William III and Mary II are an odd couple
in British royal history. They are our only joint sovereigns, so
far, and they swept to power in a series of events that were
romantically named the ‘Glorious Revolution’. The deal they did
with parliament to make themselves monarchs altered the way the
crown could be inherited for centuries. The couple set up two of
London’s most famous institutions…
Within the walls of one of England’s most
picturesque castles, a queen gave birth to her only child and set
in motion a chain of events that would become one of Tudor
England’s most intriguing mysteries. The birth had been much
anticipated and much talked about. The…
George I became an international name in
1714 when he became King of Great Britain and Ireland. Until then,
he was one of many German princes and dukes with their own patch to
rule but not much reason for the rest of the world to take notice
of them. George had acquired some…
Maria of Modena was born in October 1658
and is the last queen consort, so far, to have celebrated a
birthday in that month When being a queen meant that you had
married a king, rather than being a ruler yourself, life stories
were told very differently. The queens of yesteryear might have
ended up as some of the best known personalities of their time but
the start of their stories were often as…
October is truly the king of all the
autumn months as the leaves turn to gold and regal red and the
fading sun adds a gentle sparkle to all it touches. And it’s marked
the beginning of five royal roads that ended with a crown –
although all five monarchs had very…
William IV was the man who left his
throne to Queen Victoria, but he was king for just seven years and
heir to the throne for only three years before that. And yet he
holds the record, at the moment, as the oldest person ever to
inherit the British crown. William IV was a…
Prince Daniel of Sweden is a very rare
royal indeed. For at the moment he is the only man in Europe lined
up to be a prince consort to a queen regnant in waiting. While the
youngest generation of the continent’s royals is dominated by girls
who will grow up to rule, the next one up is filled with men who
will be king. So Daniel’s place in modern European royalty is
rather special indeed. He…
Honey golden sun and the sweet smell of
Mediterranean flowers – when the Ancient Greeks arrived in Malta
they called it ‘honey sweet’ and the Romans used the same
name for the island, Melita. In the 19th century, this
pretty and picturesque spot and the honey…
While the second birthday of Prince
George may have grabbed many of the headlines, he’s not the only
prince blowing out candles in this hot part of July. For as the
third in line to the throne goes to bed after lots of presents,
cake and partying there are two other royal…
It’s a week that the Swedish Royal Family
will never forget. Early this afternoon, Princess Madeleine gave
birth to a son. His arrival comes less than 48 hours after her
brother, Prince Carl Philip, married Sofia Hellqvist in Stockholm.
Princess Madeleine and her husband, Chris O’Neill, have welcomed a
son just hours after attending the Royal Wedding of her brother,
Prince Carl Philip (photo…
