Plenty of Europe’s royals have attempted
to scale the heights at the Olympic Games But it doesn’t mean
you’re going to end up on the podium either. There have been
just a handful of royal medallists in the history of the Games, but
that hasn’t stopped the regal athletes making the biggest
headlines. The gold medal for highest profile with no royal wins
has to go to Britain where no one…
Fiji was suspended from the Commonwealth
in 2009 after it refused to go ahead with elections that
year. The Fijian government says the decision is recognition
of the progress Fiji is making towards the introduction of its
first genuine democracy with elections to be held…
Princess Madeleine of Sweden has named
her daughter after her Welsh born great aunt While Ulrike Eleonora,
queen regnant and queen consort of the country in the 18th century,
is quite possibly the inspiration for the first name chosen by
Princess Madeleine and Chris…
Military Ravens The Tower of London is
one of the most famous places in the United Kingdom. It is also
home to some of the most bizarre customs in the world. Thanks to a
decree by King Charles II, at least 6 ravens must be kept at the
Tower of London – a move made by the King when he considered doing
away with the Tower ravens and was warned by a courtier, “if
the Tower of London ravens are…
Whilst the eventual move to expel the
remaining hereditary peers from the House of Lords as well as moves
to completely reform the house and remove all traces of the peerage
from this historic chamber is drawing ever closer, many say the
peerage is gradually losing its…
The Duke of Wellington and Lord Nelson
are among the most famous historic lords who won their fame (and
titles) through military success. Some peers were not famous for
heroic military action, however. James Scott, the Duke of Monmouth
led the Monmouth rebellion against King…
For centuries, the nobility have played a
role in creating the laws of the land. From the early days of the
Barons under King John who forced him to sign Magna Carta to the
modern day with the Lords being able to veto legislation coming
from the Commons if not agreed upon by a majority in the Lords. The
significance of the House has changed, though the significance of
its history remains…
Under English common law, a wife
traditionally takes her husband's name and rank upon marriage and
as a title legally forms part of one's name in most cases, titles
within the Royal Family work in much the same way as if an untitled
couple were to marry and the…
Part 2 of the Story of the Peerage
series), I will explain everything you need to know about the Lords
and Ladies of the United Kingdom. As discussed in Part 1, there are
5 ranks in the peerage. They are, in descending order, Duke
(Duchess); Marquess (Marchioness); Earl…
The origins of the peerage are not as
obscure as one may think at first thought. In fact, documents
dating back over a thousand years have helped historian piece
together exactly how we have managed to get to where we are today
with the nobility. Earls were one of the earliest example of
nobility in England. First recorded in during the time of the
Anglo-Saxons, it was the earls who acted as…
