Features

Queen Alexandra's Wedding Necklace

Sparkling with diamonds and studded with creamy pearls, it is a perfect fit for bridal white so it’s no surprise that a rather impressive royal necklace was created for a marriage.Queen Alexandra’s Wedding Necklace is a rarely seen royal gem but it has a romantic as well as regal history.You get no prizes for guessing the provenance of this particular royal jewel. As it name…
Read more
Features

The Duke who was ordered to miss a Coronation

Seventy years ago, memories of a spectacular day that had changed Britain were still fresh as the country looked back on the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II at Westminster Abbey, an event that was one of the great events of the 20th century.However, in the months…
Features

The story of Balmoral tartan

It’s been quite the week for tartan. The King was fully kilted out as he headed to John O’Groats for a wee dram at the start of his Scottish holidays. Meanwhile his heir, Prince William, found his own Scottish style under scrutiny as conversations began about when the Duke of Rothesay was last seen in a kilt.Should William choose to toss a fashion caber and go for a kilt during his…
Read more
Features

The day Queen Elizabeth II agreed to be addressed as a duke

Over fifty years ago, a shout from a crowd prompted an unusual response from Queen Elizabeth II. During a visit to Normandy in France, a voice cried ”Vive La Duchesse!”. It wasn’t a case of mistaken identity, as Her Late Majesty herself acknowledged. For the British monarch has long laid claim to the ancient title of Duke of Normandy.In the middle ages, the Duke of Normandy…
Read more
Features

The mysterious death of England's second King William

In August 1100, England’s second King William died in strange circumstances and was buried quietly at Winchester Cathedral. Meanwhile, his younger brother, Henry, hastened to London to claim power. What really happened to the king?Today we’re looking at a royal…
Features

The queen's daughter who disappeared without trace - a Tudor mystery that remains unsolved

Within the walls of one of England’s most picturesque castles, a queen gave birth to her only child and set in motion a chain of events that would become one of Tudor England’s most intriguing mysteries. The birth had been much anticipated and much talked about. The baby, a little girl, was immediately taken off to a nursery decked in scarlet and gold where a string of attendants…
Read more