History

A German Princess's memories of Queen Victoria

To Queen Victoria, she was ‘dear Marie Erbach’. That was what the Queen called Princess Marie of Battenberg, later Princess zu Erbach-Schönberg, whose memoirs first appeared in English in 1925, printed by London publishers George Allen & Unwin. Princess Marie Karoline of Battenberg was born in 1852 and married in 1871 Gustav Ernst, Count, later Prince zu Erbach-Schönberg (1840-1908). She…
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HistoryInsight

Finding Queen Victoria's perfume

Queen Victoria’s use of perfume is a subject of interest because of what it reveals about both her personal toilette and tastes. An equivalent in scent perhaps, of that distinctive signature we know so well on paper, adding an ‘I’ for ‘Imperatrix’ after she was…
Insight

Balmoral to mark bicentenary of the birth of Queen Victoria

The Balmoral Castle, Queen Victoria’s beloved Highland home and still Scottish home to the British Royal Family since 1852 when it was purchased for the Queen by Prince Albert, having been leased in 1848, some six years after the Queen and Prince’s first visit to Scotland, in 1842. The architect chosen for the rebuilding of Balmoral was William Smith, City Architect of Aberdeen and the…
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History

A gift from Imperial Russia?

In the German spa town of Bad Nauheim in Hesse, hangs a present – by tradition – from Imperial Russia. It is to be found within the solemnly beautiful church, the Reinhardskirche, in the old town quarter, built between 1732/33. Like many baroque churches whose…
History

Royal Windowpanes

The regal tradition of scratching signatures in windowpanes is long established and well known. The windows – particularly when in rooms of royal residences – formed a kind of living ‘guestbook’, often accompanied by the date the visit or signature, was made. These…
HistoryRoyal Weddings

Royal Wedding Rewind: Who were The Queen's bridesmaids?

The wedding of Princess Elizabeth to Prince Philip in November 1947 was a day of celebration in post-war Britain. The ceremony was broadcast to a worldwide audience of approximately 200 million people and as the princess arrived at Westminster Abbey with her father, King George VI, she was attended by eight bridesmaids. Embed from Getty Images HRH Princess Alexandra of Kent The daughter of the…
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History

Royal Births - The Attendance of Politicians

Royal births in modern times now take place with a great degree of privacy for both the parents and newborn, but this compares drastically with royal births throughout history. One of the most significant changes is that they do not now require the attendance of a…
History

10 Question and Answers on Princess Vicky

QUESTION 1: WHO WAS PRINCESS VICTORIA? Princess Victoria was eldest child and daughter of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom. ‘Vicky’ as she was known to family was born on 21 November 1840 at Buckingham Palace. Princess Vicky was an HRH from birth and as only child…
The Sussexes

Baby Sussex - Register reveals gifts from Royal Tour

As the Duke and Duchess of Sussex prepare for the impending arrival of their first-born, a gift register released last week by the Royal Family detailed the number of baby gifts received by the couple during their tour of Australia, Fiji, Tonga and New Zealand in the autumn of 2018. The couple announced the news that they were expecting their first child on the first day of the royal tour and…
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