Queen Victoria’s accession began with a
staircase. Fascinating to consider is the fact that this very
staircase survives at Kensington Palace and may be seen today. A
staircase had also played a part on another historic day in
Victoria’s life, much later. On 10 October 1839, the young Queen
stood at the top of the staircase at Windsor Castle, at half-past
seven in the evening, to receive her…
Hanging in the magnificent Waterloo
Chamber at Windsor is the state portrait of King William IV in his
Garter robes with the Garter and Bath collars, painted by Sir David
Wilkie for the King in 1832, that parliamentary historic year of
the Reform Act and also the year in…
The actor who plays George III in the hit
music Hamilton has been invited into the Windsor Castle library to
study documents on the King as academics aim to inspire others
to educate themselves about the historical figure. The Queen
recently launched a project to open the…
For some, Queen Victoria remains etched
into the popular memory as the monochrome royal widow, dressed in
black for the rest of her life, a black occasionally relieved by
the enormous white handkerchiefs which she often took around with
her, or the little lace cap, that became in a different way, a
symbol of her mourning. This, of course, is true. It is an image
the Queen firmly cultivated. But it…
The wooden dolls of the future Queen
Victoria have long been the subject of fascination. Perhaps this is
because we are fascinated by something so strongly associated with
the childhood of that Queen who to a large extent, still remains in
the historical imagination as…
Part of the Battle of Bosworth site to be built on by developers
26th September 2018
It’s where Richard of York gave battle in
vain, the place where English history changed forever. But now the
site of Battle of Bosworth is facing changes of its own after local
councillors gave the go ahead for a vehicle test track to be
constructed in the…
The period of Henry VIII is synonymous
with grandeur, elegant fashion and over the top celebrations.
Whether on progress or the war front, a sense of opulent
renaissance followed this Tudor monarch. Temporary lodgings were
always created that consisted of multiple chambers, including great
halls, all furnished with sumptuous tapestries. These
demonstrations of wealth and power were essential in…
It’s a striking example of royal PR at
its most dramatic and most powerful, and it’s about to go on public
display in England for the first time. The artwork, a tapestry
showing St Paul ordering the burning of heretical books, was
commissioned by King Henry VIII in the…
In the latest instalment of our autumn
series, looking at what led to the fall of various monarchies
throughout history, Royal Central looks at the end of the monarchy
in Portugal. On a chilly February day in 1908, the King of Portugal
and his family were making their way…
Who was Empress Dowager Cixi - one of the most powerful women in China's history?
17th September 2018
The Qing dynasty was the last imperial
dynasty to rule China, collapsing in 1912 amid rising social and
political instability. Ruling for almost three hundred years, the
Qing dynasty was one of the largest empires in the world, trebling
the amount of land under China’s control. After its fall,
modern-day China was established by Sun Yat-sen. While Sun Yat-sen
gets all of the credit for being…
