William and Adelaide’s marriage proved to
be a happy one. Both King and Queen were popular with the British
public, and Adelaide even more so, for her modesty and charitable
nature. Curiously, Adelaide was the only Georgian Queen to survive
her husband, and, as Dowager Queen, she lived well into the reign
of Queen Victoria. Adelaide of Saxe-Meiningen was born on 13th
August 1792, and was the…
Originally there were four Masters of the
Household, but in the 17th Century it was reduced to one. The
position was also one that required little to no effort, which was
until Prince Albert reorganized the structure in the 1840s. The
current Master of the Household…
The Wives of the Georgian Kings: Maria Fitzherbert & Caroline of Brunswick
8th November 2014
Firstly, let’s look at George’s ‘secret’
wife, Maria Fitzherbert, in further detail. Born Maria Smythe, she
was the eldest daughter of Mary Ann and Walter Smythe, the son of a
knight. Maria was raised as a Roman Catholic, and received an
adequate education at a…
With the support of peers in the
House of Lords and Members of Parliament, the College submitted
their proposal to the Cabinet Office and Her Majesty The Queen
supported the decision to name the award after her. The Queen
has been Patron of the College since her accession in 1952. Last
month, she presented the first ever RCVS Queen's Medal to Mr
Desmond Thompson; a veterinary surgeon from…
Although their marriage was, in broad
terms, quite a happy one, their wedding day was far from a joyous
occasion. Mary, a mere 15 year old girl, is said to have wept
continuously throughout the ceremony, and the arranger of the
marriage, King Charles II, is reported to have…
The first Counsellors of State were
created by an Order in Council of George V in 1911. Under the
Regency Act 1937, Her Majesty is able to appoint Counsellors of
State. They have a limited role, although any two Counsellors of
State may attend Privy Council meetings and they…
The Lord Chamberlain is the conduit of
communication between The Queen and The House of Lords. He is also
Chancellor of the Royal Victorian Order. For ceremonial occasions
the Lord Chamberlain carries symbols of his office; a white staff
and a key worn in his hip pocket. The white staff is symbolically
broken over the grave of a deceased Monarch. The Earl of Clarendon
was the last Lord Chamberlain…
Caroline of Ansbach was born on 1st March
1683. Her parents were John Frederick, the Margrave of the small
German state of Ansbach, and his wife Eleonore. Her father died
when she was only three years old, and Caroline and her younger
brother had to accompany their mother to…
The first royal wife in this five part
series is Sophia Dorothea of Celle – the Queen that never was. She
married George I at a time when he was still only the heir to the
Duchy of Hanover. The couple had two children, including the future
King George II, but their…
The piper though does not travel to
Sandringham and play due to the shortage of accommodations there.
At Windsor, Balmoral and Holyroodhouse, he also pipes at Her
Majesty’s dinner table. The piper is also in charge of forming the
entry and exit of the 12 pipes that play around the table after
State banquets. The Queen’s Pipe is also a Honourary Page of
Presence and carries out those duties…
