In the British Museum, there is a locket
containing hair traditionally said to be that of Marie Antoinette,
Queen of France and Navarre. Donated to the museum as part of the
Hull Grundy Gift (Gere, Charlotte; Rudoe, Judy; Tait, Hugh; Wilson,
The Art of the Jeweller, A Catalogue of the Hull Grundy Gift to the
British Museum, Vol 1-2, London, BMP, 1984), the locket was
formerly held at the…
“For dear Miss Jackson, with loving Xmas
wishes from Alix, 1900”. With these words, inscribed as a
dedication in pencil and today preserved in a frame of its own,
Tsarina Alexandra Feodorovna of Russia (1872-1918) sent her
Christmas gift of 1900 to Miss Margaret…
In the Royal Ceremonial Dress Collection
at Kensington Palace is preserved one of the most important wedding
dresses in British history. Worn by Princess Charlotte (1796-1817)
for her wedding on 2 May 1816 in the magnificent Crimson Drawing
Room at Carlton House to Prince…
Following the success of his first debut
in Munich, playing for the musically-gifted Elector Maximilian III
Joseph of Bavaria, the six-year-old Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart set out
for the imperial court of Vienna, arriving on 6 October 1762. He
was accompanied by his parents, Leopold Mozart and Maria Anna
Mozart, as well as his elder sister, Maria Anna ‘Nannerl’ Mozart.
The concert that the young…
Mozart’s musical debut, anticipating his
journey to the imperial court at Vienna by seven months, took
place, somewhat predictably, before royalty. This was, had he known
it, the beginning of what would prove to be many performance-based
trips throughout Europe…
Louisa, fifth and youngest daughter of
George II and Queen Caroline, was Queen of Denmark and Norway from
1746 until her premature death five years later, in Copenhagen in
1751. Today in Great Britain, Louisa is a
virtually forgotten figure – overshadowed by her mother…
Snow has provided enjoyment for countless
generations of children and adults alike; royalty, of
course, is no exception to this time-honoured rule. English
monarchs have wintered at Windsor since the twelfth century.
Windsor Castle was the preferred royal residence in whichto spend
Christmas for Queen Victoria during Prince Albert’s lifetime,
Osborne House being chosen on occasion only…
Lady Charlotte Fitzroy, was – as her name
suggests – the daughter of a King, but not by his queen. Charles
II’s queen, the Portuguese-born Catherine of Braganza, was
apparently barren and miscarried after six years of childless
marriage in 1688. This is something which…
At St George’s Chapel, Windsor is a
remarkable Oriel Window which has a fascinating history of its own
and a unique connection with royal weddings. The high, wooden Oriel
Window on the north side of the altar was added in the 1510s when
Henry VIII made the Edward…
A plaque can be found in the garrison
walls at Portsmouth at the location of the old ‘Sally Port’. Its
patriotic inscription proclaimsthat “from this place naval heroes
innumerable were embarked to fight their country’s battles” but
that also, “near this spot, Catharine of Braganza landed in state,
May 14 1662 previous to her marriage with Charles II at the Domus
Dei a week…
