palace. We were on the grounds of Kensington Palace. We were in the old stable block that had been converted to an apartment. So it's not like we had elaborate tapestries hanging on the wall or gold leaf ceilings or any of that stuff. But it was very much a home and it was a it was a very special place to live. Wow. That that sounds incredible. It sounds like my dream for sure.

[00:05:09] So is that what inspired you to kind of follow in those footsteps? It's so interesting you ask that, Erin, because I never had any intention of following in those footsteps. I went to a full time ballet school and I was I just wanted to be a ballet dancer from as tiny as I could remember. That was the dream. And I went to Elmhurst Ballet School, which was a magical place. And at the time, actually, ironically, Diana was patron of our school. She loved ballet. And so that was that was the goal. But of course, ballet is a very tough field.

[00:05:37] And I had a back injury quite late, sort of 16, 17. And I think our bodies were doing so much exercise, but we were also growing, forming and injuries happened. And so I sort of got to rethinking the ballet route and I decided I wanted to go to drama school. But so many of my friends had gone to drama school and I'd heard all these tales of how they like to humiliate you at drama school. And if you're going to be a tree, I wanted to be somewhere I didn't know anyone. I sort of wanted a fresh start. And so that's what took me to America.

[00:06:07] I was awarded a partial scholarship and I went to the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York. And the reason I chose New York, I'd never been to New York, but my granny was in fashion. And she used to come home with she was my dad's mother and she would come home with suitcases of wonderful things. Like my dad is a single dad. He didn't know anything about fashion. He was dressing me in dreadful clothes. As long as I looked like a boy most of the time and not out of choice. And the granny would arrive and her suitcase would open with this just abundance of pretty dresses.

[00:06:36] Not expensive or flashy dresses, play dresses, but I was a girly girl. Anyway, she'd been to New York on a fashion trip and she came home with all these I Heart New York souvenirs. There was a massive eraser, the pencils, the T-shirt, the mugs. And suddenly I had New York was in my midst. And I said to my dad, and he was remarried by then to my stepmom as well. Well, if I'm going to drama school, I'm going to New York. And they said, why? Why would why? And I said, well, I just I just want to go to New York.

[00:07:04] America is always to around the world. America is a sort of place of opportunity. And I think what I really loved about the US as well was the sense of optimism and positivity. And it's quite funny after living away from England and love time, I love my people. But they can be quite pessimistic sometimes. So, for example, they could be watching an England football match and England wins. And they'll say, well, they won, but they played dreadfully. Whereas in America, it would be, wow, they're amazing. They're amazing.

[00:07:32] They won by a fraction of a hair of a metre of half a goal. And it's like the best team ever to have ever lit. And I liked that. I liked that optimism. And I liked that sense that anything was possible. So at the end of drama school, I thought, well, I'll just stay a year. I'll just stay a year. And 29 years later, I was still in New York. But after I left drama school, I was fortunate. I was getting work. I did a few plays. But of course, as an actor in New York, you need a survival job as well.

[00:08:01] And this opportunity came along. And I was asked if I wanted to work on reception at this brand new web TV channel. And at the time, it's like web TV. What's that? But sure, yes, yes, I'll do it. I'd never worked a computer. I'd never been a receptionist. But my philosophy was always, yes, I'll do it. So I went in. And within a couple of weeks, I was asked to fill in for one of the producers. At the time, what they were doing, the goal was to create two to three minute web videos that they were putting online.

[00:08:31] So it might be a store opening in New York. It might be a movie premiere. All these different things. But unfortunately, the audience's computers hadn't quite caught up to this technology. So our programs were going out and crashing everybody's computers. But we were having a grand old time. We loved it. So I got into this sort of hosting and presenting sphere that I really had no idea that I enjoyed. But I absolutely loved it. I loved talking to the man on the street. I loved going in and learning about other people.

[00:08:59] It was sort of something that I wouldn't say came naturally because you obviously, there are skills and you've got to learn how to do this. But I just really enjoyed it. And so I said to my agent, could we start exploring more of these types of opportunities? So suddenly a travel show came along, then a food and culture show came along. And then I had the dubious distinction of being nominated and securing, I suppose, the title of the worst cook in America on the final season of Oprah.

[00:09:26] And she flew my family to Chicago. And Jessica Seinfeld taught me to make a dish. Oh, it was a hoot. It was wonderful. And Oprah was so gracious and so kind. And we had such a fun time. And from that, I thought, well, how about I make my own cooking show? So to cut a long story short, I made my own cooking show, was shopping it around, trying to get it seen by various networks. And I don't know how, but this chap in Florida saw it. And he happened to be connected to CBS News. And at the time, William and Kate had just got engaged.

[00:09:56] And he called CBS and said, you should bring Victoria in to talk about the royals. I think her dad does something with royals. So I got a call completely out of the blue from CBS. And they said, do you know all this stuff about the royal family? We're looking for someone to cover it. I said, well, I think so. I don't know. Let's see. Yes, I'll do it. You know, the man sort of came to the forefront. So anyway, January 2nd, 3rd or 4th of 2011, I went into CBS News, into the early show.

[00:10:25] And they just rebranded the early show. They were trying to skew sort of a much younger audience. And I was with Erica Hill. And it was such a fun segment. And much to my own surprise, I did know all the stuff. I had been up the night before sort of studying and having a fashion crisis and absolutely panic stricken because it was sort of my first live interview for a network news program in the U.S. But I came off air and the executive producers contacted my agent an hour later and said, would she go to London for four months to cover the royal wedding?

[00:10:55] And as you would imagine, I went, yes, I'll do it. And so it just sort of started there. It just so happens that it was what my dad had done, but he played no role in me getting the job. He certainly didn't inform my decision. We love to discuss the royals. We have a very different approach to how we do it. But that's really how it started. That is not the answer I was expecting. I love it. I love it. And you know what? That is amazing that you went to New York.

[00:11:25] It's my favorite city. I love New York. It's, as you said, it's the land of opportunity. And you can go from block to block. And it is just like you're going from one country to another. I love it there. I wish I could live there. My husband's like, no, absolutely not. We're in Chicago. So it's not that much different. But I love Chicago, too. I love Chicago, too. So, yeah, it's you're like a little maybe sort of a slightly minier version of New York, but you've still got so much energy there. There's still such a vibe in Chicago.

[00:11:55] Oh, there is for sure. So as I was going, I was on your website and I was going through your bio and a couple of things stood out to me. And I have to say, I'm an 80s nerd, especially when it comes to music. And I read that Prince Harry introduced you to George Michael. And I was like, wow. Can you tell us a little bit about that? Well, gosh, that was unexpected. So he was very small at the time, but it's a funny story.

[00:12:19] We were living at Kensington Palace and Diana had decided that she wanted to step back from a lot of what had been a lot of her, a number of her royal charities. She and Prince Charles were separating or had separated at that point. And so it was a period of massive change for the princess. But what she wanted to do, she was one of these people always thinking about everybody else. That's just how she operated. I think she understood the effect she had on people, but it was never about herself. She was very funny.

[00:12:49] Every joke was made at the expense of herself or laughing with someone. It was never at somebody. Anyway, she was having this reception at Kensington Palace for a number of her charity heads. And it was sort of done to say, happy Christmas. I'm stepping back, but I see you. I recognize you. I want to acknowledge you, applause you. So it was a private reception, meaning the press weren't there. So she was straight away much more comfortable. And she'd invited us to go along. And as we were walking in, so I would have been 80.

[00:13:17] And as we were walking in, Elton John was just ahead of us. Oh, my God, Elton John. And we'd recently seen him at the Albert Hall. He'd done this phenomenal concert with a percussionist who just blew my mind. I mean, it was Elton John. Of course, it was exciting. Anyway, we go in. I really want to talk to Elton John. Really want to talk to him. So as we're standing there, I saw that George Michael was there as well. And that's when I lost my tiny little mind because I was like, George Michael? Anyway, my dad was standing with me and he was going, go over.

[00:13:47] Just go and introduce yourself. I can't go and do that. We're laughing about it. Diana came over and she said, what's going on here? What are you laughing about? And I said, well, I really want to meet George Michael. And she said, go on. I dare you. And I said, I cannot walk over to George Michael. I was reasonably confident, but not that confident. Anyway, little Prince Harry. So he would have been eight, I think, seven or eight. And he was tugging on her skirt going, who are you talking to? What are you talking about?

[00:14:13] And she said, well, Harry, your friend Victoria here wants to meet George Michael. And I had never met Prince Harry. So he's going, who's my friend Victoria? You know, in that sort of overly loud child voice. At which point Diana leaned into me and George Michael was not out at the time. And Diana leaned into me and she goes, but isn't it a shame he doesn't like the ladies? And that's the part Harry glommed onto. And straight away, he's going, oh, mummy. And he was so loud.

[00:14:41] Oh, mummy doesn't like the ladies. And this was such charming insight into their wonderful relationship because she's suddenly going, shut up, Harry, shut up, shut up. Because you know when your child is just being overly loud and she's sort of trying to ring him back in again. So anyway, she said, go on, I need you to take your friend Victoria to meet George Michael. And of course, he wouldn't do it. Why would he do that? So I said, right, this is it. I'm going to do it. So I marched. I don't know what possessed me. I marched over to George Michael and I introduced myself.

[00:15:10] The man was charm personified. He was so gracious, so kind, so giving. And I wonder now if he sort of, he knew he was in a safe environment. He's at Kensington Palace at the Princess of Wales' house. Everybody who's there has been invited. He knew that nothing untoward was going to happen. No one was trying to catch him out. I was just this starry-eyed young girl who was absolutely dazzled by him. And he was so generous with his time and spoke to me like an equal, which was bonkers.

[00:15:39] He's George Michael and I'm sort of just this like starstruck 18-year-old. Anyway, over his shoulder, I could see Diana laughing at me and just really having a giggle. So I went back over and she loved that that reception allowed me an opportunity to have that interaction. Anyway, at the same reception, Prince William, he was 10. And she had said she was with us and she said, he's the man of the house tonight. And so I've asked him to say a few words. And it turned out it was his very first speech. And she had asked him.

[00:16:09] It was very short, but again, it was a safe environment. And she asked him just to stand up and thank everyone for coming to wish them a very Merry Christmas. And that's exactly what he did. And she was standing with me as he did it. And gosh, she was so proud. The pride was just sort of seeping out of every core. But again, just an opportunity to see the relationship that existed between both her boys. It was absolutely abundant with love. And yeah, a very unique experience.

[00:16:36] And I dread to think what I said to George Michael because just the verbal diarrhea poured forth, but he was wonderful. I've done that. I know that, you know, I've met. I'm a huge Durrani, Duran Duran. And I forgot. I think it was John. And I just shut up, Aaron, shut up. And I just like could not shut up. Was he nice though? Was he nice? He was. Yes. Yes. I think I would have cried if he wasn't. Well, that's the thing. I've always heard you should never meet your idols.

[00:17:05] And I feel very fortunate. I've been quite lucky that anyone I have met who I've admired has been very nice. But like you say, he had the power in his hands to leave you in a puddle of tears or just make your day. So I'm so glad it was the latter. Oh, yes. And same with George Michael because obviously I can't meet him. But just knowing that he was a sweet man, just it makes it wonderful. So thank you for sharing that story. I love that. You're welcome. You're welcome.

[00:17:32] So getting back to covering their weddings, what was it like after knowing them as children and then getting to in a professional spotlight? Talk about their weddings. Cover that. Well, I think it's been really interesting, actually, because William and Harry are the first two sort of super popular roles, I suppose, as well. But that have grown up that from the moment they were born all the way through to present day, everything has been lived in the spotlight.

[00:17:58] So when the king, as Prince Charles, when he was being raised, his photographs would be shared or there'd be occasional bit of video out with him, maybe attending an engagement with his parents. But it wasn't every facet of his life. And so there's an affection that exists for William and Harry, I think, simply because everyone feels like either they know them or they grew up with them because they're contemporaries or they adored their mother and so sort of lived their childhood and the maternal struggle with her.

[00:18:28] So I think what was so interesting with the wedding was that it felt like collectively everybody was a proud parent. Everybody had sort of this ownership over Prince William. And I think they were just ultimately so delighted to see that he had found his happy ending. Anybody that had seen those boys walk behind their mother's coffin could see the full circle moment suddenly there they there William was at that time at Westminster Abbey, not his mother's funeral, but marrying the love of his life. And it was an extraordinary experience.

[00:18:57] First of all, I got to go home for four months and I hadn't spent four months at home in a really long time. Second of all, I was working with people at the top of their game. Katie Couric, who I had admired. I was doing Entertainment Tonight with Nancy O'Dell. You know, these were all the people that descended on London were people that I had admired, aspired to work with, had gained knowledge from, had learned from.

[00:19:24] And to sort of suddenly be sharing a platform with them was definitely a pinch me moment. But I'm actually quite glad as well that my naivety carried me through because it didn't really allow me to be nervous. So, for example, the first time I was outside Buckingham Palace, I was with CBS producers. I had never done a live broadcast. I'd certainly never worked with an earpiece. And they, this school training kicked in and they handed me an earpiece and they said, you've worked with one of these before, right? I'm like, yes, I have.

[00:19:53] Yes, yes, yes, I have. And I'm like looking at which end goes in my ear and sort of trying to figure it all out. But that's sort of, I think, how much I've done so much of my life like that. Yes, I'll do it. And I think it's from the acting background. You know, you go along to a commercial audition and they'd be like, can you ski? Yes, I can. And you've never been on skis before, but you're so desperate for the job. But, you know. So being in London, what was quite interesting though, and this is where sort of that difference between the UK and America I really saw again firsthand.

[00:20:22] I was covering the wedding for an American network. So almost every day we had something and almost every day one of the anchors would say, so is everyone in England really excited? I was like, well, it's January. No, nobody's excited. They will be about four days out from the wedding. But right now, everybody's far more busy with other things. You know, and that was sort of interesting too, because America, not everybody, obviously America is a very big country.

[00:20:47] But for a huge swathe of Americans, there's this love affair with the British royal family. There are some that just love the fashion and the pseudo celebrity of it so that, you know, they're sort of above celebrity. Others love the history. Others love that they grew up watching them. You know, people will have a connection for different reasons. And so I liked covering it for the Americans because there was so much genuine, heartfelt excitement, which gave us so much to talk about because there was endless fascination.

[00:21:16] And for a history geek, I was really glad to be able to share the context and the precedent and the protocols. We weren't covering it from a salacious, gossipy point of view. And that I was hugely appreciative of. And that was very much CBS's approach. CBS is a, you know, a news organization. And the focus was very much on the news and the history. And yeah, it was wonderful. And as a geeky, having grown up sort of watching all the military stuff and dad teaching me

[00:21:43] about all of that, going behind the scenes at the household cavalry barracks and learning about the uniforms was very cool. And going to, I remember sitting with all the British press corps. We were, it was bonkers, we were put on a minibus and given a tour of Bucklebury where Kate grew up. And I thought the locals must have been horrified that they've got all the press on a minibus looking at, here's the school and here's the pub. And it was all just a bit silly and fun. But I think what I've liked about the Royal Beat is that for the most part, not always,

[00:22:12] of course, but for the most part, other than the Olympics, I can't think of any other news story that garners worldwide attention for a happy occasion. And we had 10 years there where it was weddings and babies and juveniles and the Olympics in London. And it was global news for a happy occasion. And that I really liked. Absolutely. And you're right. We were all addicted to it. You would think they were our royal family. Yeah. And I did. I watched the CBS.

[00:22:41] I remember watching you and I was addicted to it. And I think you covered it really, really well. I'm a historian by day, so I love the history factor into it. I think that you guys did an excellent job. And you could tell that that was your first time doing a live broadcast. You did well. Oh, thank you. Well, so funny story. I had, you know, we were CBS was sharing our tent on wedding day. We're sharing our sort of press setup with Entertainment Tonight. Because of course, they're on the same network.

[00:23:08] But there was sort of this divide down the middle where it was CBS News division on one side. And I think we had a box of Cheez-Its on the table and everybody was starving. And there's this divide down the middle. And then the team had flown in from Los Angeles on the other side. And there was a table set up like full craft services with fruit platters and cheese platters. And, you know, they were doing it Hollywood style and we were doing it low key news style.

[00:23:33] But it was just, you know, just seeing these worlds collide and clash and yet everyone coming together as a team. It was really wonderful. And it was an opportunity for me to just soak up and learn and learn and learn. And I remember too, we're doing a live broadcast. And Katie Couric was at Westminster Abbey. And I was outside Buckingham Palace with Erica Hill. And the bells outside Westminster Abbey were chiming so loud. And there was the crowd and there was the mass fans.

[00:24:02] Katie was asking us questions and we could hear nothing. Absolutely nothing. So finally, we were just like, Katie, we have no idea what you're asking us. We're going to go with flowers just because we needed something to talk about. So she could have asked something sort of really serious and in depth. And we're just, you know, OK, flowers. Here we go. But it was that's the thing with a live broadcast. You've just kind of got to muddle along and go with it and figure it out. And I liked that element of it as well. It sort of kept you on your toes. And wow, I love that.

[00:24:31] So as you look back on your own story, what was what do you think the plot twist that changed everything was? Do you think it was going to school? Do you think it was changing careers? Going to drama school, I should say. Gosh, you know, it's so interesting. Last Sunday, sorry, I'm going to kind of segue a little bit. But last Sunday, I went to a film festival here in Australia. And there were two brilliant speakers up there. And I was thinking about your show coming up on Plot Twist and what a clever idea this is. And how everybody sort of has this plot twist. Anyway, I'm watching.

[00:25:00] There's a very well-known Australian actor on stage and a cinematographer. And they were both talking about how their lives have been going one way. And then suddenly this opportunity came along. And then it just completely diverged and went the other way. And I was like, Plot Twist. Oh, my God. Not everybody's got a plot twist. But it's interesting because I feel like there are so many plot twists throughout life. So certainly going to New York, that was a huge plot twist. I remember my dad saying, Oh, this is it. You're never coming back. I was like, don't be ridiculous.

[00:25:30] I'm going for a year. Never imagined going for 29 years. But yes, I suppose the ultimate plot twist to date was getting that opportunity with CBS News. And I remember Oprah saying years ago, and I think a lot of people have said this, that sure, there is good luck. But luck is really when hard work and opportunity meet. And that was certainly my experience. Like, yes, you know, so many people. I didn't go through journalism school.

[00:25:57] I recognize this incredible opportunity I was given to go in and talk about something. But I have never taken it for granted. So where my dad, because it was his lived experience at Buckingham Palace, he could sit down and like this. He could fire off royal facts. The man's a walking encyclopedia. We talk about him like Cogsworth in Beauty and the Beast. You know, when he's going through the palace, he's like, over here, la, la, la, la, la, la, la. I do know a fair bit. But I study. I study, I study, I study.

[00:26:26] And I'm glad to study because I love it. So if I know I'm going on a segment and they want to talk about the Prince's Trust. So I know how the Prince's Trust, which is now the King's Trust, I know how that came about. But okay, let's broaden this. I want to make sure that there are people that I can talk about that benefited from the Prince's Trust. That how it's evolved into the King's Trust. You know, so just how can I broaden the horizon? So I study, study, study. So yes, that plot twist came along.

[00:26:53] But it was one that I needed to work really hard for because inevitably as well, there are people that are going to say, you only got that because of your dad. And your dad feeds you all the information. But my dad and I live in two separate countries. He occasionally, I might call him and say, I'm curious about this. Can you tell me why it's done this way? And yes, he's an amazing resource like that. But I've never lent on him. He's got his own job to do.

[00:27:19] So yes, I think to answer your question in a very convoluted fashion, that was probably the ultimate plot twist. But then moving to Australia has been another plot twist. So I think they're just going to keep coming. But I'd never really thought about it that way until your kind invitation came along. And I think it's, I like it. It's a very positive way of looking at change because I'm quite scared of change. But it's a really, it's a really nice optimistic way of embracing it. Absolutely. And I love that you made your own way.

[00:27:47] I just, I love that, that you made your own way and you still got to cover the royal family. I just love that. My dad would love if I followed his footsteps. It's not happening, but. It's not. He's the businessman type. I'm, you know, the artsy kind of stuff. Yeah, yeah, yeah. But they went mesh with. Totally different fields, yeah. But I love that. I love it. And I love that you made your own path. And I love that you experienced New York. I want to experience New York. And 29 years. So were you here in like the 90s and the early 2000s? Yes.

[00:28:17] So I got there. I arrived in New York in January 1996. And it was right after they'd had a gargantuan blizzard. And people were skiing down Fifth Avenue. And I am not a winter person. Not by any stretch of the imagination. So of course it was dazzling. Wow, look at this. I mean, talk about just total city shutdown. It was incredible. But I, yeah, I then stayed. I lived in LA briefly for a couple of years. And LA had a lot to offer. I loved the nature.

[00:28:46] I loved being able to go to the beach or the mountains or the national parks. But I got quite lonely in Los Angeles. Like, I cannot sing, Erin. I cannot sing a note. But it was a novelty for a little while to be able to drive and put Les Miserables on. And I know every part in Les Miserables. I can sing the entire show by myself. But I wouldn't do it in front of anybody because their ears would gush with blood. But I could be in my car and I could sing the entire score to Les Miserables. But that, you know, that was fun for a while.

[00:29:12] But I found in LA nobody ever got together because everyone lived so far away. Or someone was always talking over your shoulder to see if someone better or more interesting came along. Because it was sort of very much a one-industry town. And at that period, New York had the big power cut in the summer. And I knew I had to get back because I was like, I'm missing the power cut. How can I be missing this? Because I love when things would happen and New Yorkers would come together unlike any other people I know.

[00:29:41] And New Yorkers would often get a bad rap for being rude. They're not rude. They're just efficient. And they're short on time. And they've got things to do, you know. But if you're in trouble, no one's going to come to your aid quite like a New Yorker. And so I was very glad to get back to New York. I was so excited to be back on the subway, you know, with the flotsam and jetsam of the world. Everybody. You've got movie stars on the train. You've got crazy people on the train. Everybody's on the train, you know. And you're just in it together.

[00:30:10] And I just, that energy that you could just gather from everybody. That's not to say it didn't get exhausting too. You know, there's the key to, I think, living in New York was always being able to leave it temporarily. Because you wake up in the morning and from the moment you wake up, you've got to be achieving. You've got to be the first in the office, the last out the office, the first up in the morning, the last to bed at night. And it's just go, go, go, go, go all the time. And that's a hamster wheel that can just burn you out really pretty quickly. You know, so I miss it dreadfully.

[00:30:40] And I hope to be back there one day. But this little period in Australia has been a welcome little life change, I think, at this point. Oh, I can imagine. I can imagine. What part of Australia are you in? I'm in Melbourne at the moment, which actually is quite like England, weather-wise. I'm sorry, it's so British to talk about the weather. But yes, there's so much about Melbourne that reminds me of England. And I, it can be a little tricky. I, I, well, my heart's in England.

[00:31:08] She's so much of my heart's in New York, but there's a little bit of my heart that's still in Zimbabwe. But I've brought my heart to Australia now. And so, you know, sometimes I'll envy my friends who they've had their babies in, in the home that they're living in. And their babies have grown up in that home. And every nick on the wall has a story. But that's not my story. I've moved around and my son has moved around. And he was born in California. He grew up in New York. And he's now in Australia training to be a commercial pilot.

[00:31:37] So I test him every now and then on his royal knowledge. And there's little bits in there, but he will not be following in my footsteps either. So, you know, life can be interesting too if you just keep moving around. Absolutely. Well, where can the audience find you? I know you have your website. Are you active on socials? Yes. So on X, for all my sins, gosh, X, it's a pretty miserable place. But every now and then there's still the fun, witty stuff. So I'm at Victoria Arbiter on X. I'm sort of working on this Instagram thing.

[00:32:06] I found that I'm quite new to Instagram, but it seems to be a much happier place. It seems to be somewhere where people share really happy things that are going on in their lives. So I'm on there. And I have a book out on the Queen. It's called Queen Elizabeth II, an icon of modern monarchy. And my goal with that, which was as much as I wanted to carry my computer out the window on a regular basis, writing a book is not for the faint of heart. But there are so many tomes on the Queen that are upwards of seven, eight, 900 pages.

[00:32:35] And they're fascinating. But there are a lot of people who would like to learn about the late Queen, but don't have the time or the inclination to invest in a 700 page book. So mine, I kind of took the key moments of her 96 years and her 70 year reign and tried to condense that into an accessible, entertaining, insightful read where my hope is that readers would walk away and go, oh, I never knew that. So that can be, I think anyone in the U.S. can get that on Amazon. Love it. And I cannot wait to read it.

[00:33:05] I, I ordered it this morning when I was preparing for the interview. I was like, oh my gosh, I can't. Cause like I said, I'm a, I'm a Royal junkie. So like the rest of us. Oh, well, thank you. Well, thank you so much. Well, I hope, you know, as a historian and a Royal junkie, I hope even you might find a little nugget of information there. But, you know, cause it's tricky with the Royalists, the Royalists, they know a lot. But I, to me, the greatest compliment is always, whether it's after a segment or after a chat of, I never knew that. You know, that's, there's so much.

[00:33:34] And I think often there can be a tendency with some of the network coverage to underestimate the audience. You know, they just want to give them fashion and gossip and speculation. But actually, I, I certainly, I certainly found in my work that people love the meat and potatoes too. They love to be able to stand around the water cooler or whatever it is in the office and go, did you? No. It's, people like that. There's a, there's a lot more to it. While the fashion is interesting, of course. Who doesn't like a bit of fashion? The meat and potatoes is really, is really the fun stuff.

[00:34:05] Absolutely. I agree. Well, thank you so much for joining me. This has been awesome. Thank you so much. I feel like I've waffled so much, but it's been such a pleasure talking to you, Erin. Thank you so much for having me. Thank you.