The Louvre is one of the most-visited
museums in the world today with over eight million visitors
annually. However, it originally was the Palais du Louvre- a royal
residence on the Right Bank of the Seine. The first castle on this
site was built in the late twelfth century for Philip II. This
castle did not survive. The Lescot Wing, however, is the oldest
surviving above-ground piece of the…
There were several important pieces and
jewels on display at King Charles and Queen Camilla’s Coronation on
6 May 2023 at Westminster Abbey. Three stones, in particular, were
centre of attention in the Abbey when The Queen wore Queen Mary’s
crown. And the gems are…
King Felipe and Queen Letizia of Spain
have hosted author Luis Mateo Diez to present a literary prize. On
April 23rd, The King and Queen presented Diez with the 2023
Cervantes Prize. The Miguel de Cervantes Prize is the most
significant literary prize in the Spanish…
In the United Kingdom, one of the
monarch’s most important roles is that of Head of the British Armed
Forces. For King Charles, this is largely a ceremonial role where
decisions are made by the government and the leadership of the
armed forces. In many other countries, the head of state also
carries out this ceremonial role. There are several other monarchs
who are commander-in-chief of their…
The Prince of Wales has been made the
Great Master of the Most Honourable Order of the Bath. The
appointment was confirmed by Buckingham Palace in a statement on 23
April with several new honours for members of the Royal Family. The
Royal Order of the Bath is a military…
Queen Silvia of Sweden pulled out a
historic tiara for a State Dinner in Stockholm. King Carl Gustaf
and Queen Silvia are hosting the Finnish President for a State
Visit, and Queen Silvia chose a notable piece. She wore the
Nine-Prong Tiara, also commonly referred to as…
The Order of the Garter is the oldest
chivalric order in Great Britain. King Edward III founded the
Most Noble Order of the Garter. It was officially founded in 1348
but may date back to 1344. Reportedly he was inspired by King
Arthur and his Round Table of Knights, but he also may have drawn
on other European orders created at roughly the same time. Edward
and 25 Founder Knights created…
While most people tend to focus on the
first ten to twenty people in line for the British throne,
particularly when there is a new member of the family and the line
shifts, the line of succession is far longer than that. And there
are actually several monarchs of other…
11 April will be the 335th anniversary of
a very unique British coronation- the only joint coronation in
British history. Queen Mary II and King William III were crowned as
co-monarchs at Westminster Abbey after being offered the crown.
King James II became King…
here are a number of events in English
royal history that seem extraordinary and unbelievable, but the
warming pan scandal has to be at the top of the list. The son of
James II and Mary of Modena had a very interesting start to life
and would be questioned for decades. James II was not an overly
popular monarch; he was Roman Catholic (and was married to a Roman
Catholic), attempted to…
