Features

The prince of hope who became his dynasty's despair: the birth of Edward VIII

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28th July 2023
His birth secured the succession in a way the British royal family had never known before. When Mary, Duchess of York delivered a healthy boy on June 23rd 1894 she ensured that her royal dynasty had three heirs in direct line to the throne. But the baby who arrived that day would take the crown from ultimate security to compete crisis. The baby grew up to be Edward VIII, the king who abdicated for…
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Features

Why didn't Queen Victoria have a Silver Jubilee?

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27th July 2023
Victoria was the monarch who invented jubilees as we know them. The celebrations of 1887 and 1897 are among the most famous events of royal history and helped shape her legacy. But our modern minds assume there must also have been a silver version, for that is the pattern we…
History

The king who almost drowned a week after his coronation

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24th July 2023
The coronation of a monarch is marked with ceremony and celebration and, often, time in other parts of their new realm as they introduce themselves to their people. Karl Johan became King of Norway and Sweden 205 years ago but his time amongst those he was now to rule almost ended in disaster. For the man anointed as king almost died within days of being crowned.Karl XIV Johan has been…
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Features

The monarch's role in Spain

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24th July 2023
Spain’s general election has seen the conservatives win most votes but not a majority and now negotiations begin as several parties vie to form a government. What is the role of Spain’s king, Felipe VI, in this situation? Maddalena Mastrostefano investigates for…
Features

How the birth of Prince George made history for Queen Elizabeth II

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22nd July 2023
The birth of a new family member always brings joy but for Queen Elizabeth II, the arrival of her first great grandson also made history. For the first time in over a century, a Monarch saw three generations of heirs in line for the throne. The direct succession was guaranteed into the 22nd century.The birth of George Alexander Louis, on July 22nd 2013 at St. Mary’s Hospital, Paddington…
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Features

Charlotte of Wales, the queen Britain missed

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21st July 2023
Princess Charlotte of Wales was the queen that Britain never had, and easily the most popular member of the Royal Family during her lifetime. When she died in childbirth aged just 21, she was deeply mourned by the British public, yet her story is so often consigned to a…
Features

The heartbroken king who almost toppled one of Europe's monarchies

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21st July 2023
Leopold III was the fourth King of the Belgians (the Belgian King is known as the King of the Belgians rather than King of Belgium). In the early years of his reign, he was a popular figure; however, he became a divisive figure after he surrendered the Belgian army to the invading German forces in 1940 without consulting his government. After the end of the war, he would eventually agree to…
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