here are a number of events in English
royal history that seem extraordinary and unbelievable, but the
warming pan scandal has to be at the top of the list. The son of
James II and Mary of Modena had a very interesting start to life
and would be questioned for decades. James II was not an overly
popular monarch; he was Roman Catholic (and was married to a Roman
Catholic), attempted to…
From queen's necklace to wedding tiara - the sparkling story of one of the most famous royal gems of all
5th April 2024
It’s become one of the big questions in
the run up to a royal marriage – which tiara will the bride wear?
It’s now an accepted part of any Windsor wedding and the decision
of Princess Beatrice to wear the same tiara as her grandmother did
as a bride for her…
Within the walls of one of England’s most
picturesque castles, a queen gave birth to her only child and set
in motion a chain of events that would become one of Tudor
England’s most intriguing mysteries. The birth had been much
anticipated and much talked about. The…
The fate of one of medieval England’s
most famous royal mistresses has fascinated historians for
centuries. What really happened to The Fair Rosamund? Much of
Rosamund Clifford’s life is now the stuff of legend and folklore
but, in her time, she was England’s greatest beauty and Eleanor of
Aquitaine’s greatest nemesis. For by the time Rosamund began a
relationship with Eleanor’s…
He was the monarch who had to fight for a
throne but then relied on a mistress for advice with a queen who
arrived at court to find another holding power. And in the middle
of their marriage was a woman with ambition, brains and no sense of
self control. Our special read…
Sparkling with diamonds and studded with
creamy pearls, it is a perfect fit for bridal white so it’s no
surprise that a rather impressive royal necklace was created for a
marriage. Queen Alexandra’s Wedding Necklace is a rarely seen royal
gem but it has a…
In a year when traditional remembrance
for those who have given their lives for their country was made
difficult by the pandemic, Queen Elizabeth II made one of the most
poignant gestures of her reign. Her Late Majesty placed a floral
tribute on the Tomb of the Unknown Warrior ahead of Remembrance
Day, standing at the grave with a soldier who stood apart from her,
as pandemic restrictions…
Eleanor of Aquitaine died on 1 April 1204
but after 800 years, she still holds our interest. She was Queen
twice and held titles in her own name, and she remains one of the
most interesting royal women in the mediaeval period. Eleanor was
born on 8 April 1124 to William…
She was the beautiful princess who had
been the subject of endless royal wedding speculation, he was the
handsome prince with a crown waiting in his future. When Marie-Jose
of Belgium married Umberto, heir to the throne of Italy, in January
1930 their marriage had all the…
It’s grand, unforgettable and forever
associated with one of the most famous princesses of the 20th
century. The tiara chosen by Princess Margaret for her wedding to
Antony Armstrong-Jones in May 1960 has become iconic. In fact, it
was such a successful pick, it begs the question – is Margaret’s
the best royal wedding tiara of all? The Poltimore Tiara, to give
this sparkler…
