British RoyalsFeatures

A Very British Christmas

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24th December 2015
Are you eager to spend your Christmas as if you were a member of the British Royal Family? Clear your calendars, because you’re in for a busy week. Christmas with the Queen begins the week before, with a pre-Christmas lunch at Buckingham Palace for all members of the Royal Family. All senior members attend unless they have prior commitments (as was the case this year for the Duke of Cambridge)…
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FeaturesSpain

A Very Spanish Christmas

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22nd December 2015
The Spanish Christmas is kicked off in a rather unusual way every year – with the Loteria de Navidad, or the Christmas Lottery on December 22nd. School children announce the winning numbers of what is the most popular lottery throughout the year in Spain. Shortly…
Features

Why Wallis Simpson could never be Queen, but Camilla can

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22nd December 2015
With the question still looming over whether The Duchess of Cornwall may be Queen, I have seen the question proposed as to why divorcee Camilla may be Queen, but King Edward VIII had to abdicate from the throne in order to marry Wallis Simpson who was at divorced once and…
FeaturesHistoryInternational royalsThe Netherlands

The Fifteen Princesses of Orange: Marie Louise of Hesse-Kassel

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19th December 2015
Marie Louise of Hesse-Kassel is the ninth Princess of Orange. She was born on 7 February 1688 as the daughter of Charles I, Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel and Maria Amalia of Courland. Marie Louise was their 11th child. She was raised as a protestant and she was noticed as a possible bride for Johan Willem Friso. He visited Kassel in 1707 to meet with the then 21-year-old Marie Louise. The advice he…
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FeaturesInsight

A Very Swedish Christmas

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18th December 2015
Next on our tour of Royal Christmas festivities is Sweden. Like any good celebration, the Swedish Royal Family keeps food in focus. With Queen Silvia’s birthday falling on December 23 her needs and wants are always taken to heart. One of her favourites is…
European RoyalsFeaturesNorway

A Very Norwegian Christmas

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16th December 2015
Continuing our series looking at how royal families from across Europe celebrate Christmas, today we will be looking at Norway and their festive traditions. In Norway, Christmas time means family time, and that is no different for the Norwegian royal family. King Harald…
FeaturesInsight

A Very Dutch Christmas

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14th December 2015
In the Netherlands, Christmas is very much the same, but earlier in the month, they also celebrate on December 5 with Sinterklaas (the Dutch name for Saint Nicholas) bringing presents. There is a large public event when Sinterklaas arrives, which the Dutch Royal Family has taken part in . Arriving from Spain (no chilly North Pole weather for Sinterklaas!) on a steamboat with his white horse, the…
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FeaturesHistoryInsight

Looking at the birth of Mary, Queen of Scots

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5th December 2015
Mary Queen of Scots was born on 8 December 1542, at Linlithgow Palace, incidentally the birthplace of her father, James V of Scotland, in West Lothian, some fifteen miles distance from Edinburgh. The palace’s name translates literally as the “loch in the damp hollow” and still overlooks a inland loch. Today it ismaintained by Historic Scotland and was the residence of…
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