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Crathie: A royal church near Balmoral

Close to Balmoral Castle is a small church, which is – almost – unique. With the exceptions of St Mildred’s Church, Whippingham – where Queen Victoria’s family would sometimes worship when in residence at Osborne and where the marriage of her daughter, Princess Beatrice was celebrated – or the country parish church of St Mary Magdalene on the Sandringham estate, where the…
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Marie Antoinette and music

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…
FeaturesInternational royalsJapan

Who is Sayako Kuroda, the former Princess Nori of Japan?

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 the style of Imperial Highness. According to her mother, Sayako was born two weeks before expected and was a genuinely…
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FeaturesHistory

Eastwell Park and royalty

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…