Features

The race against time for the birth of a future queen

Just over 200 years ago, the future Queen Victoria was born at Kensington Palace, Her arrival, on 24 May 1819, marked the start of a very famous story. While the healthy baby girl was happily welcomed by her parents, the family had been forced to race against the clock for Victoria’s birth.  Her father, Prince Edward, Duke of Kent was the fifth child and fourth son of King George III and…
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Who was Jane Austen's favourite monarch?

The royal that Jane Austen is most often connected with is the Prince Regent, or the future King George IV, as he requested a copy of her novel for his library. However, there is a different royal from history that Austen much preferred to “Prinny”.  A fifteen-year-old Austen wrote The History of England in 1791; the satirical history textbook covers England’s monarchs from King Henry IV…
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The long history of the unusual brooch that became a favourite of Queen Elizabeth II

The Royal Family has a spectacular jewellery collection that brings together many strands of history. One of the most familiar sets also has one of the most interesting stories and it goes back centuries. The Kent Amethyst Demi-Parure is an amethyst and diamond set that includes a necklace, a pair of earrings, a pair of hair combs, and three brooches.  The necklace is a stand-out piece…
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The symbols of majesty on show in the Coronation State Portraits of King Charles III and Queen Camilla

King Charles and Queen Camilla have unveiled their Coronation State Portraits that are now on display at the National Gallery. The paintings reveal the historic and personal choices that they made in their wardrobe for the Coronation.  Created by artist Peter Kuhfeld, His Majesty’s formal portrait includes several indications of his position as Monarch. The Imperial State Crown, only worn at…
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