On a hot summer day in 1543, a young
widow married an ageing and much wed king in a ceremony that took
many by surprise. By the time Katherine Parr said ‘I do’ to Henry
VIII in the Queen’s Closet at Hampton Court Palace on July
12th1543, his five previous unions and attitude towards marital
harmony were such that continental contenders to be consort of
England were all but running in…
The unhappy royal love story which led to the imprisonment of the Princes in the Tower
4th September 2023
Richard III was declared King of England
on June 26th 1483 – thanks to a royal romance which had all but
been forgotten. She was the long dead widow who was used by a king
to overthrow his own nephew and yet her name is all but forgotten
today. Eleanor Butler was…
He created some of the most famous royal
looks of the 20th century and he’s still producing talked about
style picks. Sir Norman Hartnell was already a sought after wedding
dress designer when he was first commissioned to produce a bridal
outfit by the House of…
The odds were not in William’s favour
when the newborn son of the Prince and Princess of Wales was born
on 21 June 1982. In fact, the bookmakers predicted that the future
king’s name would be George, or James, or Charles, or Philip, or
Louis, but the bookmakers did not predict that William would be the
child’s name. A week later, Buckingham Palace announced that the
future king was to be…
The steel of Sweden: how the consort and heir of King Carl Gustaf changed the royal image with help from history
2nd September 2023
The Swedish Royal Family has a knack for
jewellery, and that’s especially true of their steel tiaras. There
are two steel cut tiaras in their vault: the Steel Cut Tiara and
the Steel Cut Bandeau. The Cut Steel Tiara dates back to Queen
Hortense of Holland’s…
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…
Emeralds are among the most striking gems
found in any collection and they feature in some of the best known
royal tiaras in Europe. And the Emerald Parure Tiara, owned by the
Dutch Royal Family, has a truly fascinating history. [getty
src=”1149595458″ width=”594″ height=”396″ tld=”ca”] Queen Emma
ordered this tiara from the jewellers…
It’s rare to see a royal engagement ring
with a flash of green about it. Emeralds aren’t the most popular
pick for royal betrothals but the few that have hit the headlines
are all rather striking. Here’s our rundown of that rarest of royal
sparklers…
Picked as a royal bride by Queen Victoria
herself, Princess Mary of Teck would find her way to the altar in
the most unusual circumstances. For Mary ended up saying ‘I do’ to
the second king in waiting selected as a husband for her. But her
marriage proved to be…
Following the German invasion of Poland
in September 1939, Britain declared war on Nazi Germany. King
George VI would be the monarch to lead the UK through some of the
country’s darkest times. During the war, Windsor Castle would
become pivotal for the royal family. [getty src=”51396671″
width=”594″ height=”461″ tld=”com”] During the…
