King Harald’s gift to Prince Sverre
Magnus on his 18th birthday was the designation as a Grand Cross of
the Order of St. Olav. The prince, the only grandson of King Harald
and Queen Sonja, received the gift just days before he comes of
age. And it’s a very special order. Founded by King Oscar I in
1847, though he reigned as the Sovereign of both Norway and Sweden,
the Order of St.
All the brand new Christmas traditions being put in place by the Royal Family
1st December 2023
The Christmas period is always a
particularly fun time for royal watching, with behind-the-scenes
pictures of the palaces being decorated for the holidays and royals
carrying out holiday-themed engagements moving to the forefront.
The Royal Family have always played a…
The royal reason a magnificent Christmas tree stands in Trafalgar Square
1st December 2023
Every year since 1947, a 20-metre tall
tree has been donated to the British as a thank-you from Norway.
Now, that tree shines in London’s Trafalgar Square every holiday
season. The tree was given to thank the British for their support
during World War II. In April…
King Karl XII of Sweden was born 17 June
1682 as the son of King Karl XI and the Danish-born Ulrika
Eleonora. Karl continued his father’s war politics against other
Nordic nations, which led to Denmark joining forces with Poland and
Russia. They then went to war with Sweden in 1700, in what has been
called the Great Nordic War. Karl personally took charge of the
Swedish military…
Many choose to send holiday greetings to
the royal families around Christmas. In response, most get a
Christmas reply, expressing the royals’ thanks and well wishes for
the year ahead. So, what address should you send your Christmas
letters to? We have a breakdown…
The royal wedding that glittered for a dynasty heading for crisis
29th November 2023
It was a wedding featuring two very
popular royals and two ceremonies and it led to one of the most
influential unions of the 20th century. The marriage of Prince
George, Duke of Kent and Princess Marina of Greece, on November
29th 1934, was a day that changed the House of…
The future queen who decided to accept the possibility of a crown over tea at a London hotel
27th November 2023
On a summer’s day in 1818, a young German
princess walked into one of the most famous hotels in London to
meet a man twice her age. Just a year earlier, Adelaide of
Saxe-Meiningen and her suitor, William, Duke of Clarence, would
never have considered chatting let alone taking the step that would
inevitably follow this brief exchange. But after a short time
together, with chaperones, of…
Poignant heirlooms and peacocks - the historic emeralds of a royal family
27th November 2023
The emerald features in some of the most
striking royal tiaras and necklaces currently used by ruling houses
around Europe. Among the most historic are the tiaras dominated by
that stone which are owned by the Luxembourg Grand Ducal Family.
Chaumet Emerald Tiara The…
The princess who wore blue to say I do to a prince who waited decades to marry her
26th November 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…
Sweden was a monarchy long before its
current ruling house arrived on the throne. However, it was the
last dynasty to accede to the throne that made it famous. Its
founder was born in France, and the Kingdom of Sweden was his
reward for a well-conducted campaign during the Napoleonic wars.
Jean-Baptiste Jules Bernadotte was born in Pau, southern France, on
the 26th of January…
