FeaturesHistory

Postcards from Russia: Earl Mountbatten of Burma and his Romanov cousins

On 25 June 1900, Victoria, Princess Louis of Battenberg – born Princess Victoria of Hesse – gave birth to a son at Frogmore House in Windsor Great Park, the erstwhile residence of Queen Victoria’s mother, the Duchess of Kent, until her death in 1861. Princess Louis of Battenberg had been the firstborn child of Queen Victoria’s second daughter, Princess Alice, Grand Duchess of…
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FeaturesHistory

Princess Alix of Hesse's visit to Malta

Princess Alix of Hesse visited Malta in 1890. Little would appear to have been recorded about it, although it is possible to piece together some details of the trip from surviving accounts, biographies by those that personally knew her and from extracts of letters she wrote…
FeaturesThe Yorks

Before they were royal: The life of Sarah, Duchess of York

Although Sarah, Duchess York is no longer married to Prince Andrew she remains a familiar face in royal circles. Once described as “the breath of fresh air” of the Royal Family, this Duchess was once a tomboyish country girl. Here, we take a look at the early years of Sarah Ferguson. Sarah Margaret Ferguson was born in London on 15 October 1959 to parents Susan and Major Ronald…
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FeaturesHistory

Queen Victoria and the Archbishop

Biography is also made up of people in the background; so it is with William Howley, Archbishop of Canterbury. The appearances he made in the life of the future Queen Victoria were of extreme significance, in a way that was unique, and whilst these functions formed a natural…
FeaturesHistory

Royal Cousins and Imperial Russia

Princess Alix of Hesse – as the Tsarina Alexandra Feodorovna was known before her marriage to the young Tsar Nicholas II in 1894 – visited Cumberland Lodge in Windsor Great Park on several occasions, as the residence of her maternal aunt, Princess Helena of…
FeaturesHistory

Royal Wedding Rewind: Tiara trouble for The Queen

A royal wedding just wouldn’t be a royal wedding without a tiara or three. But when the then Princess Elizabeth married the Duke of Edinburgh on November 20th 1947, she almost missed out on wearing the diadem on which she’d set her heart. For just before the bride was set to leave for Westminster Abbey, her tiara snapped in two. The diamond disaster happened as the future Queen was…
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DenmarkFeatures

Before they were royal: The life of Crown Princess Mary of Denmark

She is Denmark’s future Queen, but today we take a look at the life of Crown Princess Mary before her marriage to Crown Prince Frederik. Mary Elizabeth Donaldson was born on 5 February 1972 in Hobart, Australia, as the third daughter and youngest child of John Donaldson and the late Henrietta Horne. Mary’s parents were both Scots, and they were married in Scotland on 31 August 1963.
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