The Secrets of Statecraft

How did Britain’s diplomats help win World War II—and shape the world that followed? Lord Peter Ricketts, former head of Britain’s Diplomatic Service and its first National Security Advisor, discusses the extraordinary men and women of the wartime Foreign Office, from Churchill’s uneasy relationship with Charles de Gaulle to Freya Stark’s espionage work and the creation of the UN and NATO. He also explains how Britain’s diplomats confronted the decline of British power—and why the postwar international order may now be coming apart.

Historian and author Lord Conrad Black joins Secrets of Statecraft _to discuss the third volume of his monumental _Political and Strategic History of the World, covering the turbulent years from the reign of Louis XIV to the outbreak of the First World War. The conversation explores the rise and fall of great empires, the enduring influence of statesmen such as Napoleon, Lincoln, Washington, Bismarck, and Teddy Roosevelt, and the forces that shaped the modern international order. Black offers provocative reassessments of the American Revolution, the British Empire, the French Revolution, and the Congress of Vienna, while examining whether history is driven by great individuals or larger historical currents. Roberts and Black also discuss what the successes and failures of the past can teach us about today’s geopolitical challenges—and whether humanity’s long march has truly been one of progress.

Andrew Roberts speaks with David Yelland, former editor of The Sun and co-host of BBC Radio 4’s popular podcast “When It Hits the Fan,” about the hidden machinery of modern power: public relations, political messaging, media influence, and crisis management. Yelland reflects on Rupert Murdoch, the decline of tabloid power, the rise of tech platforms and algorithms, Trump’s “flood the zone” media strategy, royal communications, corporate spin, Ukraine, Gaza, COVID, and why the people shaping the message are often as important as the leaders delivering it.

Author and columnist Tomiwa Owolade joins Secrets of Statecraft to discuss his bestselling book This Is Not America and why Britain’s conversation about race has become increasingly shaped by American ideas and assumptions. He argues that importing US concepts such as critical race theory, identity politics, and Black Lives Matter into a fundamentally different British historical and social context has distorted public debate, weakened social cohesion, and obscured the real sources of inequality. The conversation also covers cultural cringe, the future of wokeness, the rise of sectarian politics, anti-Semitism, social justice ideology, and the enduring power of American culture. It’s a wide-ranging conversation about race, national identity, free inquiry, and whether Britain can rediscover a shared civic culture before its own culture wars become even more entrenched.

Royal biographer Hugo Vickers, author of over 20 books, joins Secrets of Statecraft for a fascinating conversation about Queen Elizabeth II, King Charles III, and the hidden diplomatic power of monarchy. Drawing on decades of access, research, and personal experience, Vickers explains how Elizabeth II used restraint, duty, and quiet persuasion to help heal old wounds—from Germany and Ireland to the Commonwealth—while remaining above politics. Vickers also shares remarkable stories about Prince Philip, Diana, Harry and Meghan, Margaret Thatcher, and why the Netflix series The Crown is more fiction than fact. The conversation is a candid look at the personalities, crises, and statecraft that shaped the modern royal family.

Catherine Ostler joins Andrew Roberts to discuss her new book The Renoir Girls, which unravels the extraordinary true story behind Pierre-Auguste Renoir’s famous portraits of the Cahen d’Anvers sisters — a tale that stretches from the glittering salons of Belle Époque Paris and the fury of the Dreyfus Affair to Nazi-occupied France and Auschwitz concentration camp. Blending art, aristocracy, scandal, betrayal, and survival, Ostler reveals how one wealthy Jewish family became caught in the violent currents of French anti-Semitism, while the paintings themselves survived war, looting, and exile to become silent witnesses to one of Europe’s darkest centuries.

Daniel Hannan joins Secrets of Statecraft and starts with a major announcement: his appointment as the new director of the Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA), the pioneering free-market think tank founded in 1955. Hannan reflects on the intellectual legacy of the IEA and argues that the case for free markets, once broadly accepted, must now be made all over again in an age drifting back toward statism. The conversation ranges widely—from the resurgence of protectionism and the erosion of economic literacy to the failures of modern political leadership, the legacy of Brexit, and the cultural forces shaping today’s electorate. Along the way, Hannan explores the deep roots of conservatism, the challenges of defending free trade in an intuitive protectionist world, and the urgent need to reintroduce fundamental economic truths to a new generation.

Christian Brose is the president and chief strategy officer at Anduril Industries (the American defense technology company that builds advanced military systems using artificial intelligence, robotics, and software-driven platforms). He’s also the author of The Kill Chain. In this interview, he argues that despite massive defense spending, the United States is dangerously unprepared for a prolonged, high-intensity war, having built a military optimized for short conflicts with expensive, hard-to-replace weapons rather than sustained attrition. He explains how decades of procurement choices, limited industrial capacity, and lack of competition have left munitions stockpiles thin, while emerging conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East highlight the growing importance of mass, low-cost, and autonomous systems. The conversation explores the need for a new “high-low mix” of capabilities, the transformative but still cautious role of AI in warfare, and the strategic challenge posed by China’s industrial model, ultimately concluding that the core issue is not just process but leadership—the willingness to rethink assumptions and rapidly adapt to the changing character of war.