British RoyalsInsightQueen Elizabeth II

ICYMI: All the Queen's Outfits from Royal Ascot 2019

The Queen had a good Ascot and so did the bookies, thanks in part to the now customary practice of predicting the colour of the royal hat in carriage number one. Betting on the Queen’s choice of topper is as much a part of Ascot as the royal procession itself and this year, Her Majesty kept everyone on their toes by favouring one shade in particular. ICYMI or even if you didn’t and…
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British RoyalsEuropean RoyalsHistoryInsightQueen Elizabeth IISpainThe Netherlands

Behind the scenes at this year's Order of the Garter

As the crowds began to take their places in Windsor ahead of the 2019 Order of the Garter procession and ceremony, the royals involved in this year’s event took to social media to share some behind the scenes details. From the stunning setting for a very regal meeting to an ancient garter itself, this year’s ceremony has been told in sparkling detail. The Royal Collection Trust opened…
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HistoryInsight

Gifts from an imperial godmother: The Allen twins of Harrogate

In May 1894, Princess Alix of Hesse undertook a cure in the fashionable Yorkshire spa town of Harrogate for sciatica. She had become engaged to Tsarevich Nicholas of Russia at Coburg the previous month. Whilst she stayed at Harrogate, she regularly corresponded with her fiancé, who would later join her at the house her eldest sister, Victoria, Princess Louis of Battenberg had rented at…
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HistoryInsight

Queen Victoria's earliest memories

The earliest memories of a historical personage are extraordinarily important, as not only do they reveal first consciousness of their world and circumstances but crucially, what they remembered first. They tell snippets of true events, as they saw them. Of course, we know…
British RoyalsHistoryHistory

'Once more a supreme test has to be faced': George VI's words on D-Day

As D-Day took place, King George VI spoke to the people of Britain and the Empire it still retained. His speech was set to inspire, to comfort and to look to the future with determination as World War Two entered a new phase, one which he himself referred to as ‘a fight to win the final victory for the good cause’. As tens of thousands of troops prepared to battle to free Europe from…
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