History

The jewels that caused a rift between Queen Victoria and her uncle Ernest

Although Queen Victoria inherited the throne in the United Kingdom, and during her reign, the British Empire gained a vast amount of territory, she was still unable to inherit the throne of Hanover as a woman. Her uncle, Ernest-August, became King of Hanover instead. And Victoria and Ernest-August had a lengthy battle over the Crown Jewels that once belonged to Queen Charlotte.  When Queen…
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Features

The romantic jewels that have marked Sweden's most important royal weddings

The Swedish Royal Family loves a June wedding and several of the most important marriages in the modern dynasty’s history have taken place in that month. June is the month of pearls and that gem has also played a part in the romantic weddings that have helped shape a royal family. Cameos for a queen on her wedding day The Cameo Tiara is famous for being worn by both Crown Princess Victoria…
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Features

A rainbow of royal wedding bouquets

We’re used to seeing royal brides with white flowers. Many a regal wedding has featured a posy of pretty cream flowers, dotted with hints of green and matching the dress to perfection. Bright bouquets are a rarity but they make their mark. As summer gets into full swing…
FeaturesHistoryRoyal Weddings

Royal Wedding Flowers: the myrtle of Sofiero

The royal family of Sweden do like a royal wedding in June. King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia married in the month as did all three of their children while three of the king’s four sisters were June brides, too. And all of them had something else in common, too. For every Swedish royal bride since 1935 has had a very sentimental and poignant addition to their bouquets. All of them have…
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HistorySweden

In the beginning: The Bernadotte dynasty

The Bernadottes first began ruling over the Kingdom of Sweden in 1818 with King Karl XIV Johan (also called King Charles XIV John), who was also the King of Norway during this time. He was born on 26 January 1763 in France as Jean Bernadotte. It was in 1810 that he was unexpectedly elected as the heir to King Charles XIII of Sweden just as he was preparing for his new role as the governor of…
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