Features

The suspicious death of a king which remains a mystery centuries later

By
20th October 2023
As the third son of William the Conqueror, William II had already made his mark before he even became king. His exact date of birth is not known but it is accepted that it took place around 1056 in Normandy, France. He had two older brothers, Robert Curthose and Richard, and a younger brother named Henry. His early years aren’t covered in great detail by chroniclers of the time although as…
Read more
Features

Conquest and civil war - how England's first modern royal house rose then fell from power

By
18th October 2023
Nine royal houses have ruled England since the Norman Conquest in 1066 and all of them have made their mark. But eight have seen their power pass elsewhere. The Conqueror’s crown passed to another dynasty within a century of his victory at Hastings – what happened to the House of Norman? The House of Norman The dynasty had come to power in England in 1066 following the famous…
Read more
Features

The royal bride who wore her sister's wedding dress

By
17th October 2023
It was a royal wedding with a recycled gown worn by a woman who gave up her royal status for love. When Princess Desiree of Sweden got married, she left her HRH status at the altar to be with the man she loved. Royal Wedding Rewind heads back to June 1964 for the wedding of Desiree and Baron Niclas Silfvershiold. The princess was the second of the four sisters of Carl Gustaf of Sweden to marry…
Read more
Features

The Coronation of William the Conqueror

By
14th October 2023
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…
Read more