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…
Sweden was a monarchy long before its
current ruling house arrived on the throne. However, it was the
last dynasty to accede to the throne that made it famous. Its
founder was born in France, and the Kingdom of Sweden was his
reward for a well-conducted campaign during…
The marriage of King Baudouin of the
Belgians and Fabiola de Mora y Aragon, on December 15th 1960, gave
a country a new queen and began a royal partnership that would
become one of the most successful in modern regal history. The
discreet monarch and his equally dignified…
For centuries, tiaras have been a symbol
of royalty and some gems hold more significance than others when
used in these sparkling signs of power. The ruby is the birthstone
for July. It’s been used in royal jewellery collections for
centuries and it now features in some of the most striking pieces
in European vaults. The Dutch royal gem collection has some famous
examples of the stone…
It was a famous royal love story that
shocked as much as it thrilled and its descendants still hold
thrones today. John of Gaunt was the ultra-ambitious prince whose
desire to be a king almost cost him his life, Katherine Swynford
was the mysterious commoner who…
Have we got the title of one of Britain’s
most controversial kings right? If you think you know the answer,
this special feature by Liam Foley might make you think again. One
aspect of the evolution of monarchy that I find interesting is the
development of Ordinal…
Monarchy is all about traditions and that
includes naming conventions. Throughout the royal families of
Europe there are common threads to be found for those who ascend to
the throne. Today, we’re looking at some of the most common regnal
names. Denmark The monarchy with the strictest regnal names is
Denmark. Since 1513, their sovereigns have either been named
Frederik or Christian. As…
