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 outer exterior is plain and its
interior lavish with decorative detail, the simplicity of its
sacred architecture from the…
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…
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…
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 politician, or any other specified
observer, to confirm the legitimacy of birth. The tradition for a
politician to attend a royal birth…
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…
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…
When Prince Edward, the youngest child of
The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh, married Sophie Rhys-Jones in
June 1999, it was expected that he would be bestowed with a
dukedom, as is customary for the son of a monarch on the occasion
of marriage. It was instead announced that the Prince would become
the Earl of Wessex and Viscount Severn, and his new bride would be
known as HRH the Countess of…
When HM The Queen bestowed the title of
Duke of Cambridge on her grandson, Prince William, on his wedding
day in April 2011, it marked the recreation of a title that first
originated in the time of King Charles II. A dukedom is the highest
title in the British peerage system…
Moments that defined the British Monarchy – The abdication and scandal of Edward VIII
28th March 2019
On 20 January 1936, Britain’s King George
V died. George V was a popular monarch with strong public morals,
his son, the Prince of Wales acceded to the throne upon his
father’s death. He became King Edward VIII, a name chosen as
opposed to King David as there had been no…
Dukedoms have been bestowed on royal
males for hundreds of years, and each title carries with it a
history of some description. The most recent dukedom to be bestowed
by HM Queen Elizabeth was that of the Duke of Sussex – a title
given to Prince Harry on the occasion of his marriage to Meghan
Markle, in May 2018. Prince Harry is only the second royal male to
hold the title, and Meghan is the…
