Features

Alice Perrers: From royal mistress to one of England's wealthiest

Born 1348, Alice Perrers was an English royal mistress whose lover and patron was King Edward III of England. While there is no record of her birth, evidence suggests Alice was the daughter of a family named Salisbury and that she had at least one brother, John. Around 1360 at the age of 12, Alice married a man named Janyn Perrers. Perrers, who was a jeweller, died around 1364. Sometime before…
Read more
FeaturesPrincess Anne and Family

Anne: a year in the life of an ever-busy princess

As she turns 71 years old, The Princess Royal remains one of the busiest royals. In 2020, despite a global health crisis, the Princes attended 148 official engagements. A year prior in what one could consider “normal times,” the Princess carried out 506 official engagements. With restrictions easing and diaries filling up, things are starting to look like they once were. As the…
Read more
British RoyalsFeatures

Welcome, August Brooksbank, to a rather unusual club

It is a truth, universally acknowledged, that I have very, very little in common with royalty. I love writing about them but the ruling dynasties of the world, past and present, are a long way removed from my origins in the East End. However, as the eighth month of the year reaches its peak in 2021, I am reminded of a strange little bond I share with the current twelfth in line to the throne. For…
Read more
FeaturesHistory

Royal Mistresses: Louise de Kérouaille

Louise Renée de Penancoët de Kéroualle, Duchess of Portsmouth was born 5 September 1649 and is the daughter of Guillaume de Penancoët, Seigneur de Kéroualle and Marie de Ploeuc de Timeur. Nobles in Brittany, France, the family name is derived from an heriess whom an ancester François de Penhoët married in 1330. [getty src=”51243695″ width=”482&#8243…
Read more