Royal News

Did Queen Victoria and Prince Albert really introduce the Christmas tree to Britain?

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24th December 2024
Prince Albert is generally credited with introducing the Christmas tree to Britain, but in fact, it was the work of his wife’s grandmother, Queen Charlotte. Like Prince Albert, Charlotte was born and raised in Germany, where the tradition of bringing a tree inside at Christmas time, decorated with lights and sweets, is believed to date back to the 16th century. As a child, Charlotte’s family…
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The lost tombs of three historic queens

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18th March 2024
The site of Christchurch Greyfriars, is a strange, haunting place, redolent of history. It is now a ruined, public garden and a popular place for Londoners to take their sandwiches for lunch. Long gone is the atmosphere of bells and prayer from the Middle Ages; although in…
Features

The weddings of Queen Victoria's children

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14th March 2024
Of the nine children of Queen Victoria’s children, one daughter married in London another on the Isle of Wight and one son in St. Petersburg. The remaining six married at Windsor, five at St. George’s Chapel and one in the Private Chapel at Windsor Castle. The College of St. George was founded in 1348 and is inextricably linked with the Most Noble Order of the Garter, one of the oldest…
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Queen Victoria's winter sledge

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21st December 2023
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…
Features

A royal history mystery: who was brave enough to throw a snowball at Henry VIII?

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18th December 2023
While modern royal Christmas celebrations take place at Sandringham, for hundreds of years it was Windsor Castle that was the preferred setting for the festive celebrations of kings and queens. Victoria and Albert loved to spend the season there but they were only following the pattern of dozens of monarchs. Whilst the German Christmas was much popularised by Prince Albert, the preference…
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Features

The snowy romance of a Victorian royal Christmas

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12th December 2023
It was during the reign of Queen Victoria that many interpretations of modern Christmas traditions took hold. The Royal Family was at the heart of some of them with Victoria and her husband, Prince Albert, seen to popularise the Christmas tree. Prince Albert was an enthusiastic skater. And the romance of a snow draped festive season was integral to Victoria’s Christmas season. By the…
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