Queen Elizabeth II

'Congratulations!' A celebratory tune for The Queen as she hosts local volunteers on the eve of her Platinum Jubilee

With just hours to go until the 70th anniversary of her reign, The Queen has hosted a reception for community and volunteer groups at Sandringham House. There was cake, music and plenty of smiles as representatives from local charities, Little Discoverers which supports children with movement issues and delayed development, and West Norfolk Befriending, which aims to reduce social isolation by…
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Queen Elizabeth II

The Queen takes in Jubilee history as the final countdown for her Platinum celebrations begins

The Queen has come face to face with her royal history as she prepares to mark the 70th anniversary of her accession. Ahead of the moment her reign reaches 70 years, Her Majesty has been shown items from past Jubilees including special mementoes from her own historic anniversaries. The Queen enjoyed browsing through items from the Royal Collection related to Jubilees and brought together for…
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British Royals

George VI: the unexpected King who reshaped the British Monarchy

The death of George VI, on February 6th 1952, was unexpected and caused a wave of grief that would have been hard to predict when this shy man became king just sixteen years before.   King George, who was 56 at the time of his death, had been unwell and had looked unwell for some time.  But the news that he had passed away sent those he had ruled into shock – perhaps because he had won…
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British Royals

King George VI: the wartime king

”There may be dark days ahead…but we can only do the right as we see the right” The words of King George VI, spoken in 1939, still hold a resonance. They were part of his historic broadcast made as Britain went to war with Nazi Germany. His calm and…
Features

The day the Netherlands met a queen consort in waiting for the first time in a century

It was a wedding for the history books and thousands turned out to celebrate. When Willem-Alexander and Maxima married in 2002, the popularity that has mostly dominated their time as King and Queen of the Netherlands was on show for all to see as they were cheered throughout their special day by crowds across Amsterdam. The road to the altar hadn’t been smooth. Willem-Alexander was the…
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