Features

A Commonwealth milestone marked in Christmas broadcast

A very special anniversary for a country with a very special place in the heart of Queen Elizabeth II took centre stage in one of her Christmas broadcasts. In 1967, Canada celebrated its centenary. The Canadian Crown was established as separate (as were the other dominions) with the Statute of Westminster in 1931.  As Queen of Canada, Queen Elizabeth, visited the country in the summer of…
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Features

King Felipe finds himself in the middle of a row about Notre Dame

The King and Queen of Spain have found themselves unwittingly drawn into a political argument about Notre Dame. The cathedral reopened in Paris at the weekend following major restoration after a fire in 2019 which devastated the medieval building. Royalty from around the world, among them the Prince of Wales and the King and Queen of the Belgians, were in attendance alongside political…
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Features

Diamonds and aquamarines glitter on an historic night at Buckingham Palace

The last tiara night of 2024 for the Royal Family brought a diamond debut and lots of aquamarines. The State Banquet held for the Amir of Qatar is also the last such event to be held at Buckingham Palace for several years as restoration work means that future State Visits will be hosted at Windsor Castle. And the Royal Family chose some historic gems for this historic event. As Queen Camilla…
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Features

The tiara that told the history and the future of a dynasty at a royal wedding

It was the last royal wedding of the 20th century and it was a big one. As December 1999 got under way, Belgium’s heir married his already hugely popular bride and so created the promise that the country would one day get its first home grown queen. And given that this marriage was making a consort, a very special tiara was chosen for the day. The Queen Elisabeth Diamond Bandeau Tiara is…
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