October is truly the king of all the autumn months as the leaves turn to gold and regal red and the fading sun adds a gentle sparkle to all it touches. And it’s marked the beginning of five royal roads that ended with a crown – although all five monarchs had very different royal careers. Here are the men who became the October kings.
Henry III was the first king of England to have…
She had been an integral part of the House of Windsor for almost seventy years; she was the oldest ever member of the Royal Family, and she had lived an adventure packed life that broke the regal mould in many ways. The death of Princess Alice, Duchess of Gloucester, on…
While debates still take place in Japan on whether or not women should have succession rights and head their own branches of the Imperial Family, empress regnants have existed before in Japanese history. In fact, Japan has had eight women reign in their own right, the last…
The Duchess of Cornwall shows she is ready to become Queen as she steps up in major speech
28th October 2021
On Wednesday, the Duchess of Cornwall paid tribute to women who lost their lives to violence by delivering a major speech at the Shameless! Festival – an event aimed at raising awareness of violence against women and girls. As part of the visit, Camilla delivered a rousing speech – one that many royal experts have described as being “the speech of her life.”
The Duchess…
History has her down as the ultimate survivor but the sad end to the story of Katherine Parr, sixth wife of Henry VIII, is behind the tales of sightings of her ghost at the last castle she called home. For the queen consort who avoided the axeman is said to roam the…
Why Japan's Princess Mako and Kei Komuro situation is different from Harry and Meghan
28th October 2021
Since Japan’s Princess Mako married her commoner boyfriend Kei Komuro, many comparisons have been made between their situation and the situation of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. However, while both couples left their kingdoms for the United States, their situations…
As Hallowe’en approaches, ghost stories abound. The nights are drawing in, darkness is falling and amidst the swirling mists of late autumn evenings come tales of mystery. This Hallowe’en, Royal Central is taking a look at some of the best known tales of regal ghosts and today we turn to the time of the Tudors and the sad story of a teenage queen, Catherine Howard whose downfall began…
The October Queens: the woman who changed English royal history forever
25th October 2021
When being a queen meant that you had married a king, rather than being a ruler yourself, life stories were told very differently. The queens of yesteryear might have ended up as some of the best known personalities of their time but the start of their stories were often as…
Queens and witchcraft aren’t words that go together. In books and in films, witches are the wicked women who stand in the way of pretty princesses as they search for a happy ending. In the history of royalty, witchcraft was a tool to use against women who might otherwise be untouchable. And several of England’s queens found themselves accused of being witches at times when enemies…
