The piper though does not travel to
Sandringham and play due to the shortage of accommodations there.
At Windsor, Balmoral and Holyroodhouse, he also pipes at Her
Majesty’s dinner table. The piper is also in charge of forming the
entry and exit of the 12 pipes that play around the table after
State banquets. The Queen’s Pipe is also a Honourary Page of
Presence and carries out those duties…
In the previous instalment, we looked at
some Kings and Queens who succeeded their elder sibling and ruled a
country despite the odds. Now, in light of the
recent revelation that Prince George’s younger brother or
sister will arrive in April, here are some more rulers…
Black Rod, as he is known, is the Chief
Gentleman Usher to the Sovereign and an officer of the Order of the
Garter. The primary duties take place at the Palace of Westminster
where he is Serjeant at Arms in attendance upon the Lord
Chancellor. He is accountable for…
The 11th Duke of Marlborough, who
recently died on October 16th, left a widow, Lily. Now the Dowager
Duchess, over thirty years the Duke’s junior, she married him in
2008 and became his fourth wife and second duchess. It was she who
was instrumental in reconciling the Duke with his son, Jamie, now
the 12th Duke – for historically it seems that relationships have
rarely run smoothly in this…
Whether a State occasion or travel
between the Tower of London, Windsor, Hampton Court, Westminster or
Greenwich, the Thames was the means for travel and the men who
rowed the Royal barges up and down the river were known as the
Royal Watermen. Grand Ceremonial events often…
Until 1782, the office was one of great
political significance and held Cabinet rank. After 1924, the
office would change over as the government changed. The Lord
Steward was at one time head of his own department of the Household
that was in charge of the ‘below stairs’…
The route which Richard III’s remains
will follow before being reinterred in Leicester Cathedral has now
been revealed to the public. On Sunday 22nd March 2015, the last
Plantagenet King will make his final journey before being laid to
rest in the cathedral on Thursday 26th March. During the late
morning on 22nd March, the hearse of the King will leave the
University of Leicester, which is where…
The knee-length bloomers were one of a
number of items to be sold at auction this week. The overseas buyer
of Britain’s longest reigning monarch’s bloomers wishes to remain
anonymous, according to the auctioneer. A pair of silk stockings,
also belonging to Victoria, sold…
Our journey of influential queen mothers
continues with Cecily Neville, the mother of two King’s of
England. Cecily was born in 1415 with royal lineage that linked her
to John of Gaunt, King Henry IV and Edward III of England. By the
age of nine she was betrothed to…
Victoria faced the most assassination
attempts in centuries 5. In June 1850, Robert Pate became the fifth
person to make an attempt on Victoria’s life. Once more, her
children witnessed the attack – Bertie, Alice, and Affie – and this
time, Victoria was injured. Pate, a former army officer, waited for
Victoria in Picadilly, where she was visiting the dying Duke of
Cambridge, also her…
