Princess Charlotte of Wales was the queen
that Britain never had, and easily the most popular member of the
Royal Family during her lifetime. When she died in childbirth aged
just 21, she was deeply mourned by the British public, yet her
story is so often consigned to a footnote in history. Princess
Charlotte was the only child of the Prince Regent – later King
George IV – and his estranged…
Leopold III was the fourth King of the
Belgians (the Belgian King is known as the King of the Belgians
rather than King of Belgium). In the early years of his reign, he
was a popular figure; however, he became a divisive figure after he
surrendered the Belgian army to the…
This year marks thirty years since King
Baudouin of Belgium unexpectedly died while on holiday in Spain. He
was one of the most popular kings Belgium ever had. Even now, three
decades on, his memory is treasured. His nephew, King Philippe,
paid an emotional tribute to him as…
King Philippe is about to celebrate his
tenth anniversary on the throne of Belgium, with many successes
behind him that surprised his past detractors. Many
considered him too quiet and shy to be an effective leader, and
when King Albert II announced his decision to abdicate, many were
sceptical of Philippe’s abilities to carry the duties of a head of
state on his shoulders. However…
Some monarchs are born in massive castles
that have stood for centuries while others are born in relatively
new palaces. Although the birth of a royal baby is a celebrated
event, some of these more modern palaces have darker connections.
King Philippe of Belgium was born at…
How many kings called Edward have there
been? If you think you know the answer, this special feature by
Liam Foley might make you think again. One aspect of the evolution
of monarchy that I find interesting is the development of Ordinal
numbers, or regnal numbers, and…
We’re used to seeing royals at Wimbledon
with the Princess of Wales now patron of the All England Club. But
rewind nine decades and another royal was a familiar face there. A
princess known to her family as Thora regularly cropped up on the
Pathe newsreels of the time presenting trophies and cheering on the
tennis stars of the day. This granddaughter of Victoria was a good
sport and she needed…
The Princess of Wales will be on Centre
Court to hand over the trophies at Wimbledon as this year’s
competition comes to a close. The last few years have seen the
Princess become a regular at the presentations but a whole host of
royals have done the honours over the…
Sixteenth century kings, even those that
had worked their way through a quintet of queens, had a somewhat
preconceived idea of what a consort should bring to their royal
marriage. Henry VIII might well have been in love with the idea of
love but he also had a concept of…
He was the fifth son and the youngest of
the six children of King George V and Queen Mary and, briefly, a
star of the Royal Family. Now, over a century on from his life, his
story continues to fascinate. On the anniversary of his birth,
Royal Central looks at the story of Prince John, the forgotten son
of the House of Windsor. Prince John was born at York Cottage on
the Sandringham Estate on 12…