FeaturesThe Kents

Before they were royal: The life of Princess Michael of Kent

One of the most interesting – and controversial – members of the British Royal Family has always been tied to royalty. We’re taking a look at the early life of Princess Michael of Kent, an accomplished author, interior designer, mother, grandmother, and wife to The Queen’s first cousin. The future princess was born Baroness Marie Christine von Reibnitz on 15 January 1945…
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FeaturesHistory

The Head of a Royal Angel: The Albert Memorial

The most important monument built to the memory of Prince Albert in London was the magnificent Gothic Albert Memorial in Kensington Gardens, designed by George Gilbert Scott, unveiled in 1872. Officially termed the Prince Consort National Memorial, its location is particularly appropriate, in what has been popularly termed ‘Albertopolis’.It lies within the cluster of the museums in…
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FeaturesHistory

Who was King Carl XIV Johan?

This year it is 200 years since Carl XIV Johan became king of both Norway and Sweden. But who was he? King Carl Johan (1763-1818-1844), originally Jean Baptiste Bernadotte, was born in the south of France and became a soldier at 17-years-old. During the French Revolution, he…
DenmarkFeatures

Before they were royal: The life of Princess Marie of Denmark

In an interview for her 40th birthday in 2016, Princess Marie of Denmark said: “I had a great life – I didn’t need to be rescued by some Prince from Denmark.” Marie Agathe Odile Cavallier was born on 6 February 1976 in Paris, France. She is the only child of Alain Cavallier -a partner in an advertising agency – and Françoise Moreau – the owner of the Château de la Vernède in…
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FeaturesHistoryInsight

At Grillon's Hotel: an unlikely royal romance

On a summer’s day in 1818, a young German princess walked into one of the most famous hotels in London to meet a man twice her age. Just a year earlier, Adelaide of Saxe-Meiningen and her suitor, William, Duke of Clarence, would never have considered chatting let alone taking the step that would inevitably follow this brief exchange. But after a short time together, with chaperones, of…
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