Features

The princess who wore blue to say 'I do' to a prince who waited decades to marry her

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24th August 2023
It’s one of my all time favourite royal wedding dresses and just a glimpse of it can make me feel ever so slightly emotional. For not only was the pale blue gown worn by a lass called Lilian from Swansea on a cold, December day in 1976 a masterclass in elegance and chic, it was also the wedding dress of a princess decades in the making. It’s now forty four years since Prince Bertil of…
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Features

The princess named after Ireland's patron saint

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23rd August 2023
For a princess who claimed a bit of a royal first at the baptismal font, it’s perhaps not surprising that Patricia of Connaught – known for most of her adult life as Lady Patricia Ramsey – ended up changing plenty of regal rules on her way. The little…
HistoryPalaces & Buildings

Why St James's Palace is no longer London's primary royal residence

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21st August 2023
For more than 300 years, St James’s Palace has been the setting for some of the most important moments in royal history. Serving as the residence for monarchs of England until the reign of Queen Victoria, today it is still the home of several members of the Royal Family but primarily a working palace. Located in Westminster, the palace was built by Henry VIII in 1531. This makes it even…
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Features

The dramatic promise made by a princess who survived a concentration camp

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15th August 2023
Princess Antonia of Luxembourg was born in October of 1899. She is the fourth daughter of the Grand Duke of Luxembourg, Guillaume IV and Princess Marie Anne. Two of her older sisters eventually became Grand Duchesses of Luxembourg. Antonia herself became the final Crown Princess of Bavaria. In 1921, she became the second wife of the Crown Prince of Bavaria, Rupprecht. This marriage was a…
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Features

How Princess Anne revived a forgotten royal name

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15th August 2023
A is for Anne but why did the only daughter of Queen Elizabeth II end up with a name that, at the time, wasn’t a usual one for members of the Royal Family? The answer can perhaps best be found in the summer of 1930 and the arrival of another princess. In August that…
FeaturesJapan

The world's oldest reigning monarchy

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12th August 2023
While there are several monarchies that date back over one thousand years, there is one throne that dates back over two thousand years. The Japanese monarchy, also known as the Chrysanthemum Throne, was officially founded in 440 BCE. The Japanese monarchy is the…
History

Queen Victoria's Buckingham Palace

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12th August 2023
Buckingham Palace is one of the most recognised buildings in the world and a symbol of the British Royal Family. If it wasn’t for Queen Victoria’s accession, the palace may have never become the principal royal residence as it did in 1837. Queen Victoria was the first monarch to reside at the famous London landmark. Her predecessor, William IV had died before the palace was…
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