I have a few pet peeves in life – people
who eat with their mouth open (or no table manners in general),
slow walkers in front of me, and when the Duchess of Cambridge gets
called ‘Kate Middleton’. While I fully understand that those who
are not royal watchers will get it wrong, major publications have
no excuse. This year will be the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge’s
5th…
Growing up in the shadow of a future
monarch must be hard. Firstly, while raised as a prince/princess,
it is a job that you may never fully fulfil. The chances of one day
being sovereign are very slim and society expects you to find a
career path to match their expectations…
On July 12th 1543, a rather low key royal
wedding took place. The groom was Henry VIII and his sixth wife was
Katherine Parr, a relatively unknown minor noblewoman who had risen
from daughter of a knight to Queen of England in thirty years. The
woman who became a…
True Plantagenet, The Life of Edmund
Mortimer is a historical novel published on the life of
Edmund Mortimer, fifth Earl of March. Edmund was born in to a life
of turmoil following the deposition of King Richard II and the
accession of Henry Bolingbroke, whose claim to the throne was
somewhat bogus. Edmund Mortimer’s claim to the throne was
considered far more superior than Henry’s…
The King’s Curse is quite simply an epic
read and Philippa Gregory, author of the acclaimed The Cousins War
series, tells the story of deposed royal, Margaret Pole, quite
spectacularly. Margaret Pole, Countess of Salisbury. Margaret Pole
is the daughter of George, Duke…
As summer draws to an end, there is a new
royal fashion queen in town and it’s not who you might expect. In
the quiet days of August, several polls have appeared telling us
who the most stylish royals are and one woman keeps floating to the
top of them. The Duchess of…
Many interviews, articles, and books were
published during Her Majesty’s Diamond Jubilee in 2012. There is
one individual who shared personal stories and not the kind that
may come into question as true. These stories were from someone who
has seen the transformation of a then Princess Elizabeth who become
Queen Elizabeth II. The stories are not “tell all” or secrets,
just…
It hasn’t even started yet and already
Great British Bake Off fever has returned to the UK with just about
everyone getting ready to go crazy again for meringues, macaroons
and marble cake. But while the twelve new stars of the
BBC One show will no doubt win…
Former King Farouk of Egypt once said
“The whole world is in revolt. Soon there will be only five Kings
left —the King of Spades, the King of Clubs, the King of Hearts,
the King of Diamonds, and the King of England.” Farouk’s quip left
out a number of crowned heads…
Backstairs Billy: The Life of William Tallon, the Queen Mother's Most Devoted Servant: your 90 second summer reading review
24th July 2015
For the eight-hour flight to London, I
thought why not read something easy to pass the time instead of the
usual history or biographies I read. Figured let’s see how
sensationalised the story of Backstairs Billy: The Life of William
Tallon, the Queen Mother’s Most Devoted Servant by Tom Quinn was.
Why not waste just a meager amount of money on a book I already
knew I had my…
