History

The Royal Coat of Arms Explained

The Royal Coat of Arms acts as the official coat of arms for the British monarch. The Royal Coat of Arms features a shield divided into four quarters. The quarters represent the symbols of Ireland, England, and Scotland. Wales does not play a role in the Royal Coat of Arms as when the Act of Union came about the Kingdom of Wales was already integral to England. The upper left and lower right…
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British RoyalsHistoryInsight

Looking Back at the Wedding of Princess Margaret and Antony Armstrong-Jones

On 6 May 1960, Princess Margaret became the first royal to marry in a televised ceremony when she married photographer Antony Armstrong-Jones in a glittering service at Westminster Abbey. Princess Margaret had been linked to several beaus, most notably her father’s and sister’s former equerry, Peter Townsend. After a tumultuous period of will-they-won’t-they, their relationship ended on 31…
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FeaturesHistoryInsight

The King who was killed by a monkey

Throughout history, many royals have died in brutal and bizarre ways. Royals have been killed in attacks, by illness and by accident. However, only one European royal has ever been murdered by a monkey. That is the Greek King Alexander, who died at 27-years-old in…
FeaturesHistoryInsightQueen Elizabeth II

145 Piccadilly: The Queen's Childhood Home

Following her birth on April 21 1926 at the home of her maternal grandparents at 17 Bruton St Mayfair, the baby Princess Elizabeth moved to the house that her parents, the Duke and Duchess of York, had takenat 145 Piccadilly W1. This would be the house in which she would spend the first years of her childhood, as well as White Lodge in Richmond Park.These were the residences where the…
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FeaturesHistoryInsight

The duties of an Elizabethan Lady-in-Waiting

In the early modern period, the allure of court life was more than desirable, which caused families to seek positions that were in service of the crown. It has been said that to be around a king and his court was like being next to the sun, but when away it was only darkness. For daughters of wealthy nobles, an appointment as a lady-in-waiting was highly sought after, with service to the queen…
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