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The tragic queen who was also the forgotten Princess of Wales

Anne Neville is most often remembered as the tragic queen consort of Richard III. But before she wore the English crown, she held a title now largely forgotten: Princess of Wales. Her short and politically fraught marriage to Edward of Westminster, the only son of Henry VI and Margaret of Anjou, placed her at the heart of one of the bloodiest and most turbulent chapters of the Wars of the…
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Mother of a king but never queen herself: the intriguing story of Joan of Kent, the royal who defied conventions

On the 7th of August, 1385, Joan of Kent, Princess of Wales and Countess of Kent, passed away at Wallingford Castle. Her death marked the end of a remarkable life woven through scandal, devotion, and dynastic politics. Known to her contemporaries as “the Fair Maid of Kent,” Joan was more than a figure of beauty; she was the mother of a future king, the consort of one of England’s most…
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The beautiful duchess who became chatelaine of one of the most famous palaces in the world as well as a firm royal favourite

Consuelo Vanderbilt, the American socialite, became the Duchess of Marlborough in 1895 when she married Charles Spencer-Churchill, 9th Duke of Marlborough. She would quickly become a royal favourite and she is back in the spotlight again.Consuelo was the it-girl of Gilded Age New York society, and with English aristocrats looking across the Atlantic to find rich brides, the beautiful and…
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The almost-crown that has been worn by three queens

The Queen Mother owned several tiaras in her own right, including several gifts from her husband, King George VI. She also had access to many more tiaras in the Royal Collection while queen. One of her most impressive but rare picks never actually belonged to her – the Delhi Durbar Tiara. Queen Mary asked Garrard & Co to create a new tiara for the 1911 Durbar in India. A Durbar was…
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