In October 1972, nearly a little over 20 years into her record-breaking reign, The Queen made history as she made her first state visit to a communist country, Yugoslavia.
Dictator Marshal Josip Broz Tito personally asked Her Majesty to come in honour of his 80th birthday. During the visit, she was accompanied by her husband, the Duke of Edinburgh, and their daughter, then-22-year-old Princess…
The ruler who has just been overtaken by The Queen
9th May 2022
Queen Elizabeth II has just overtaken Johann II of Liechtenstein as the third-longest verified reigning monarch in history. But who exactly is Johann II?
Born 5 October 1840 in Elsgrub, Margraviate of Moravia in the Austrian Empire, Johann II was the elder son of Aloys…
Jamaican campaigners are criticising the £42,000 (JMD $8 million) cost of the visit by the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge earlier this year.
The visit was made as part of Queen Elizabeth’s Platinum Jubilee celebration. The campaigning group, Advocates Network…
Milestones of a Monarch: The Rhodesia crisis
6th May 2022
Maybe you have heard of Rhodesia, an unrecognised state in Southern Africa from 1965 to 1979. It dissolved on 1 June 1979 and is now in the territory equivalent to modern Zimbabwe. Before all of that happened, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II was Queen of the state.
Rhodesia was the de facto successor state to the British colony of Southern Rhodesia, which had been self-governed since 1923, when…
In May 1982, Pope John Paul II visited the United Kingdom marking the first visit there by a reigning Pope.
The visit was organised and largely funded by the Roman Catholic Church. It’s estimated it cost around £7 million at the time. This visit would be a…
Elizabeth II hosts her first State Visit as Queen
2nd May 2022
Throughout The Queen’s seventy year reign she has hosted dozens of world leaders on State Visits. And it all began with a meeting with friends in 1954.
In June that year, Her Majesty welcomed King Gustaf VI Adolf and Queen Louise of Sweden as they made the first…
On 30 July 1966, an estimated audience of 32.3 million viewers tuned in to watch the World Cup Final between England and West Germany at Wembley Stadium. Of the thousands who got to watch the match in person were The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh were in attendance.
The match went into overtime as German player Wolfgang Weber scored an 89th-minute equaliser to tie the game. England went on…
Camilla makes debut performance as patron of National Theatre
28th April 2022
Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall has made her debut as the new patron of the National Theatre.
The Duchess was given the patronage last month by Her Majesty The Queen after the Duchess of Sussex lost it as she exited her role as a senior royal in 2020. The ole belonged to…
The Queen presents Mother Teresa with the Order of Merit
26th April 2022
In November 1983, Queen Elizabeth II presented an honourary Order of Merit to Mother Teresa in recognition of her outstanding service to humanity. The Nobel Peace Prize winner became the fifth non-British citizen to win the Order.
During the simple ceremony on the lawn of…
Cricket, parrots and the Commonwealth Games: Edward and Sophie continue their Caribbean tour
25th April 2022
As the Earl and Countess of Wessex continued their royal tour of the Caribbean, day two brought a mixture of two things that you wouldn’t think go together, parrots and cricket.
The Earl met Commonwealth Games athletes as he watched a race held in honour of the Platinum Jubilee and a T10 women’s cricket match at Arnos Vale Playing Field. While at the match he presented the trophy…