Other duties include looking after
Buckingham Palace’s Grand entrance, where they supervise the
arrivals and departures of various individuals such as ambassadors
and others that Her Majesty may receive. The Pages are responsible
for the Privy Purse Door where the infamous Red Boxes arrive daily
as well as people who have business with members of the Royal
Household. The Pages also oversee the…
On the 17th November 1558 the first
English Queen Regnant, Queen Mary I, died at St James’ Palace.
At her funeral service, the Bishop of Winchester summed up her
life quite aptly: “She was a King’s daughter, she was a King’s
sister, she was a King’s wife. She…
The Title ‘Scarlet Rod’ is from the
characteristic insignia of the office which is a long silver gilt
rod. The shaft is covered with scarlet enamel that signifies the
mantles of the Knights and Dames Grand Cross of the Order. The
holders of the office have been senior…
William and Adelaide’s marriage proved to
be a happy one. Both King and Queen were popular with the British
public, and Adelaide even more so, for her modesty and charitable
nature. Curiously, Adelaide was the only Georgian Queen to survive
her husband, and, as Dowager Queen, she lived well into the reign
of Queen Victoria. Adelaide of Saxe-Meiningen was born on 13th
August 1792, and was the…
Perhaps the best remembered Percy is
Henry 'Hotspur', who first served and then rebelled against King
Henry IV, before being slain in battle. Henry ‘Hotspur’ Percy
(henceforth referred to just as Hotspur to avoid confusion with any
other Henry Percy) was born…
The Wives of the Georgian Kings: Maria Fitzherbert & Caroline of Brunswick
8th November 2014
Firstly, let’s look at George’s ‘secret’
wife, Maria Fitzherbert, in further detail. Born Maria Smythe, she
was the eldest daughter of Mary Ann and Walter Smythe, the son of a
knight. Maria was raised as a Roman Catholic, and received an
adequate education at a…
Although their marriage was, in broad
terms, quite a happy one, their wedding day was far from a joyous
occasion. Mary, a mere 15 year old girl, is said to have wept
continuously throughout the ceremony, and the arranger of the
marriage, King Charles II, is reported to have behaved like a joker
at the event, making silly jests and seeking attention. The Bishop
of London, Compton, performed the…
Caroline of Ansbach was born on 1st March
1683. Her parents were John Frederick, the Margrave of the small
German state of Ansbach, and his wife Eleonore. Her father died
when she was only three years old, and Caroline and her younger
brother had to accompany their mother to…
The first royal wife in this five part
series is Sophia Dorothea of Celle – the Queen that never was. She
married George I at a time when he was still only the heir to the
Duchy of Hanover. The couple had two children, including the future
King George II, but their…
There has been a long tradition of
writing and illuminating court documents and letters, thankfully
this continues. Although less so today some are still produced
completely by hand, for example those appointments to people
of great office such as High Court Judges, Officers of Arms etc.,
and especially titles given to members of the Royal Family.
All get a hand written, painted and illuminated…
