The last King and Queen of Afghanistan
were exiled in 1973, and with the monarchy abolished, Afghanistan
became a republic. The last King of Afghanistan was Mohammed Zahir
Shah, who succeeded his father in 1933 at the age of 19, following
the latter’s assassination. The young King had been educated at an
English-language and later a French-language school in Kabul before
being sent to…
Born 29 April 1868, Alice Frederica
Keppel (née Edmonstone) was a British society hostess and a
long-time mistress and confidante of King Edward VII. Born in
Woolwich Dockyard, Kent, Alice’s father was the Superintendent at
the Dockyard and a retired admiral in the…
Charles II, the Merry Monarch, had
several different mistresses. However, one of these mistresses
stands out from the rest for several reasons- Barbara Villiers.
John Evelyn pronounced her the “curse of the nation”, and she would
hold sway over the Restoration court for…
King James II tends to be largely
ignored. Following his brother’s long Restoration reign and removal
during the Glorious Revolution for his Protestant daughter and
son-in-law, his reign can feel like a footnote in a lot of
discussions. And unfortunately, those in his life tend to get the
same treatment. While he might not have had the many, many
mistresses that his brother did, James did have a…
Louise Renée de Penancoët de Kéroualle,
Duchess of Portsmouth was born 5 September 1649 and is the daughter
of Guillaume de Penancoët, Seigneur de Kéroualle and Marie de
Ploeuc de Timeur. Nobles in Brittany, France, the family name is
derived from an heriess whom an…
Diane de Poitiers - the older mistress as an unofficial adviser
10th August 2021
There have been countless French royal
mistresses throughout the centuries, but some are better known than
others. Diane de Poitiers was brought back into the spotlight in
teen drama Reign in 2013 but has largely been forgotten in favour
of later mistresses. This…
Mary Boleyn: From royal mistress to spending the rest of her life in obscurity
9th August 2021
Mary Boleyn, known as Lady Mary, was born
circa 1499 in Blicking Hall, Norfolk. She was the sister of the
English queen consort, Anne Boleyn, whose family enjoyed a
considerable influence during the reign of King Henry VIII. [getty
src=”463974025″ width=”398″ height=”594″ tld=”com”] Mary was the
daughter of a rich diplomat and courtier, Thomas…
Several different royals have competed at
the Olympic games throughout the last century and a quarter. The
British Royal Family is well-known for their equestrian presence at
the games. However, there are several other European royals who
have taken part. King Olav V of…
On top of a small hill in southern Italy
is a completely unique building with a long royal history. Castel
del Monte, Italian for “Castle of the Mountain,” is a 13th-century
citadel situated by the village of Andria. The history of this
unique building started…
For the last millennium, royal mistresses
have played a substantial role at court – given that most royals
were not allowed to marry for love and instead served as strategic
national alliances. So it makes sense that in many marriages, one
or both partners would look elsewhere for their romantic
relationships, and Charles II was no exception. He had at least
seven different mistresses…
