HistoryInsight

Royal Portraiture: Propaganda Painting

Today, images of the Royal Family are everywhere. As technology advances, we can instantly retrieve images of any member of the Royal Family, both in private and outperforming their royal duties. Now, because of this, the members of the royal family can be recognized instantly. However, this was not always the case, many of the royal portraits released by monarchs of the past were not very…
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Insight

Just why is Queen Mary I known as 'Bloody Mary'?

While King Henry VIII lived, his greatest fear was dying without a male heir to the throne. As it turns out, he needn’t have worried, for when he died in 1547, King Henry was succeeded by his son Edward VI. But the new King Edward was very frail and sickly boy of nine…
FeaturesInsight

By Royal Appointment: The Queen and her handbag

Sam Launer came to England from Czechoslovakia as a Jewish immigrant and founded the company of Launer around 1941. He brought with him an idea that is as important to the company today as it was then: leather goods should be elegant, be formed out of the best materials available and made by highly skilled craftspeople. Launer championed British, handmade goods at a time when others in the…
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Insight

On Holiday with The Queen

On Monday 10th August, Queen Elizabeth II arrived for her annual summer holiday at the Scottish retreat of Balmoral Castle. For the next two months, she will reside at this 50,000-acre estate in Aberdeenshire. Originally purchased in 1852 by Queen Victoria and Prince Albert…
Insight

The Harry Potter series and its quirky 'connections' with royalty

If, like me, you are a massive fan of all things Harry Potter, then I am sure you would have visited the dedicated Wikipedia site to all things related to the boy wizard and his world. Just recently I visited the site and was surprised at how much thought had been put in to the connections between the magical world and the history of our Royal Family, it truly was astounding and I just had to…
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Insight

Highclere Castle: not just Downton Abbey

Highclere Castle, located in England’s southern county of Berkshire, is the seat of the Earl of Carnarvo,n and has been owned by the Herbert family since 1679. The history of the estate may be traced back some 1,300 years when owned by the Bishops of Winchester. George…
Insight

The Queen's Dressmaker: Angela Kelly

Part of the job of being royal is dressing the part and Queen Elizabeth II has never disappointed when it comes to choosing the right thing to wear. Whether she is entertaining guests at a glittering state banquet or performing a royal walkabout, Her Majesty The Queen always looks very elegant and beautiful. Much of this is due to her lovely dresses that never fail to entrance and enchant but…
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