Features

Tales of Tudor ghosts: Jane Seymour and the haunting of Hampton Court Palace

She was the queen who gave Henry VIII the son he so desired but Jane Seymour’s story had far from a happy ending. The consort died just a few days after presenting the Tudor monarch with his longed for male heir and is now said to haunt one of the most famous royal residences in the world – Hampton Court Palace. In the early hours of October 12th 1537, Henry VIII received the news…
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Features

King George III nearly had Uranus named after him

The discovery of Uranus in 1781 transformed our understanding of the Solar System, but the planet could have carried a very different name – one honouring a British king. When astronomer William Herschel identified the previously unknown planet, he proposed calling it Georgium Sidus, meaning “George’s Star”, in tribute to King George III. The suggestion reflected the close…
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Features

The royal jewel Queen Victoria refused to pass down through her family

A tiny gold ring worn by Queen Victoria during her infancy will be among the remarkable royal treasures going on display at Buckingham Palace next year. Known as Queen Victoria’s first ring, the delicate piece of jewellery features five emeralds arranged as the petals of a flower, surrounding a single ruby at its centre. The ring is one of more than 300 pieces of jewellery spanning five…
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Prince William and Kate defy the rain for one of the year's biggest royal occasions

The Prince and Princess of Wales joined King Charles and Queen Camilla in Windsor as the Royal Family welcomed the Sultan of Oman for a historic State Visit, with the senior royals braving wet weather for a spectacular carriage procession. William and Kate travelled in the third carriage alongside Sayyid Theyazin bin Haitham Al Said, Oman’s Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs…
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