About the episode

Historic week in Britain: Harry, freelance prince of Montecito California, becomes the first ‘royalty’ in more than 130 years to be cross-examined in his lawsuit against the Mirror Group Newspaper. The stakes: Harry accuses the publisher of hacking his phone, “blagging” – posing as someone else to access private data, and improperly using as many as 25 private investigators to track him down.

What may seem like a show trial from a distance may have far-reaching ramifications. Harry is struggling to reform Britain’s scandalous press, and is one of the few people with pockets deep enough to survive. It was clear that Harry was a strange person. While the rest of his family openly distanced themselves from politics, Harry wrote in his testimony that the press and government in England had hit rock bottom.

What happens if Harry wins, what will be the consequences for the royal family, the British press and the British public in general? And could Harry show up in England again if he lost?

About Van Bekhoven’s English

In van Bekhoven’s Britten, Lia van Bekhoven and Connor Clerx talk about the biggest news topics and the most important developments in the UK every week. From Brexit to domestic politics, from Royals to tabloids. Why did England fascinate the Netherlands more than so many other European countries? What role does the UK play in Europe for now, after the word Brexit seems to be banned from British life, but the consequences of the decision to leave the EU are becoming clearer every day?

The British monarchy, and with it the country, is facing profound changes following the death of Queen Elisabeth and the imminent coronation of her son Charles. The popularity of the Royal Family is at an all-time low. How will the British monarchy change under King Charles, and how will it affect the Commonwealth? In Van Bekhoven’s Britten, Lia and Connor analyze an empire of waning prosperity, influence, and power. The Conservative Party has supplied prime ministers for thirteen years, will it end after Rishi Sunak? What would Britain be like under Labor’s Keir Starmer? And how do ‘ordinary’ Brits, if any, deal with this? All of these questions and more are addressed in Van Bekhoven’s Britten. A critical view of Great Britain, where there appears to be a race between Northern Ireland and Scotland who can secede from England first. How long will the Kingdom remain united?

After more than 45 years among the British, Lia van Bekhoven has a unique view of England. A resident, but definitely not an Anglophile, he is deeply concerned about news, politics, the monarchy and the daily life of the North Sea. Every Wednesday you get a new podcast about the life of Englishman Van Bekhoven on your podcast app. Sharp analysis, depth for which there is no time on radio and a good portion of humor. Subscribe and don’t miss a single episode.

About Lia

Lia van Bekhoven is the UK correspondent for BNR Nieuwsradio, VRT, Knack and Elsevier, among others, and is frequently seen on talk shows as an interpreter for news from the UK. He has lived in London since 1976 and, in addition to being a correspondent for radio, television and written media, is also an author. Mama went dancing, legacy of Diana, Princess of Wales (1997), Land of the Divided Gods, Northern Ireland and Troubles (2000), In London, 9 runs through the British capital (2009) and Great Britain (2022).

About Connor

Connor Clerx is a presenter and podcaster at BNR Nieuwsradio. He has worked for BNR since 2017 and is frequently heard on De Ochtendspits, Boekestijn en de Wijk and BNR Breaks.