Features

The portrait of a beautiful queen loomed large over King Felipe today. The royal in question was his great grandmother, Victoria Eugenia, who had to leave Spain when her husband, King Alfonso XIII, was forced into exile. She only returned when Felipe was born to act as his godmother. Now, her story is being told in a huge new exhibition in Madrid and it’s quite a tale. In fact, it’s hard to…

Queen Mary acquired many of the famous jewels that form the collection of the Royal Family. One of her choker-style emerald and diamond necklaces has become one of the most iconic pieces in the jewellery box and it was brought right into the 21st century by the Princess of Wales. However, it began life over a century earlier when it became a favourite piece of Queen Mary. Mary loved jewels and…

King Charles was in the middle of a visit to Northern Ireland when people in another part of his realm were told, wrongly, that he had died. On a sunny May morning, the audience of Radio Caroline heard the music stop and a sombre announcement intone that Charles III was no more. The mistake was realised fairly quickly, an apology was issued and much confirmation that The King was still alive and…

It is one of the most symbolic pieces of jewellery in the royal collection and it took centre stage as Queen Camilla arrived at the Houses of Parliament for the State Opening of Parliament. This was one of the most anticipated openings in recent years, coming at a time of political turmoil, but the febrile atmosphere at Westminster was put in the shade, briefly, by the dazzling diamond coronet…