Yuan Shikai attempted to reign over China
in the early 1900s. He was unsuccessful and had a reign that only
lasted 83 days.But who was Yuan Shikai, who ended the famous Qing
Dynasty and failed to create a dynasty of his own? He was born in
the Zhangying village on 16 September 1859, but his family clan
later moved to a hilly area near Xiangcheng that was easier to
defend, where they built…
Classic flowers for a royal bride - Queen Maxima's wedding bouquet
2nd February 2022
While a royal wedding dress might grab
all the headlines with the almost obligatory tiara coming a close
second, no set of regal nuptials would be complete without a bridal
bouquet. We might not get round to admiring it until after our
fourth discussion about the wedding…
February 6 is an important date for the
House of Windsor. In 1952, King George VI died at Sandringham and
Queen Elizabeth II ascended the throne. This year, the day will
mark the start of The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee. However, February 6
has been an important date in…
The day the Netherlands met a queen consort in waiting for the first time in a century
2nd February 2022
It was a wedding for the history books
and thousands turned out to celebrate. When Willem-Alexander and
Maxima married in 2002, the popularity that has mostly dominated
their time as King and Queen of the Netherlands was on show for all
to see as they were cheered throughout their special day by crowds
across Amsterdam. The road to the altar hadn’t been smooth.
Willem-Alexander was the…
When Mary Donaldson tied the knot with
Crown Prince Fredrik in 2004, the Australian-born marketing
executive joined one of the world’s oldest surviving monarchies.
Taking on her new role, Crown Princess Mary tackled the job with
gusto, proving to be one of…
The upcoming 2022 Winter Olympics in
Beijing will look much different than when the city hosted the 2008
Summer Olympics. Besides the main difference between the Summer and
Winter Games, this year, the world is still in a global health
crisis creating many changes such as a…
The reign of George VI came to an end on
February 6th 1952. The King died in his sleep in the early hours of
the morning and silently, his throne passed to his elder daughter
who was, without knowing it, now Queen Elizabeth II. They had
parted exactly a week before when the King had gone to London
Airport to wave off his heir as she began a tour on his behalf.
King and princess, father and…
King Felipe of Spain celebrates his 54th
birthday in a rare break from tradition. Because 30 January falls
on a Sunday, he will not be working, as he has done most years
since becoming an actively working member of the Royal
Family. He will have more time to reflect on…
The dramatic wedding that led to one of the most controversial royal marriages of all
29th January 2022
We all love a groom who cries as his
bride walks towards him, and when it’s a royal groom, it’s even
better. However, rewind a couple of centuries, and a weeping prince
at the altar was no laughing matter. For when George, Prince of
Wales and king in waiting wed…
He remains Britain’s longest ruling king
but the real character of the monarch whose reign ended two
centuries ago remains shrouded by the long standing claim that he
was mad. George III, whose time on the throne encompassed some of
the biggest social changes seen in Britain for decades, died
misunderstood and in partial obscurity. The king’s end was sad and
quiet. George had been…
