In a royal decree yesterday, King Tupou
IV of Tonga has dissolved the national parliament and called for a
new snap election to be held a year early on 16 November. The
sudden decision will be one of the first major tests of the island
nation’s young democratic system. The Kingdom of Tonga held its
first major democratic elections in 2010, which for the first time
saw the majority of seats…
A long battle to keep one of Queen
Victoria’s most magnificent jewels in the UK seems to have been
won. The Queen’s sapphire and diamond coronet is now heading to the
Victoria & Albert Museum in London after it was bought and donated
by an Irish-American hedge fund…
The Order of Canada was established by
Her Majesty The Queen, as Queen of Canada, as part of the creation
of a Canadian honours system unique to the country and the
reduction of the use of British honours within the realm. The Order
of Canada recognises outstanding…
Her Majesty The Queen, since her birth in
1926, has been granted the use of numerous official and unofficial
titles and styles befitting her position as a child of a royal
Duke, the heir presumptive to the throne, the spouse of a royal
Duke and as Sovereign. Although The Queen is known as, simply ‘The
Queen’ or ‘Elizabeth II’ by her subjects, this is an oversimplified
version of her royal…
The Swedish Laurel Wreath Tiara easily
stands out among a collection of impressive Swedish pieces. Despite
the classical laurel leaf motif being common among royal jewellery
throughout Europe, this piece is uniquely elegant with its tall
profile of double rows of diamond…
Ever since His Imperial Majesty, Emperor
Akihito, formally announced his intention to abdicate the Japanese
throne in a rare televised address last year, the island nation of
Japan has been somewhat abuzz with speculation as to what exactly
such an occurrence would…
Those following the visit of the Duke and
Duchess of Cambridge to Warsaw last week may have observed the
Duchess playfully suggesting that they should try for a third
child, in response to the number of gifts they had received for
Prince George and Princess Charlotte from dignitaries and
well-wishers. While the sentiment was most probably lighthearted,
it seems that one organisation is a little…
They have never met their grandmother,
but they surely know a good deal about her. Prince William has
revealed that bedtime stories for his children feature some
poignant memories from the life of his late mother, Diana, the
Princess of Wales. Speaking in a special ITV…
Handing over the handset to Harry, little
did a 15-year-old William know this was the last time he would hear
his mother’s voice. Nor did his younger brother realise he would
never have another chance to cut the phone call short. The two
princes have recalled with regret…
He has been in office for seven years,
but Her Majesty’s representative in Canada will most likely be
remembered for a spontaneous reaction he made very late in his
tenure. Embed from Getty Images Canada’s Governor General David
Johnston has come out to defend himself after appearing to breach a
royal protocol by touching the Queen. As she departed the Canada
House in London on…
