In 1888, a year whose numbering Queen
Victoria thought odd (‘Never can it be written again!’), her
daughter, the Princess Royal and Crown Princess of Prussia, had
become German Empress, prompting the proud words from her mother:
‘My OWN dear Empress Victoria… may God bless her!’ (cit., Elizabeth
Longford, Queen Victoria, 551). After a reign of a mere ninety-nine
days, her husband Emperor…
Frederick II, accorded the epithet ‘the
Great’ already during his own lifetime, had in fact, a whole other
life after death, aside from his legacy. The great King’s legend
stalks the eighteenth century like a gigantic historic shadow, much
as the oversize silhouette of…
It’s the hashtag to have this summer and
now the royals are part of the craze, too. England is awash with
wildflowers as the sun reaches its height with everywhere from
motorway verges to public parks going for the natural look. And now
Kensington Palace has shared its…
This summer, Royal Central is taking a
look at who’s who in the lines of succession around the world. And
our latest instalment takes us to Spain. By law, the line of
succession there is limited to the descendants of King Juan Carlos
I, a rule that remained unchanged following his abdication in 2014
in favour of his only son, Felipe. The law there also means
brothers always outrank sisters.
A fond tradition arose in the lifetime of
Benjamin Disraeli, Lord Beaconsfield, Queen Victoria’s two-time
Prime Minister, namely that of his receiving flowers, often
primroses from the Queen. To Disraeli, Queen Victoria was the
‘Faery’ – his endearing name for his…
Today we’re looking at the line of
succession to the Belgian throne. Current Monarch: King Philippe,
who succeeded his father, King Albert II, on 21 July 2013 after he
stepped down for health reasons. Photo: Laura Dekkers King Philippe
was considered by many…
In the Western manuscripts collection
held at the British Library are what are known as the Boyd
Carpenter papers, Vol. V, Add MS 46721: 1884-1917. This remarkable
collection of documents contain letters written in English from or
on behalf of various crowned heads of Europe or their consorts, as
well as other members of Europe’s ruling families. These letters
were written to William Boyd…
In the British Library five letters from
Princess Alix of Hesse, later Tsarina Alexandra Feodorovna of
Russia (1872-1918) are preserved. Initially, I thought there were
seven letters of hers at the British Library, but further research
has enabled me to establish that these…
The wedding cakes in Queen Victoria’s
family were magnificent examples of edible ceremony. Once they
reached the age of photography, they were faithfully recorded for
posterity. These images still have the power to enchant today, even
in long ago albums. Just looking at…
A charming photograph taken by Mary Steen
in the Queen’s Sitting Room at Windsor on 21 May 1895 shows an
elderly Queen Victoria knitting or crocheting, sat with her
youngest daughter, Beatrice, Princess Henry of Battenberg, who
dutifully reads the newspaper aloud to her mother whilst the Queen
listens, needles in her hand and a ball of wool at her feet. It is
a wonderfully domestic snapshot…
