She was the beautiful princess who had
been the subject of endless royal wedding speculation, he was the
handsome prince with a crown waiting in his future. When Marie-Jose
of Belgium married Umberto, heir to the throne of Italy, in January
1930 their marriage had all the echoes of history about it, a union
of dynasties that would secure a throne. Tens of thousands flocked
to Rome to see the…
The queen's daughter who disappeared without trace - a Tudor mystery that remains unsolved
2nd August 2023
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.
While there is a traditional uniform for
kings at their coronation, there is not for queens. This has
allowed each queen to wear a gown specifically created for their
coronation day. Queen Alexandra’s coronation dress remains one of
the most sumptuous in British…
August's birthstone and one of the most famous royal jewels in the world
1st August 2023
It’s just been seen up close by millions
around the world at the Coronation of King Charles III. And despite
its name, the Black Prince’s Ruby, this gem is actually a sparkling
example of the birthstone for August, Let’s say hello to the most
famous spinel in the world. Located on the front of the Imperial
State Crown, the stone is an irregular and large cabochon red
spinel…
Her story is amongst the most
controversial of all the Queens of England and centuries after her
death, a new twist appeared in the tale of Elizabeth Woodville. An
expert at the National Archives in London found a document
suggesting that the consort who revolutionised…
Who was the first commoner to be Queen of
England? There has been a long debate on the matter, because the
parameters for being classified as “commoner” have shifted though
the centuries. Elizabeth Woodville is considered the first commoner
to be crowned as…
Amidst the chronicle of lost tombs at
Westminster Abbey is that of Queen Anne Neville, wife of King
Richard III. Queen Anne’s invisibility in these terms underlines
the purported neglect on behalf of Richard III; this lack of a
memorial was rectified however when a bronze plaque was placed to
Queen Anne’s memory at Westminster Abbey, in an attempt to redress
this act of historical forgetting.
Royal weddings bring all kinds of
expectations and among them is one filled with sparkle and glitter.
For we all assume a royal bride will arrive for her marriage
wearing a tiara. When the wedding will result in them becoming a
consort or consort in waiting, the expectation…
If ever a wedding dress summed up its wearer, it was the gown chosen by Sophie for her marriage to Prince Edward
1st August 2023
It was the last Windsor wedding of the
20th century and a turning point for the Royal Family after a
troubled time. The bride chose a modern gown with nods to history
and it soon became a classic. If ever a royal wedding dress summed
up its wearer, it was the gown chosen…
The queen who refused to play by royal rules and founded history's most famous royal family
1st August 2023
For a woman who founded one of the most
famous royal dynasties in British history, she is surprisingly
enigmatic. Katherine of Valois was the first Kate to be Queen of
England and yet much of the modern imagining of her comes from her
fleeting appearance in the works of Shakespeare. But what little we
do know seems to indicate that the ‘fair Kate’ of Henry V was every
bit as ambitious…