Features

A royal Christmas at Osborne House

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19th December 2023
Queen Victoria’s beloved residence at East Cowes on the Isle of Wight, was the place where she spent her final Christmas. Built in the style of an Italianate villa, Osborne House was purchased in March 1845 and was bought together with its estate of approximately 1,000 acres. The original house was demolished and a new foundation stone laid on 23 June 1845, the design having been done by…
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Features

Queen Victoria and an empress who set up home for winter in a famous London hotel

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16th December 2023
Sometimes known as ‘the annexe to Buckingham Palace’, the classic hotel in London’s Mayfair has time-honoured connections with royalty that exist into the present day. From the earlier single building run by William and Marianne Claridge at 51 Brook Street, Claridge’s opened in its own right in 1856 and received its first visit from Queen Victoria in 1860. Historically, it continued to…
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Features

A very Windsor Christmas

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14th December 2023
Nearly 25 years after her grandfather George V became the first to deliver a Christmas broadcast, Queen Elizabeth II would carry on the tradition and create history in her own way. Christmas 1957, The Queen’s Christmas broadcast was televised for the first time. During her message, she spoke on the tradition her late father, George VI passed on to her. She also addressed the nation from the…
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