Lydia Starbuck

It was the last Windsor wedding of the 20th century and a turning point for the Royal Family after a troubled time. The bride chose a modern gown with nods to history and it soon became a classic. If ever a royal wedding dress summed up its wearer, it was the gown chosen by Sophie Rhys-Jones for her marriage to Prince Edward on 19 June 1999 at St George’s Chapel, Windsor. Subtle, elegant and…

It was a famous royal love story that shocked as much as it thrilled and its descendants still hold thrones today. John of Gaunt was the ultra-ambitious prince whose desire to be a king almost cost him his life, Katherine Swynford was the mysterious commoner who supplanted a queen in his affections. Their relationship lasted decades, survived a serious separation and ultimately led to the…

Victoria was the monarch who invented jubilees as we know them. The celebrations of 1887 and 1897 are among the most famous events of royal history and helped shape her legacy. But our modern minds assume there must also have been a silver version, for that is the pattern we are used to. Elizabeth II, the ultimate Jubilee Monarch, began her unprecedented run of anniversary celebrations in 1977 as…