British RoyalsFeaturesRoyal Weddings

Royal Wedding Dresses: Lady Sarah Armstrong-Jones

In the run up to this royal wedding, there was as much speculation about the guest list as there was about the bridal gown. As Lady Sarah Armstrong-Jones, only daughter of Princess Margaret and her former husband, Antony, Earl of Snowdon, prepared to marry Daniel Chatto, the chatter was about who might attend. They wed on July 14th 1994, as the bride’s royal cousins were going through…
Read more
FeaturesSweden

Jewels for July: Sweden’s rubies

Surprisingly, Sweden has few rubies in its very vast arsenal of royal jewels. They have a beautiful ruby tiara that Queen Silvia has stunned in and a diamond and ruby brooch worn by several women in the Royal Family. The King Edward VII Ruby Tiara This tiara arrived in…
DenmarkFeatures

Crown Princess Mary of Denmark delivers powerful speech to the United Nations Human Rights Council

Crown Princess Mary of Denmark has delivered a powerful speech on women’s rights to open the 44th session of the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva. The 48-year-old gave her heartfelt address virtually, as the ongoing coronavirus pandemic meant she was unable to travel to Switzerland. Despite the distance, her words were no less powerful as she discussed how the health…
Read more
FeaturesHistory

Murdered Royals: Empress Elisabeth of Austria

Empress Elisabeth of Austria was born as Duchess in Bavaria in 1837. She enjoyed an informal upbringing before marrying her first cousin Emperor Franz Joseph I at the age of sixteen. Empress Elisabeth was recognised as one of the most beautiful women in Europe and always…
FeaturesHistoryMonaco

The complex prince who helped make modern Monaco: the life of Louis II

Today, on the 150th anniversary of his birth, let’s take a look back at the life of a complex Sovereign Prince of Monaco, Prince Louis II, who oversaw a period of great cultural strides and dark days for the principality. Prince Louis Honoré Charles Antoine Grimaldi was born 12 July 1870, the only child of Prince Albert I of Monaco and Lady Mary Victoria Douglas-Hamilton. His parents…
Read more
FeaturesHistory

Meet Henry VIII's most successful queen

On a hot summer day in 1543, a young widow married an ageing and much wed king in a ceremony that took many by surprise. By the time Katherine Parr said ‘I do’ to Henry VIII in the Queen’s Closet at Hampton Court Palace on July 12th 1543, his five previous unions and…
FeaturesInsightSpain

Is King Felipe of Spain in danger of losing his throne?

As King Felipe VI took on the latest of his visits around Spain to boost the country following the coronavirus pandemic, he found himself in a wine cellar. Dressed down for Friday and wearing a mask, Felipe stood in the shadows, gazing at the cobwebs. No one would have blamed him for wanting to stay there. For outside, on a cloudy day across Spain, debate about the future of the monarchy continued…
Read more