Every ten years in the UK, a census is
held. All households in the country are required to fill in a form
with details of everyone living in that one unit to give a picture
of the population and help plan future services. The information is
held securely and can’t be released publicly for another 100 years.
But that means that, a century on, we get wonderful snapshots of
life long ago. I…
Put my sneakers on! Young royals from
across Europe have been stealing the spotlight from their parents
as they support their countries at the Olympic games. And of
course, they are putting their best foot forward fashion-wise with
the low-key favourite of the…
The marriage of Sonja Haraldsen to the
future King of Norway, on August 29th 1968, marked a moment of joy
in a relationship that had caused huge debate as soon as it was
known about. For the bride had no royal blood in a monarchy where
princes were expected to wed regally.
The Élysée Palace played host to several
royals ahead of the Opening Ceremony for the 2024 Summer Olympic
Games. French President Emmanuel Macron hosted a reception on the
day of the opening ceremony to officially receive the heads of
state attending the 2024 Paris games. He was joined by his wife,
Birgitte Macron. King Felipe is welcomed to the Elysee Palace
ahead of the opening…
It began life as a royal fortress and
became a symbol of a revived French monarchy in the 16th and 17th
century and, as the Olympics took over Paris, kings and queens once
more reigned at the Louvre. Several royals mingled at an Olympic
gala dinner at the palace turned…
The princess whose wedding dress was still being sewn as the church bells rang for her marriage
26th July 2024
Princess Madeleine’s wedding dress is one
of the most celebrated of recent royal weddings. The bride herself
talked openly about how her wedding dress was designed. The Italian
fashion designer Valentino Garavani had asked her if he could
create her dress. And the…
The first tiara of a future queen and the sweet family story that made a princess emotional
26th July 2024
She once stood in as a ‘first lady’ when
her country was without a consort and one of the oldest princesses
in Europe has admitted seeing a future queen in a tiara for the
first time made her emotional. Norway’s Princess Astrid, now 92,
was often at the side of her father, King Olav, during the early
years of his reign as he had no queen. Princess Martha, Olav’s
wife…
For centuries, tiaras have been a symbol
of royalty and some gems hold more significance than others when
used in these sparkling signs of power. The ruby is the birthstone
for July. It’s been used in royal jewellery collections for
centuries and it now features in…
We all love a royal ‘what if’ and perhaps
one of the most intriguing of recent times revolves around the
question of the king who renounced his throne for love. On December
11th 1936 Edward VIII announced to the world that he was ending his
reign to marry the woman he…
European leaders are gathering at
Blenheim Palace. Ever since being built at the dawn of the 18th
century, it has been home to a long and illustrious lineage of the
Dukes of Marlborough. Over the centuries, it has been the home of
various great personages, John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough
and Sir Winston Churchill among them. The Victory of a Duke The
year was 1704, and the War of…
