Home Podcasts The Butterfly King: A WWII Murder Mystery
The Butterfly King: A WWII Murder Mystery

The Butterfly King: A WWII Murder Mystery

Exactly Right and iHeartPodcasts 10 Episodes Jul 16, 2026

When King Boris III of Bulgaria dies under mysterious circumstances during World War II, there is no shortage of suspects. Eighty years later, his death remains unsolved. Award-winning journalist Becky Milligan follows a trail of dissidents, poisoners, soldiers, and spies to unravel decades of lies and cover-ups. This tragic family saga of a doomed royal dynasty is a story of treachery, deceit, and a quest for the truth.

Episodes

Introducing Royal Swindle
Introducing Royal Swindle Jul 16, 2026 151 Two Aussie lesbian lovers touch down in 1990s London and become the toast of British high society. They charm rich businessmen, England's horse-loving elite, and even Queen Elizabeth herself. But the glamorous duo are concealing a dark past and dastardly intentions—and when a small-town detective vows to bring them down, he finds they are exceedingly hard to catch. Hosted by award-winning jo
Introducing Two-Faced: John of God
Introducing Two-Faced: John of God Jan 28, 2026 173 For decades, João Teixeira de Faria — known as John of God — was revered as a spiritual healer who claimed to perform miraculous surgeries without anesthesia. Desperate people from around the world traveled to Brazil, believing he could cure what doctors could not. But behind the promise of divine healing was something far darker. Hosted by award-winning journalist Martina Castr
8: The Rest is History
8: The Rest is History May 2, 2024 3194 Host Becky Milligan hears about the king’s last supper and wonders if revenge really is a dish best served cold. She learns what happened to the royal children when they returned from exile and realizes nothing is ever quite what it seems. It’s time to reveal the whole truth. Can she finally lay King Boris III’s mystery to rest?    See omnystudio.com/listener for privac
7: The Heart of the Matter
7: The Heart of the Matter Apr 25, 2024 2876 When host Becky Milligan receives a surprise call from a crucial witness, she realizes she must revisit King Boris III’s autopsy. Shocking new evidence about his death comes tantalizingly close to solving the mystery, but time is not on anyone’s side. When an old friend turns up with a killer suggestion, it leaves a bad taste in Becky’s mouth.  See omnystudio.com/listener fo
6: An Inside Job
6: An Inside Job Apr 18, 2024 3005 Accusations fly like bullets as host Becky Milligan discovers that King Boris III has been a hunted man for most of his life and has dodged more assassination attempts than James Bond. Did he ignore the one crucial message that could have saved his life? Becky feels the net closing in on the identity of the Butterfly King’s killer.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.Se
5: Caught Red Handed
5: Caught Red Handed Apr 11, 2024 3371 It’s 1946, three years after King Boris III’s death and a heavy Iron Curtain has fallen over Bulgaria. What dark secrets does it conceal? Host Becky Milligan learns some disturbing facts about the Soviet secret services and why they couldn’t let sleeping kings lie. And we hear a haunting tale from the royal children as they meet their father again – three years after they b
4: A Snake is Still a Snake
4: A Snake is Still a Snake Apr 4, 2024 3135 We’re back at the Vrana Palace in Sofia, Bulgaria, where King Simeon II and Princess Maria Luisa tell host Becky Milligan about their narrow escape from targeted Allied bombings after their father’s death. As more secrets emerge from the pages of a British diplomat’s private diary, Becky is forced to consider an ugly possibility. But as she follows the trail of poison, a brand ne
3: Snake in the Grass
3: Snake in the Grass Mar 28, 2024 3476 Can you trust anyone in wartime? Host Becky Milligan meets a man in Sofia, Bulgaria, who shows her a side of King Boris III that makes her question whether he’s really the hero of this story. As Becky picks her way through the viper’s nest of conflicted history, she must confront the royal children with some uncomfortable truths.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy informatio
2: Lies, Lies, Lies
2: Lies, Lies, Lies Mar 21, 2024 3745 Host Becky Milligan meets King Boris III’s children at Vrana Palace, a royal residence on the outskirts of Sofia, Bulgaria’s capital city. The children share the details of their father’s strange and painful death. Officially he dies of a heart attack, but the symptoms don’t add up. What—or who—is responsible? Becky speaks to witnesses who explain how Boris dupe
1: The Mender of Broken Dishes
1: The Mender of Broken Dishes Mar 21, 2024 3234 It’s 1943 during a crucial turning point in the Second World War. Caught in the crossfire, King Boris III of Bulgaria has a make-or-break meeting with a key ally. Boris is a reluctant politician and a family man, sucked into the bloodiest conflict in history. Someone resents his influence and wants him out of the way for good. Could Boris’s fate be linked to the company he keeps? 
Introducing: The Butterfly King
Introducing: The Butterfly King Feb 29, 2024 142 Introducing The Butterfly King, a World War II murder mystery from Blanchard House and Exactly Right Media, home of My Favorite Murder, premiering Thursday, March 21.   Award-winning journalist Becky Milligan follows a trail of dissidents, poisoners, soldiers and spies to unravel eighty years of lies and cover-ups around the mysterious death of King Boris III of 

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