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 attitude towards marital harmony were such that continental contenders to be consort of England were all but running in the…
On a summer’s day in 1818, a young German princess walked into one of the most famous hotels in London to meet a man twice her age. Just a year earlier, Adelaide of Saxe-Meiningen and her suitor, William, Duke of Clarence, would never have considered chatting let alone…
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…
Prince Louis de Valois, Duke of Orleans was born 13 March 1372 as the second-born son of the French monarch, King Charles V.
Louis de Valois had a close relationship with his older brother, who had become the King of France by the age of twelve. Louis was intelligent and relatively well educated and thrived in the shadow of his brother.
In 1374, Louis was betrothed to Catherine, heir…
A 64-hectare solar farm near the Battle of Bosworth site has been rejected by local councillors after a long and public discussion on the matter.
Councillor Jonathan Collet posted the news on his Twitter account, writing, “Absolutely delighted that my motion to protect…
Lady Jane Grey, or Lady Jane Dudley, was proclaimed Queen on this day in 1553. She has been commonly referred to as The Nine Days Queen. She was the great-granddaughter of Henry VII through his daughter Mary, Queen of France. From 10 July to the 19 July, she was the de facto…
The only ruby tiara in the Spanish Royal Family’s collection is the Niarchos Ruby Bandeau and its accompanying parure.
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Princess Sophia of Greece and Denmark received a treasure trove of jewels on her wedding day in 1962. In addition to the Prussian Tiara, a gift from her parents (King Paul and Queen Frederica of Greece); the Mellerio Shell Tiara, a gift from her…
Historic Royal Palaces’ chief curator Lucy Worsley continued her series of online talks this week with a look back at Diana, Princess of Wales’s wardrobe and how she was an “influencer” before social media ever existed.
Eleri Lynn, curator for the…
Prince Wilhelm of Prussia was the eldest child of Crown Prince Wilhelm of Germany and Duchess Cecilie of Mecklenburg-Schwerin. As such, he was the oldest grandchild of the last Emperor of Germany, Wilhelm II. At his birth, he was second in line to the German throne and was…
The ruby is the birthstone for July. It’s been used in royal jewellery collections for centuries and it now features in some of the most striking pieces in European vaults. The Dutch royal gem collection has some famous examples of the stone. Here are the Netherlands’ famous royal rubies.
Ruby Peacock Parure
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Commissioned in 1897 by Queen Wilhelmina…
