Everyone knows of the ancient Library of
Alexandria, which was located in Egypt and later destroyed – losing
a wealth of knowledge from the ancient world. But who was the
monarch responsible for its creation? It is thought the idea of the
library was first brought up to Ptolemy I Soter by Demetrius of
Phalerum – an Athenian orator living in Alexandria who had been
exiled – in…
As we prepare for Princess Iman of
Jordan’s wedding, we look at the weddings of her grandfather King
Hussein, who was famously married four times. Embed from Getty
Images Three years after his accession to the throne, King
Hussein’s first wife was Dina bint…
The exotic precedent set by a Monarch for appointing a Prime Minister away from Buckingham Palace
16th August 2022
As the Queen prepares to appoint the
fifteenth Prime Minister of her reign, the question of where she
will welcome them is much discussed. Her Majesty is now in Balmoral
for her annual summer break but is understood to be planning to
return to London to accept Boris…
No one knew it at the time but on August
4th 1900, a woman who would change the course of royal history had
made her debut. The birth of a daughter to Claude and Cecilia
Bowes-Lyon didn’t trouble the papers of the day one jot. But as
baby Elizabeth, later queen and empress, settled into her royal
nursery, another royal woman who would have a major impact on her
life was claiming all the…
She lived most of her adult life in the
spotlight and yet one very basic detail of her story is shrouded in
mystery. For no one is really sure exactly where Queen Elizabeth,
the Queen Mother was born. And no one did more to get people
guessing than the Queen Mum…
The Royal Collection Trust has held an
online talk to offer royal watchers a behind-the-scenes look at The
Queen’s impressive jewellery collection. On Thursday, 28 July, the
RCT held “Royal Jewels: A Platinum Jubilee Celebration”. Deputy
Surveyor of The…
The wildflowers that have taken over the
moat at the Tower of London have got the royal seal of approval
during a special visit. The Princess Royal has toured Superbloom to
see how it’s transformed the space around the ancient royal
residence into a wildlife haven. Superbloom was planted to mark The
Queen’s Platinum Jubilee and, in the last months, has blossomed
into a glowing…
In the sunny days of 1911, all eyes were
on one royal. Queen Mary had been consort for just over a year and
was now accompanying her husband to a major event that would begin
a summer of celebrations for their Coronation. Mary was the leading
figure at the Festival of Empire…
On 25 May 1961, British-born Toni Avril
Gardiner married King Hussein of Jordan as his second wife. The
wedding took place in the Zahran Palace in Amman and was followed
by a procession through the city. Toni, who took on the name
Princess Muna al-Hussein after her…
In the first days of the summer of 1939,
an accident befell the Royal Family that led to a widespread
outpouring of sympathy. Queen Mary, mother of King George VI, was
involved in a car crash. Her son was touring Canada as the country
prepared for what felt like a growing inevitability of war when the
dowager’s car collided with another vehicle. Queen Mary, in the
back seat, was badly bruised…
