History

Louise: a royal name with a history of its own

As Lady Louise celebrates her 18th birthday today, let’s take a look at past members of the Royal Family who shared this name and discover the unique lives each woman led. Princess Louise, Duchess of Argyll Louisa Caroline Alberta, the fourth daughter and sixth child of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, led one of the most colourful royal lives. Born 18 March 1848 as the daughter of the…
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British RoyalsFeatures

The royal wedding dresses created by Sir Norman Hartnell

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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Features

The much maligned royal mistress who made a fortune but died penniless

I’ve always felt rather sorry for the mistress known as Mrs Jordan. For two decades, she lived alongside the third son of King George III. Her partner is known to history as King William IV but for their duration of their relationship he was the somewhat dodgy Duke of Clarence who had champagne taste and no money, purely because he had spent everything he’d been given. Dorothea Jordan was…
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History

Charlotte of Wales, the queen Britain missed

Princess Charlotte of Wales was the queen that Britain never had, and easily the most popular member of the Royal Family during her lifetime. When she died in childbirth aged just 21, she was deeply mourned by the British public, yet her story is so often consigned to a…
European RoyalsHistory

What happened to the Italian monarchy?

Up until 1861, when the peninsula was reunited to include more or less its current territory, Italy was home to three major states: the centre was under the rule of the Vatican, the south was called the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, and the north was under the domain of the Savoy dynasty.  Ultimately, the latter prevailed, and the Italian peninsula was reunified under King Victor Emmanuel II of…
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