Features

Which royals are buried at Canterbury Cathedral?

Canterbury Cathedral is the seat of the Archbishop of Canterbury, head of the Church of England and the mother church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The present structure was built between 1070 and 1077 replacing an earlier structure that had been destroyed by fire. The Cathedral and the nearby St Augustine’s Abbey and St Martin’s Church which both date from the 6th century are a…
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FeaturesHistory

Who was Queen Liliuokalani of Hawaii?

We know the American state of Hawaii as a tropical paradise with beautiful beaches and the original home of surfing. Less known is that Hawaii was, for nearly 100 years, an independent kingdom. United in 1795 by its first monarch, King Kamehameha I, known as “The…
Features

Who was Ealhswith, queen to King Alfred?

Fans of the Netflix series “The Last Kingdom” and the series of books by Bernard Cornwell, on which the series is based, will know the main character Uhtred of Bebbanburg. He is a fictional character; however, many events in the series based in ninth-century…
History

The lost prince whose death tipped England towards civil war

William Adelin was the only legitimate son and heir of King Henry I of England. His early death by drowning in an event known as the “White Ship Tragedy” would leave his father without a male heir and eventually lead to a period of civil war known as “The Anarchy”. William was born on 5 August 1103 in the old Anglo-Saxon capital of Winchester. He was the son of King…
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FeaturesLuxembourg

Twenty Years of Rule: Henri and his heir

The year 2020 hasn’t been a year of celebration for much of the world. However, the tiny European Grand Duchy of Luxembourg has had two reasons to celebrate. Reigning Grand Duke Henri celebrated 20 years on the throne, and his heir, Hereditary Grand Duke Guillaume and…
HistoryInterests

Who was Leopold III of Belgium?

Leopold III was the fourth King of the Belgians (the Belgian King is known as the King of the Belgians rather than King of Belgium). In the early years of his reign, he was a popular figure; however, he became a divisive figure after he surrendered the Belgian army to the invading German forces in 1940 without consulting his government. After the end of the war, he would eventually agree to…
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Features

Granny Knows Best: The grandparents of Harald V

King Harald V is the third king of modern Norway. He is the only son of King Olav V and Crown Princess Märtha (born a Princess of Sweden). This is the story of his four grandparents. They consist of the first king of modern Norway, an English princess, a Swedish prince and a Danish princess. His paternal grandfather and his maternal grandmother were brother and sister. Haakon VII, King of…
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