History

The Enlightenment Princess of Wales who helped change the Monarchy

Caroline of Ansbach was Princess of Wales from 1714 to 1727; her father-in-law, King George I, inherited the throne upon Queen Anne’s death and began the Hanoverian dynasty. She remains one of the most interesting women to hold the title of Princess of Wales and left her mark on British society and the monarchy itself. Caroline spent much of her teenage years at the Prussian court after both…
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The queen who fought an assassin with flowers

She was the queen who tried to save her dynasty with nothing more than a bouquet of flowers. Maria Amelia saw her husband and eldest son mortally wounded at close range in an assassination that would hasten the demise of their dynasty. She had done all she could to save the…
Features

The lost tombs of three historic queens

The site of Christchurch Greyfriars, is a strange, haunting place, redolent of history. It is now a ruined, public garden and a popular place for Londoners to take their sandwiches for lunch. Long gone is the atmosphere of bells and prayer from the Middle Ages; although in an odd parallel to its previous use as a church, it manages to be a place of peace in the noise of the City and nearby Stock…
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The mystery of the Queen Mother's wedding bouquet

It’s perhaps the most famous and talked about royal wedding bouquet of all. The flowers carried by the Queen Mother, then Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon, at her marriage in April 1923 have entered regal folklore after the bride used them to begin a royal wedding tradition known around the world. But do you actually know what this celebrated bouquet looks like? The chances are that the answer is no…
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The weddings of Queen Victoria's children

Of the nine children of Queen Victoria’s children, one daughter married in London another on the Isle of Wight and one son in St. Petersburg. The remaining six married at Windsor, five at St. George’s Chapel and one in the Private Chapel at Windsor Castle. The…
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Queen Camilla pulls a sparkling royal surprise with an unearthed gem

In a week where speculation over the Royal Family reached new heights, or should we say lows in some cases, it was left to The Queen to set some sparkle on the situation. As Her Majesty arrived at Westminster Abbey for the annual Commonwealth Day service, the jewels pinned to her blue coat led to plenty of questions, fortunately with far less crazed answers than the ones offered in some social…
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