Features

The only consort to wear the Monarch’s crown

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17th March 2023
It is a considered a gem meant for monarchs, but there is one notable exception to the rules around St. Edward’s Crown: Anne Boleyn.St. Edward’s Crown is the oldest and heaviest crown in use in the British collection. Worn by Edward the Confessor during his reign from 1003 to 1066, it became a holy relic when Edward was canonized by Pope Alexander III.The original crown was used in…
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Features

Why are coronations held at Westminster Abbey?

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17th March 2023
One thing has been certain about the Coronation of King Charles III from the very start. Even before the date was known, the location of the crowning of the new Monarch was set in stone. For Charles III, like every King and Queen for almost a millennium, will be crowned at…
Features

The Coronation of King Henry IV

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17th March 2023
The reign of King Henry IV began with usurpation and heralded a period of power struggles that would end in the War of the Roses. As he rode to his Coronation, in 1399, his predecessor languished in jail and would die in mysterious circumstances within months. Henry IV’s coronation was a show of power, designed to establish his authority at a time of turbulence and to demonstrate that he was a…
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FeaturesSweden

A look at the Order of the Polar Star

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17th March 2023
Each royal house has its own royal chivalric orders. Sweden has several royal orders; the Order of the Polar Star is one of the oldest orders in Sweden.The Order of the Polar Star was established on 23 February 1748 by King Frederick I, along with the Order of the…
Features

The princess named after Ireland's patron saint

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17th March 2023
For a princess who claimed a bit of a royal first at the baptismal font, it’s perhaps not surprising that Patricia of Connaught – known for most of her adult life as Lady Patricia Ramsey – ended up changing plenty of regal rules on her way.  The little…
Features

How TV brought the Coronation of Elizabeth II to the world

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16th March 2023
Televising the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II was a crowning achievement!On June 2, 1953 over eight million people watched on their own televisions, 10 million people watched in the homes of friends and family who owned TVs and 1.5 million went to cinemas, pubs and halls to view this live event.Before this coronations were limited to those invited inside Westminster Abbey although…
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Features

The Coronation of King George I

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16th March 2023
The Coronation of King George I in 1714 marked the beginning of a new dynasty on the throne of Great Britain but its crowning moment was rather a difficult affair in more ways than one. After Queen Anne’s death in August 1714, George inherited the throne due to the…
Features

The uncrowned kings of England

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16th March 2023
On May 6th 2023, the fortieth Coronation of a Monarch since the Norman Conquest takes place at Westminster Abbey.King Charles III will be crowned by the Archbishop of Canterbury in a ceremony that is little changed through the centuries. It will be, as it has been for the thirty nine kings and queens before him who have been crowned, one of the most important moments of his reign and of his…
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