Features

The strength and dignity of the Princess of Wales is an example to us all

There are few things harder to deal with than the diagnosis of a serious illness. One of those things is telling your children you have a serious illness. But for one young mother, another terrible task was added to that list. To do it all while people around the world thought it was OK to speculate, lie and bully you because you hadn’t revealed your health diagnosis to them on demand. The…
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The heartbreaking gesture that led to one of the most poignant royal wedding traditions of all

It is one of the most poignant moments in a British royal wedding: the moment the bride’s bouquet is placed on the Tomb of the Unknown Warrior at Westminster Abbey. Its origin dates back to 23 April 1923, with the wedding of Prince Albert, Duke of York and Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon. The Tomb of the Unknown Warrior was dedicated on 11 November 1920, and King George V wrote about the…
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The queen who fought an assassin with flowers

She was the queen who tried to save her dynasty with nothing more than a bouquet of flowers. Maria Amelia saw her husband and eldest son mortally wounded at close range in an assassination that would hasten the demise of their dynasty. She had done all she could to save the…
Features

The lost tombs of three historic queens

The site of Christchurch Greyfriars, is a strange, haunting place, redolent of history. It is now a ruined, public garden and a popular place for Londoners to take their sandwiches for lunch. Long gone is the atmosphere of bells and prayer from the Middle Ages; although in…
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The designer who reigned supreme at royal weddings

He created some of the most famous royal looks of the 20th century and he’s still producing talked about style picks. Sir Norman Hartnell was already a sought after wedding dress designer when he was first commissioned to produce a bridal outfit by the House of Windsor. Over eight decades on, and long after his own death, he was responsible for another famous royal marriage look. On the 85th…
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The mystery of the Queen Mother's wedding bouquet

It’s perhaps the most famous and talked about royal wedding bouquet of all. The flowers carried by the Queen Mother, then Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon, at her marriage in April 1923 have entered regal folklore after the bride used them to begin a royal wedding tradition known…
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The weddings of Queen Victoria's children

Of the nine children of Queen Victoria’s children, one daughter married in London another on the Isle of Wight and one son in St. Petersburg. The remaining six married at Windsor, five at St. George’s Chapel and one in the Private Chapel at Windsor Castle. The College of St. George was founded in 1348 and is inextricably linked with the Most Noble Order of the Garter, one of the oldest…
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