Features

The home of historic Crown Jewels that comes to life in the snow

Rosenborg Castle has plenty of royal history and carries an air of regal menace that is only slightly softened when the snow falls. Decked in flakes, it still looks as if its only place in a fairytale is as the home of a villain. It has majesty and mystery and covered in snow, it’s a winter wonder. Guillaume Baviere, via Flickr Rosenborg was built on the orders of Christian IV who ruled…
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Features

The romance and drama of the Winter Queen

Elizabeth Stuart, often referred to as The Winter Queen, was born on 19 August 1595 to James VI of Scotland, who was also James I of Great Britain, and Anne of Denmark in Falkland Palace, Scotland. In the Chapel Royal at Holyrood Palace, Elizabeth was christened in November…
History

The king who was crowned on Christmas Day

For almost a thousand years, coronation services have taken place at Westminster Abbey, in times of peace and strife. The sovereign sometimes arrives at the Abbey a popular figure; sometimes, they’re deeply unpopular. More often than not, they’re crowned by birthright and succession. On a few occasions, they’re crowned after a battle, like the first king to reign after the Norman…
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Features

The last Christmas of a great queen

Queen Victoria spent her last Christmas at Osborne in 1900. It was forty years exactly since Prince Albert had celebrated his final Christmas in 1860 at Windsor, the setting for so many happy family festivities in the past. Prince Albert did not live to see Christmas 1861…
Features

The royal who really brought the Christmas tree to Britain

Prince Albert is generally credited with introducing the Christmas tree to Britain, but in fact, it was the work of his wife’s grandmother, Queen Charlotte. Like Prince Albert, Charlotte was born and raised in Germany, where the tradition of bringing a tree inside at Christmas time, decorated with lights and sweets, is believed to date back to the 16th century. As a child, Charlotte’s family…
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Features

Why Prince Sverre Magnus is only a Highness when his sister is a Royal Highness

Prince Sverre Magnus of Norway is third in line to the Norwegian throne, and as of today, he is legally allowed to ascend the throne should it ever come to that. However, there are a few major differences in the titles and styles of Sverre Magnus and his older sister, Princess Ingrid Alexandra. The Prince is only styled as “His Highness,” whereas Ingrid Alexandra is “Her Royal…
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