Insight

The Waterloo Ceremony: Duke of Wellington pays his rent

<![CDATA[The Waterloo Ceremony. An elaborate gesture performed annually by the Duke of Wellington, as he pays the rent on his grand stately home in Hampshire to the British Monarch. This symbolic ceremony is held every year on 18th June, the anniversary of the Battle of Waterloo. The origin of the Waterloo Ceremony dates back to the early 19th century. In 1815, Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of…
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British RoyalsFeaturesHistoryInsightPalaces & Buildings

Historic Royal Palaces: The Kitchen Garden at Hampton Court Palace

<![CDATA[Welcome to the first in the series covering the history, treasures and other bits and bobs of the Historic Royal Palaces. Join me on the journey as we visit more than just buildings, but the sights and sounds of what comprise England’s greatest treasures: Historic Royal Palaces. The gardeners at Historic Royal Palaces have “planted” the seeds of restoration at Hampton Court…
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Features

William and Kate appoint their first Equerry

<![CDATA[The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have appointed their first equerry to their household earlier this year, The Courtier has discovered, another sign of an increasing yet inevitable focus on royal duties for the couple. Captain Florian Graham-Watson, an…
FeaturesInsightQueen Elizabeth II

Why The Queen is about to get a new, very distant royal cousin

<![CDATA[The news that Princess Charlene is expecting her first child came as a bit of a surprise to European royal watchers.  The birth of this latest royal baby, at the end of 2014, will give Monaco a new hereditary prince or princess, and secure the succession for the dynasty of Albert II.   But it will also give The Queen a new, very distant royal cousin. The connection between the…
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FeaturesHistoryInsight

Her Majesty's prime ministers

<![CDATA[In the second of this blog series, we will be taking a look at Queen Elizabeth II's second prime minister. He was prime minister from 6th April 1955 until 10th January 1957, and his name was Anthony Eden. Robert Anthony Eden was born on 12th June 1897 at Windlestone Hall in County Durham into a Conservative landed gentry family. His father was Sir William Eden and his mother Sybil…
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