The former church Haga Sophia has been widely reported in the media over recent weeks after the building has been converted into a mosque for the second time. However, what isn’t known to many is that right next to the famous building is a unique hidden story. In a burial chamber, 19 Ottoman princes are buried next to each other, all of whom were killed on the same evening, by their only…
As a member of the Commonwealth Realms, New Zealand, like 15 other nations, shares the British Royal Family and The Queen as head of state. But what most people don’t realise, is that since 1858, New Zealand has had its own King, through the Māori King Movement, with the…
The Princess Royal marks her 70th birthday in August 2020. It’s a milestone in any life and this special celebration has brought plenty of reflection on Anne’s public life. For seven decades, the princess has been one of the most high profile royals in the world.
The Queen, upon the advice of her Prime Minister, is to confer peerages on 36 individuals in a highly controversial honours list.
A number of dissolution peerages and political peerages were revealed on Friday, with critics making allegations of nepotism.
Among those to be elevated to the House of Lords are former Chancellor of the Exchequer Philip Hammond, MP of 50 years Ken Clarke, and…
The Austrian Prince Maximilian was born in 1832 as the son of Archduke Franz Karl of Austria and Princess Sophie of Bavaria. He grew up in safe surroundings in Austria and pursued a career in the Austrian Navy. Following his career, he became a close friend of Emperor…
This is one royal wedding bouquet you’re not going to miss. When the Princess Royal’s only daughter, Zara, married Mike Tindall in Edinburgh on July 30th 2011, her flowers made a striking impression. For, unusually among royal brides, Zara included a splash of colour…
The spectacular beauty of the Empress Elisabeth of Austria (1837-1898) was a reputation which, once created, had to be determinedly maintained. This was only achieved through rigorous beauty and exercise regimes, which she adopted as her personal discipline. The Empress, who would go on to become what was probably the most brilliant horsewoman of nineteenth-century Europe, was often stitched into…
King Olav II of Norway was born in 993 at a royal farm in Ringerike, west of the present capital of Oslo. Even though neither of his parents were a king or queen, Olav was the great-great-grandchild of King Harald I, Norway’s first king.
Being a decedent of King Harald…
Queen Elizabeth II is NOT the Queen of England – is it so hard to get it right?
28th July 2020
I am a bit of a stickler for correct usage of styles and titles. So it is a bit of a pet peeve of mine when these are used improperly. The main one that bugs me is calling Elizabeth II, Queen of England. That bothers me because “Queen of England” is not her correct…
Empress Elisabeth of Austria was one of the most beautiful women of nineteenth-century Europe, yet this beauty was the determined result of intensive labour, at considerable cost. The cult of that beauty which astonished her contemporaries became Elisabeth’s personal myth when, past the age of thirty, she refused to be photographed – thereby establishing her own enigma. Her reputation…
