Opinion

Why there's a need for more books about royals from across the world

Search for books in English about The Duchess of Cambridge, The Duke of Cambridge, Prince Harry, Diana, Princess of Wales, or The Queen, and you will find an array of different choices to select from. When you search for books about Princess Madeleine of Sweden, Crown Princess Mette-Marit of Norway, or King Felipe of Spain, you would be hard-pressed to locate a book about their lives written in…
Read more
Features

A kilt and a cardigan for The Queen as she makes history by appointing a new Prime Minister at Balmoral

It was such a misty day that the woman about to take the top job in Britain found herself delayed by the weather. As Liz Truss was driven through the autumnal weather towards Balmoral, the fire was lit in the drawing room where The Queen was waiting. Her Majesty was also ready for the cooling weather – she chose a kilt and cardigan for this historic audience. The Queen looked relaxed…
Read more
Features

Was a common illness used as an excuse to cover up the murders of outspoken royal women?

It was an illness that claimed millions of lives before the advent of modern medicine and among its victims are several queens and high ranking women in English royal history. Puerperal fever, sometimes called childbed fever, was a bacterial infection that led to death in the majority of cases and it was only eradicated by the advancement of hygiene techniques and the introduction of…
Read more
Features

Katherine Parr, reduced to a nursemaid by history, was actually Henry VIII's most successful queen

On a hot summer day in 1543, a young widow married an ageing and much wed king in a ceremony that took many by surprise. By the time Katherine Parr said ‘I do’ to Henry VIII in the Queen’s Closet at Hampton Court Palace on July 12th1543, his five previous unions and attitude towards marital harmony were such that continental contenders to be consort of England were all but running in…
Read more