Features

The Palais-Royal: from a prince of the church to revolution

While we often associate the French royals with the Palace of Versailles and the Louvre Palace, they owned far more than that over the centuries. The Palais-Royal in Paris began as a cardinal’s palace but made its way into royal hands. The Palais-Royal is in the 1st arrondissement of Paris, on Rue Saint-Honoré. Architect Jacques Lemercier was commissioned in the late 1620s to create a…
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Features

The Prime Minister who had to go to France to kiss hands with a monarch

When Edward VII had headed to Biarritz for a springtime break in 1908, his government had been under the stewardship of Liberal Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman. But his health was failing fast and on April 3rd, he resigned. Herbert Asquith, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, was selected as his successor without opposition ensuring a smooth transition – with one small obstacle. The king was still…
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Features

The King of Appleton House

It was a quiet country house, described by several who knew it as ‘’little’’ and a ‘’pied a terre’, given as a wedding present to a royal couple who were expected to linger on the fringes of regal life. Yet on July 2nd 1903, it became the birthplace of one of…
Features

The romantic tiara that helped create a fairy tale princess

The stunning aquamarine and diamond diadem of Sweden’s royal family is an unusual jewel and it has a rather poignant history to go with it. But it’s become most famous in recent years as the tiara that a popular princess wore to create a modern day fairytale. Princess Madeleine has a soft spot for the aquamarine tiara held in her family vaults. She’s worn it several times at the Nobel…
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Features

The impressive story of a tiara of an empress

The Empress of Japan wore one of the most famous jewels belonging to the Imperial Royal Family when she was guest of honour at a State Banquet at Buckingham Palace. Empress Masako wore the Imperial Chrysanthemum Tiara and her choice was historic. [getty src=”2158676158″ width=”396″ height=”594″ tld=”com”] It’s an all diamond tiara and…
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