The Duke of Kent was determined that his
unborn child – history’s Queen Victoria – should not be born
outside of Britain, to assure its right to succeed to the throne in
the British mind. As a true Hanoverian, he was the fourth son of
George III, the King who famously ‘glor[ied] in the name of
Britain’. Clearly, it was a step forward from the reign of George
I, who knew only faulty…
Six figure sum paid for Queen Victoria coin called 'most beautiful'
19th January 2019
It’s been dubbed one of the loveliest
coins ever minted and, almost two centuries after it was struck,
it’s making headlines again. A rare gold five pound coin, featuring
an idealised image of Queen Victoria in the early years of her
reign, has sold for a…
This weekend, Olivia Colman is up for
Best Actress at the Golden Globes for her portrayal of Queen Anne
in ‘The Favourite’, the first time anyone has been nominated for
playing the last Stuart monarch. Anne, who ruled between 1702 and
1714, hasn’t found favour with…
Queen Victoria’s winter sledge became
synonymous with the Windsor Christmas, at least during the lifetime
of Prince Albert, who is rightly credited with popularising
Christmas traditions in England, including that of the Christmas
tree. The royal trees were decorated with coloured wax candles,
sweets, toys and artificial snow, whilst the gifts exchanged by the
Royal Family were gathered beneath…
It’s one of the most famous events in
royal history, and now the wedding of Queen Victoria and Prince
Albert is being brought to life once more. A new TV programme,
presented by historian Lucy Worsley, will reconstruct the marriage
that began years of happiness for a…
In a continuation of our two-part series,
our Historian, Elizabeth Jane Timms, looks back at the death of
Prince Albert: The passing of the Prince Consort is, of course,
synonymous with the Blue Room at Windsor Castle, where it took
place, a room which I have researched for…
In a two-part series, our Historian,
Elizabeth Jane Timms, looks back at the death of Prince Albert:
Prince Albert, the beloved husband and Prince Consort of Queen
Victoria, died on 14 December 1861, at Windsor Castle. So enormous
were the consequences of this death, both for the British monarch
publicly and Queen Victoria privately, that we can sometimes
overlook the death itself, although any…
The onset of winter provides another
opportunity to look again at the links between the many fascinating
outdoor pastimes and pursuits enjoyed by royalty, which I touched
on in my article of December 2017, Snow and Royalty. Whilst the
German Christmas was much popularised by…
With the announcement that Frogmore
Cottage will become the residence of The Duke and Duchess of Sussex
at Windsor, it is perhaps interesting to briefly review Frogmore
Cottage’s history. Contrary to popular imagination, it is not the
first time that the building has…
The Story of the Effigies of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert
3rd December 2018
The effigy of Queen Victoria has its own
story. It rests next to that of the Prince Consort in the Royal
Mausoleum at Frogmore, one of the most remarkable buildings that
was ever to be built in Victorian Britain, constructed as a burial
place for Prince Albert and Queen Victoria. The recumbent effigy of
the Queen was made at the same time as that of Prince Albert,
although Queen Victoria was to…
