Features

The coronation that led to riots and for a king whose heart lay far from England

By
24th March 2023
He was a hero king who had survived an epic game of thrones and his coronation was set to be a splendid celebration at the start of a new era of royal power. The crowning of Richard I involved pomp, pageantry and chivalric splendour but it also led to riots and the deaths of dozens of people. What’s more, the king at the heart of the event was far more interested in life outside England and…
Read more
FeaturesHistoryState & Ceremonial

The coronation of England's first ''commoner'' queen

By
23rd March 2023
Elizabeth Woodville is considered to be the first commoner to be crowned as Queen of England. Her coronation, soon after her marriage to King Edward IV was revealed, was controversial at the time and would mark a formal beginning to a royal tenure that was filled with drama and conflict.Elizabeth Woodville was born in 1437. She was the first child of Richard Woodville and Jacquetta of…
Read more
Features

The Coronation Dress of Queen Alexandra

By
23rd March 2023
While there is a traditional uniform for kings at their coronation, there is not for queens. This has allowed each queen to wear a gown specifically created for their coronation day. Queen Alexandra’s coronation dress remains one of the most sumptuous in British…
Features

The closely guarded secret ahead of the Coronation of King Charles III

By
22nd March 2023
The Coronation of King Charles III and Queen Camilla is to be a carefully executed event, with preparations well underway for the historic occasion on May 6 at Westminster Abbey.Plans for the Coronation have generally remained unchanged for many centuries, with the finer details of King Charles’s ceremony being confirmed following the death of Queen Elizabeth II on September 8…
Read more
Features

The wedding that helped create a very modern royal family

By
21st March 2023
It was a royal wedding for the history books, the marriage of a future king and a regal love match to boot. On this day in 1929, Olav of Norway married Martha of Sweden in Oslo. The couple’s romance had captured the public imagination while their rather glamourous wedding brought huge crowds to the streets of the Norwegian capital. Let’s rewind nine decades and remember the wedding…
Read more