History

Fit for a King: Prince Charles's christening sponsors, 15 December 1948

Born just three-and-a-half years after VE Day 1945, HRH Prince Charles Philip Arthur George of Edinburgh was very much a post-war baby.  Even his christening, on 15 December 1948,  was a reminder of the impact of the war. It could not take place in the Private Chapel at Buckingham Palace, where his mother had been baptised, because it had not yet recovered from wartime bombing. The beautiful…
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FeaturesHistory

George H.W. Bush and the Royal Talking Hat

Ah yes, the talking hat. Any life is made of moments, some poignant, some funny, some profound, some light. Much has already been written of the political contributions of George H.W. Bush, 41st President of the United States of America, who has died at the age of 94. But…
FeaturesHistory

What happened to France’s monarchy?

In the latest instalment of our autumn series, looking at what led to the fall of various monarchies throughout history, Royal Central looks at the end of the monarchy in France. The most well-known episode regarding the ending of France’s monarchy is the 1789…
FeaturesHistory

One of Britain's most famous tiaras is stolen

The Portland Tiara, commissioned for a duchess to wear at a glittering and hugely important royal occasion, has been stolen. The diadem, made by Cartier in 1902 ahead of the coronation of King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra, was taken on Tuesday night from the gallery where it is on display. Thieves broke into the Portland Collection Gallery on the Welbeck Estate in Worksop, Nottinghamshire…
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FeaturesHistory

A Pearl Earring and Imperial Russia

Displayed as part of the London Science Museum’s exhibition on the Russian Imperial Family, The Last Tsar: Blood and Revolution is a pearl earring. This extraordinarily poignant object has its own silent story to tell, concerning the fate of the Romanovs. Believed to have…
FeaturesHistory

Royal Baby Mania: the birth of a prince

If you think that royal baby mania is a new thing, think again. Seventy years ago this week, ahead of the birth of Prince Charles, the papers were filled with plenty of stories about his parents, their plans and a very regal pregnancy. As the then Princess Elizabeth prepared for the arrival of her first child, no morsel of information about her expected baby was too small to merit a mention. On…
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FeaturesHistoryRoyal Weddings

Royal Wedding Rewind: a romantic and reluctant queen

Royal weddings, eh? You wait ages for one to come along and then two arrive at once. We’ve just had a double dose of regal matrimony with the wedding of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex in May followed swiftly by the marriage of Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank in October. And in 1923, the marital calendar was packed with princely nuptials, too. The springtime wedding of Albert, Duke of…
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