British RoyalsFeaturesHistory

Before they were royal: The life of Diana, Princess of Wales

The life of Diana, Princess of Wales was never far removed from royalty even before she married into the House of Windsor. A member of the influential Spencer family, she counted King Edward III, King Henry VII and King Charles II among her ancestors while she’d been named in honour of a distant relative who had once been mooted as a bride for George II’s son and heir, Frederick, Prince of…
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British RoyalsFeaturesHistory

History's Royal Kates: the almost queen

Born a princess, daughter of a feted king and a much-admired queen, this royal Kate seemed destined for a crown of her own. But when civil war once more erupted in England, she found herself on the wrong side of royal favour and ended up a countess instead. This is the story of Katherine of York, one of the last Plantagenet princesses. Katherine was born on August 14th, 1479, at Eltham Palace in…
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FeaturesHistory

20 June 1837: Waking up Queen Victoria

On 20 June 1837, Princess Victoria of Kent was awoken in her bedroom at Kensington Palace, writing later in her journal entry for that day, in which significantly the proud new word ‘alone’ features intermittently (also underlined), we read: “I was awoke at 6 o’clock by Mamma, who told me the Archbishop of Canterbury and Lord Conyngham were here and wished to see me. I got out of…
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FeaturesHistoryPrince & Princess of Wales

A look back at the christening of Prince William

It was 4 August 1982. The IRA had recently set off bombs in Regent’s Park and Hyde Park, and just a few weeks before that, the infamous Michael Fagan incident occurred, when a man managed to break into Buckingham Palace and entered The Queen’s bedroom. But a happier royal event that summer was the christening of Prince William. Like his father, Prince Charles, Prince William was…
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