The Duchess of Cornwall has had a poem
specially written for her to mark her 75th birthday. Camilla is the
subject of The Living Proof by Roger McGough. The verses were
revealed by the poet just days before the Duchess’ milestone
celebration. The poem has been read for the first time at a special
lunch at the National Liberal Club in central London hosted by The
Oldie magazine. The…
As the long, dry summer of 1905 unfurled
across Britain, a prince was born, but his arrival was far from the
media event that the arrival of a new royal heralds today. On July
12th 1905, the Princess of Wales gave birth to her sixth child and
fifth son. But his arrival was…
Sixteenth century kings, even those that
had worked their way through a quintet of queens, had a somewhat
preconceived idea of what a consort should bring to their royal
marriage. Henry VIII might well have been in love with the idea of
love but he also had a concept of…
Henry VIII is famous for many things but
perhaps the most talked about is his penchant for weddings. The
king with six wives clearly enjoyed being married even if those he
tied the knot with ended up less than impressed. However, Henry
didn’t like to make a fuss about his weddings. He preferred a
discreet and often private ceremony and several of his brides
weren’t confirmed publicly…
In years to come, he might well hand out
the prizes at the world’s most famous tennis tournament himself.
But on a sunny summer’s afternoon, Prince George found himself
being presented with the winner’s trophy at Wimbledon. George was
given the chance to…
The Duchess of Cornwall has chosen some
rather unusual photo stars for her stint as editor of a magazine –
her two dogs. And Bluebell and Beth are dressed up for the
occasion. For their appearance on the famous frontspiece of Country
Life, known as the girls in…
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…
It’s one of the most potent symbols of
the record breaking reign of Elizabeth II and, as her Platinum
Jubilee year continues, it’s become a focal point for reflections
on her rule. The Coronation dress has come to life again in
different ways to mark this major…
Warm welcome at Wimbledon for the Duke of Kent as he makes first visit to Championships this year
8th July 2022
The Duke of Kent was given a warm welcome
to the All England Club when he took his seat in the royal box on
Centre Court for the first time this year. The Duke, who retired as
President of the Club in 2021, was at Wimbledon on the afternoon
that Britain’s top male…
The wedding of the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester and the tragedy that changed their lives forever
8th July 2022
It was a quiet country affair, far
removed from the pomp and ceremony we’ve come to expect from royal
weddings. The setting was an English parish church, the regal guest
list only filled a couple of pews, and the bride walked in several
minutes late carrying her own train to protect it from the rain.
The marriage of the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester, on 8 July 1972,
was a royal wedding with a…
