The Grand Duchess Vladimir Tiara is one of the most impressive pieces in The Queen’s tiara collection. It is one of her favourite tiaras and is frequently worn for different events. It is notable, not only for its sheer size and brilliance but for the fact that it can be worn with either 15 pearls or 15 emeralds hanging from the diamond circles. But how did it end up in the British Royal…
We all love a royal what if and perhaps one of the most intriguing of recent times revolves around the question of the king who renounced his throne for love. What if Edward VIII hadn’t abdicated? Who would be Monarch now?
There are two roads to go down here. The first…
They were the words spoken by a king as a country looked to him for inspiration and, legend has it, they were handed to him by the heir who would go on to make history. During Britain’s first Christmas of World War Two in 1939, George VI broadcast to the country and…
It is one of the most famous pictures in royal history, a moment when a Monarch and his people were completely united. As World War Two came to an end in Europe, King George VI and his family stood on the balcony of Buckingham Palace surrounded by the cheers of thousands. With them, the wartime Prime Minister, Winston Churchill, whose leadership had already made him a legend. On the 75th…
On May 8th 2020, the Queen will speak to her country and her Commonwealth to mark the 75th anniversary of Victory in Europe Day. Her own VE Day address will take place at 9pm, the exact time her father, King George VI, spoke as World War Two came to an end in Europe seventy…
In the days and weeks afterwards, King George VI and Queen Elizabeth visited many parts of England to see how people were beginning to tackle post war living. They were given a warm reception everywhere while some areas, like London’s East End, welcomed them as one of…
On May 7 1697, a fire broke out and destroyed much of the old royal palace in Stockholm. The castle Tre Kronor, or Three Crowns in English, is now only a footnote in history with the present royal palace of Stockholm built above the ruins of the old middle-aged castle that burned down over 320 years ago. But why exactly did the castle burn to ashes so mysteriously and suddenly?
Tre Kronor…
Was Prince William's tragic death kept secret from the Duke of Gloucester?
7th May 2020
The third son of King George V and Queen Mary, Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester was born on 31 March 1900.
He was the first son of a monarch to be educated at school and went onto study at Eton College.
His life was full of tragedy starting with not being able to…
It’s grand, unforgettable and we first saw it exactly sixty years ago. The tiara chosen by Princess Margaret for her wedding to Antony Armstrong-Jones in May 1960 has become iconic. In fact, it was such a successful pick, it begs the question – is…
Princess Louise, the sixth child and fourth daughter of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, holds an interesting spot in history. She supported higher education for women and feminist causes and was closely involved in the arts – not at all common for a Victorian princess. In opposition to her siblings, her mother wanted her to marry a British suitor rather than a foreign one. Louise married…
