Marie Antoinette and music
19th April 2018
Whilst musical talent in the eighteenth
century was judged to be an appropriate feminine accomplishment,
Marie Antoinette’s personal relationship with music was a special
one, which reached far beyond mere natural inclination. Music
proved to be in many ways, perpetually…
The site of Christchurch Greyfriars, is a
strange, haunting place, redolent of history. It is now a ruined,
public garden and a popular place for Londoners to take their
sandwiches for lunch. Long gone is the atmosphere of bells and
prayer from the Middle Ages; although in an odd parallel to its
previous use as a church, it manages to be a place of peace in the
noise of the City and nearby Stock…
Royal Baby Name Focus: Arthur
18th April 2018
On trend, Arthur is suddenly the front
runner again for a baby prince as the final countdown to the
arrival of the third child of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge
gets well and truly under way. In the past few days this ancient
name has streaked ahead with the bookies and…
Who is Sayako Kuroda, the former Princess Nori of Japan?
18th April 2018
Sayako Kuroda was born on 18 April 1969
as the first daughter and third child of the then Crown Prince
Akihito and then Crown Princess Michiko. Her grandfather, Emperor
Shōwa, named her Sayako and gave her the title of The Princess
Nori. From birth, she was also entitled to…
Eastwell Park and royalty
17th April 2018
The country estate of Eastwell Park, in
the parish of Eastwell, near Boughton Lees, Ashford in Kent, is not
perhaps a name which immediately comes to mind when thinking of a
one-time royal residence. It was, however, the Kent home of Prince
Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh and his…
Royal Wedding Flowers: the Countess of Wessex
16th April 2018
When Sophie Rhys Jones married Prince
Edward on June 19th 1999 at St. George’s Chapel, she carried a
bouquet with more than a hint of the past about it. The couple who
starred in the last big Windsor wedding of the 20th century had
gone for something of a medieval theme in the look of their big day
and the flowers carried by the bride fitted right in. From the
pageboys and bridesmaids in…

