European Royals

The queen whose crown faded after only a month

She was the ‘May Queen’ whose reign lasted little more than a month but left its mark in royal history. Marie-Jose was always a bit of a maverick who had her own views and no fear of sharing them. Those opinions would become a saving grace for the dynasty she married into when she became its one public dissenting voice against the fascism taking over their country. But…
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How many of Henry VIII's queens were crowned?

‘Divorced, beheaded, died; divorced, beheaded, survived.’ That sad little rhyme, summing up the fates of Henry VIII’s six wives, is familiar to many. But while just about everyone knows that the monarch with a thing for wedding cake said ‘I do&#8217…
Features

The royal links of an historic church in the shadow of a world famous abbey

It’s hosted dazzling and trend setting royal weddings but St. Margaret’s Church at Westminster is always in the shadows for it stands, quite literally, beneath the world famous abbey. It traces its history back to pre Conquest times but the current building on the site is a Tudor creation with plenty of tales to tell. It hosted one of the most glamourous royal weddings of the…
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Features

Mary of Waltham, a tragic teenage royal bride

On an autumn day, in 1344, a little girl was born to a famous king and queen. She entered the expected role of a royal daughter from birth as her future husband, an important political ally, was already living in the regal nursery she would call home. This royal baby spent…
Features

The unhappy royal love story that led to the imprisonment of the Princes in the Tower

She was the long dead widow who was used by a king to overthrow his own nephew and yet her name is all but forgotten today. Eleanor Butler was the woman who helped change the royal history of England forever and almost brought one of its most famous dynasties to disaster before they had even secured the throne. But was she also Queen of England? Eleanor never claimed a crown for herself but as…
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Features

Unexpected contender in royal hat of the year stakes their claim

Hats may fall into and out of fashion but there’s one set of people who are always expected to top off their outfits with such style statements and that’s royalty. And as autumn approaches, a rather unexpected contender for royal hat of the year has staked their claim to the 2023 title. However, she has her dad to thank for her sartorial choice becoming public knowledge. As…
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