The artworks by the fashionable German
portrait painter and historical artist Friedrich August von
Kaulbach (1860-1920) of Princess Alix of Hesse, later Tsarina
Alexandra Feodorovna and her elder sister, Elisabeth Feodorovna,
‘Ella’ Grand Duchess Sergei of Russia, provide, I think, a rare
insight into these two princesses who would both marry into the
Russian Imperial House of Romanov. Not…
It was 4 August 1982. The IRA had
recently set off bombs in Regent’s Park and Hyde Park, and just a
few weeks before that, the infamous Michael Fagan
incident occurred, when a man managed to break into Buckingham
Palace and entered The Queen’s bedroom. But a…
The art dealer and BBC Historian Philip
Mould has discovered what could be the earliest full-length
portrait of Elizabeth I as Queen. The painting is currently on
display at 18-19 Pall Mall after being restored. Art historians and
critics have been amazed by the painting…
For a woman who founded one of the most
famous royal dynasties in British history, she is surpisingly
enigmatic. Katherine of Valois was the first Kate to be Queen of
England and yet much of the modern imagining of her comes from her
fleeting appearance in the works of Shakespeare. But what little we
do know seems to indicate that the ‘fair Kate’ of Henry V was every
bit as ambitious…
At some point this summer, it’s likely
we’ll get another close up look of the best known replica
christening gown around. For when Prince Louis of Cambridge is
baptized, probably before the Royal Family’s summer break, he will
wear the intricate copy of the famous…
A portrait of the toddler Princess Alix
of Hesse by the Austrian painter George Koberwein caught my
attention back in 2004. Examining how it came to be painted was a
source of great interest to me, not least because the picture that
he produced of the baby princess, not…
The World Cup is about to get underway in
Russia with the England squad now at their training camp with royal
backing after the Duke of Cambridge visited them ahead of
their departure for the competition. We know there will be no
Windsor representation in the VIP stands this time around, but
royals and the contest have a long history. Three European monarchs
have done the honours and handed over…
Banbury Cross is of course, synonymous
with local Oxfordshire folklore for many, because of the popular
rhyme which has a ‘fine lady’ riding to it on her cockhorse.
Indeed, this is the main reason why many people know of the
existence of the Cross at all. Far less known…
In a year filled with royal excitement,
minds are already turning to what’s expected to be one of the
significant events of the summer, the christening of Prince Louis
of Cambridge. The youngest child of the Duke and Duchess of
Cambridge, born on 23 April at St. Mary’s…
A few weeks ago a memorial plaque which
was dedicated to the Welsh Princess Gwenllian went missing from its
usual location at the top of Snowdon. It has since been returned to
the Princess Gwenllian society by a local man named Rhys Jones, but
the plaque was found to be smashed. The thirteenth century Princess
is revered in Welsh history as she was the daughter of the last
sovereign Prince of…
