As Victory in Europe was declared, on May
8th 1945, a shy man who had found himself at the centre of the
efforts to defeat the Nazis prepared to speak to millions by radio.
At his side was the wife who had played just as crucial a role
throughout World War Two. The words of King George VI, delivered at
9pm on VE Day, were a public event that became part of history. But
behind the scenes, both…
They were the words spoken by a king as a
country looked to him for inspiration and, legend has it, they were
handed to him by the heir who would go on to make history. During
Britain’s first Christmas of World War Two in 1939, George VI
broadcast to the country and…
It is one of the most famous pictures in
royal history, a moment when a Monarch and his people were
completely united. As World War Two came to an end in Europe, King
George VI and his family stood on the balcony of Buckingham Palace
surrounded by the cheers of thousands.
On May 8th 2020, the Queen will speak to
her country and her Commonwealth to mark the 75th anniversary of
Victory in Europe Day. Her own VE Day address will take place at
9pm, the exact time her father, King George VI, spoke as World War
Two came to an end in Europe seventy five years before. On this
historic occasion, Royal Central shares the words of King George VI
on VE Day, in full. Today…
In the days and weeks afterwards, King
George VI and Queen Elizabeth visited many parts of England to see
how people were beginning to tackle post war living. They were
given a warm reception everywhere while some areas, like London’s
East End, welcomed them as one of…
Around the same time that the UK
introduced new succession laws that allowed girls the same rights
as boys, the country also passed same sex marriage legislation. But
royal laws haven’t caught up with that yet. In the future, as is
the case in most European countries…
In the years ahead, both the Duchess of
Cornwall and the Duchess of Cambridge will act as consorts to their
husbands when they one day ascend to the throne. It is a well
established constitutional convention that the wife of a King is
styled as Queen Consort. The last time we had a Queen Consort in
Britain was back in 1936 when Queen Elizabeth acted consort as to
her husband, King George VI…
On May 7 1697, a fire broke out and
destroyed much of the old royal palace in Stockholm. The castle Tre
Kronor, or Three Crowns in English, is now only a footnote in
history with the present royal palace of Stockholm built above the
ruins of the old middle-aged castle that…
Was Prince William's tragic death kept secret from the Duke of Gloucester?
7th May 2020
The third son of King George V and Queen
Mary, Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester was born on 31 March 1900.
He was the first son of a monarch to be educated at school and went
onto study at Eton College. His life was full of tragedy starting
with not being able to…
It’s grand, unforgettable and we first
saw it exactly sixty years ago. The tiara chosen by Princess
Margaret for her wedding to Antony Armstrong-Jones in May 1960 has
become iconic. In fact, it was such a successful pick, it begs the
question – is Margaret’s the best royal wedding tiara of all? The
Poltimore Tiara, to give this sparkler its most well used name,
ticks just…
