Features

The history of Commonwealth Day

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11th March 2024
Every year on the second Monday of March, Commonwealth Day (originally known as Empire Day) is celebrated. While the date has some official status in certain member states of the Commonwealth, observances are not specific to this particular day. In most countries, it’s not celebrated as a public holiday.In the 1890s, the holiday was initially created and held on Queen Victoria’s birthday…
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Features

A rainbow of royal wedding bouquets

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10th March 2024
We’re used to seeing royal brides with white flowers. Many a regal wedding has featured a posy of pretty cream flowers, dotted with hints of green and matching the dress to perfection. Bright bouquets are a rarity but they make their mark. Here’s a rainbow of…
Features

What is the Order of the Thistle?

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10th March 2024
The King has appointed his youngest brother, the Duke of Edinburgh, to the Order of the Thistle. Prince Edward was given the honour to mark his 60th birthday on March 10th 2024. The Order is the highest chivalric order in Scotland.Appointments to the Order are made solely on the discretion of The King. Charles III receives no political advice about who to appoint.King James VII founded…
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Features

The stunning diamond tiara that became a favourite of three queens

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9th March 2024
While Queen Mary was known to be a magpie with a large jewellery collection, her mother-in-law also had a strong collection of her own. And amongst the most famous pieces is the gem now known as Queen Alexandra’s Kokoshnik Tiara.In 1888, the then Prince and Princess of Wales celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary. Lady Salisbury organised a group of 365 peeresses who donated funds to…
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Features

The royal bride who refused to wear white for her wedding

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8th March 2024
It was a low key royal wedding, set against a backdrop of family illness and impending drama. But the marriage of Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester and Lady Alice Montagu Douglas Scott, on November 6th1935, began a royal partnership that would become a bedrock for the House of Windsor as it faced some of its most challenging times.Prince Henry, third son ofKing George V and Queen…
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