HistoryHistoryNorway

Royal History Mystery: How were Norway's royal jewels smuggled out of the palace?

It has been 80 years since the German invasion of Norway. Hitler was looking for the Norwegian royal family, and for a while, he also tried to get the 3-year-old Prince Harald to rule the nation as a child king. The royal family managed to escape and lived in exile in the UK and the US for the next five years. The Royal Palace in Oslo was abandoned quickly; there was no time to take all the…
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History

The royal duchess who went from mistress to matriarch

It was a famous royal love story that shocked as much as it thrilled. John of Gaunt was the ultra-ambitious prince whose desire to be a king almost cost him his life, Katherine Swynford was the mysterious commoner who supplanted a queen in his affections. Their relationship lasted decades, survived a serious separation and ultimately led to the creation of a dynasty which would snatch the throne…
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FeaturesHistory

Royal History Mystery: What happened to Edward II?

Today we’re looking at a royal history mystery involving the death of a king. What happened to Edward II of England? Edward II was born in 1284 as the fourth son of Edward I and Eleanor of Castile. His three elder brothers pre-deceased him, and he became his father’s heir and the first English prince to be named Prince of Wales. In his youth, he became close to a man named Piers…
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Features

Prince William plays the fool on a Big Night In

The Duke of Cambridge has joined in a national fundraising effort with a surprise appearance in a comedy sketch. Prince William starred opposite Stephen Fry in a spoof that saw the second in line to the throne confess he’d lost his trousers – all in a good cause. The pair came together for the BBC’s Big Night In, a three hour special programme which raised funds for vulnerable…
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