Frederick II, accorded the epithet ‘the Great’ already during his own lifetime, had in fact, a whole other life after death, aside from his legacy. The great King’s legend stalks the eighteenth century like a gigantic historic shadow, much as the oversize silhouette of him prowls the terrace at his beloved refuge of Sanssouci, the palace he built for himself at Potsdam, as portrayed by the…
Emanuela Orlandi – the 15-year-old daughter of a Vatican clerk – went missing in 1983 when she failed to return home after a music lesson in Rome. The search for her continues to this day and her family recently received an anonymous letter saying that her body…
After the First World War, several of Europe’s monarchies fell, and among them were the German and Austrian-Hungarian Empires. While many of the royalty in these countries fled to other countries to live their lives in exile, others chose to remain in their country of…
A fond tradition arose in the lifetime of Benjamin Disraeli, Lord Beaconsfield, Queen Victoria’s two-time Prime Minister, namely that of his receiving flowers, often primroses from the Queen. To Disraeli, Queen Victoria was the ‘Faery’ – his endearing name for his Sovereign, whatever the intention of Edmund Spenser’s epic poem Faerie Queene. Disraeli told his friend, Lady Bradford, that…
Perched atop Castle Rock, the ancient volcanic plug that towers above the city of Edinburgh, sits the most besieged place in Britain.
Edinburgh Castle has served as a military fortress, royal residence, and prison of war, but today it stakes its claim as the most-visited…
They have been home to generations of royals who have carved their names in the history books and in 2019, their power to fascinate continues. A new survey has taken a look at the most popular regal residences in Europe and those belonging to the British royals take four of…
In the Western manuscripts collection held at the British Library are what are known as the Boyd Carpenter papers, Vol. V, Add MS 46721: 1884-1917. This remarkable collection of documents contain letters written in English from or on behalf of various crowned heads of Europe or their consorts, as well as other members of Europe’s ruling families. These letters were written to William Boyd…
In the British Library five letters from Princess Alix of Hesse, later Tsarina Alexandra Feodorovna of Russia (1872-1918) are preserved. Initially, I thought there were seven letters of hers at the British Library, but further research has enabled me to establish that these…
Most royalty have some kind of monogram. Most royals also have a personal and a family coat of arms. The monograms are for more personal use than the coat of arms, and therefore, we do not see them so often. In Norway, the case is that the King’s monogram is used by…
The wedding cakes in Queen Victoria’s family were magnificent examples of edible ceremony. Once they reached the age of photography, they were faithfully recorded for posterity. These images still have the power to enchant today, even in long ago albums. Just looking at these gorgeous cakes allows us to almost taste them by sight across the centuries. They were luscious creations. Rich in royal…
