In this new BBC Two three-part
documentary series, Professor Robert Bartlett reveals the dramatic
stories behind England’s longest ruling dynasty, the Plantagenets.
In the first episode, The Devil’s Brood, Professor Bartlett begins
his investigation into this complex dynasty by looking at the reign
of the peripatetic King, Henry II. Henry inherited his lands on the
Continent from his father…
The Walking With the Wounded teams
arrived at the South Pole on 13 December 2013 at 13:25 GMT after
three grueling weeks of walking and sled pulling. Temperatures on
the 200-mile journey dropped to -45C along with blustery and
sometimes rather dangerous wind conditions. The…
Although this appears to be a recent
phenomenon, it is in fact nothing new but rather a repetition of
the misconceptions and slanders repeated about him from the moment
that his engagement to Queen Victoria was announced. Even before he
arrived in England for his wedding in…
This week, a young girl with compassion
for a stranger’s tragedy received a priceless response to her
efforts from Her Majesty The Queen. In May of 2013, Fusilier Lee
Rigby was brutally murdered after being chased down by two men in a
car and was then stabbed and beaten to death. Immediately following
the crime, the men responsible proclaimed that the act was meant to
avenge Muslims that have…
The photograph was taken by Millie
Pilkington (the same photographer who took the personal photographs
of the wedding of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge in
2011) in the dining room at Bagshot Park, their family home.
Prince Edward, who is The Queen’s youngest son and…
The new state coach for the
Royal Family, which was completed in 2010 by
coachbuilder W.J. Frecklington, was originally a birthday
present for The Queen’s 80th birthday. However, various delays have
meant it has not yet been used. Frecklington decided to create
a…
Due to the nature of their work, Queen
Elizabeth and Prime Minister often meet, usually at Buckingham
Palace, or occasionally at a Downing Street function. The Monarch
also invites the serving Prime Minister to Balmoral every summer,
but it is unusual to see Her Majesty at Chequers, since her last
visit was 18 years ago. This makes Mr Cameron the first Prime
Minister to invite The Queen to his…
After historian Dr Suzannah Lipscomb
revealed the background leading up to Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn’s
courtship in the first episode of this series, in the next
programme of Henry and Anne: The Lovers Who Changed History she
discusses how a seven-year whirlwind romance…
Military Ravens The Tower of London is
one of the most famous places in the United Kingdom. It is also
home to some of the most bizarre customs in the world. Thanks to a
decree by King Charles II, at least 6 ravens must be kept at the
Tower of London – a move made by the…
Whilst the eventual move to expel the
remaining hereditary peers from the House of Lords as well as moves
to completely reform the house and remove all traces of the peerage
from this historic chamber is drawing ever closer, many say the
peerage is gradually losing its significance. The titles themselves
are not going anywhere though, it seems. Modernisation attempts to
help carry the hereditary…
