When you think of royal castle’s, what is the first thing that comes to mind? Windsor Castle? Warwick Castle? Balmoral Castle? One is sure that when you think of a royal castle, Kenilworth Castle isn’t the first that springs to mind however this Warwickshire fortress was and is one of England’s most magnificent fortifications. It once stood at the heart of a vast hunting ground…
There are records of a Frost Fair on the River Thames dating back to as early as the Winter of 1607 though they really became a popular event as the 17th century was drawing to an end. Though just what is a Frost Fair I hear you ask? Well they are exactly what they sound…
The stories of Queen Victoria's granddaughters: Princess Marie Louise of Schleswig-Holstein
12th August 2015
In the winter of 1900, Princess Christian of Schleswig-Holstein fled in a panic from Cumberland Lodge, clutching an alarming telegram. Arriving at Windsor Castle, she frantically explained to her mother, Queen Victoria, that the Duke of Anhalt had tersely demanded that her…
It is fitting that this Hessian granddaughter of Queen Victoria was christened ‘Irene’ – a name meaning “peace” – an appropriate choice in more ways than one, as her character and the circumstances of her birth would prove. Perhaps the one of Princess Alice’s surviving daughters about which least is known, she was destined to outlive all her immediate family, dying in 1953.
Princess…
It is one of the most popular nursery rhymes in this country though not many people know the true origins of Ring-a-ring of Roses. The rhyme was first sung during the Great Plague of 1665 and perfectly summed up the symptoms of this devastating disease.
“Ring-a-ring of…
Princess Margaret Victoria Augusta Charlotte Norah of Connaught was born on 15 January 1882 at Bagshot Park in Surrey. She was baptised in the Private Chapel of Windsor Castle on 11 March 1882 by The Archbishop of Canterbury.
Princess Margaret of Connaught, Crown Princess…
The plague had been around in England for centuries though never had it hit London so hard than during the reign of the House of Stuart, 1665 to be precise. The summer of 1665 was an extremely hot one in England and while the population of London was increasing at a dramatic rate, people were living in squalor and the only way to get rid of rubbish was to throw it out on to the streets, both…
Henry I saw his worst nightmare come true on 25 November 1120. His only son and heir to the Kingdom of England drowned in the White Ship disaster. Without a son, he turned to his only surviving legitimate child, Matilda. Young Matilda had been married to the Holy Roman…
This autumn, the heart of a Queen and British-born princess will be laid to rest in Romania. Born in Kent as Princess Marie of Edinburgh, the second child and eldest daughter of Prince Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh and Grand Duchess Marie Alexandrovna, daughter of Tsar Alexander…
Her Majesty The Queen is the epitome of grandeur and magnificence. She lives in the lap of luxury, and is always impeccably dressed, and surrounded by splendour. Which makes it hard to believe that there was a time when her ancestors, Kings of England themselves, spent months on end living in squalor, wallowing in mud, and eating food that was barely fit for animals.
And yet they did, for those…
