Features

The royal bride who refused to wear white for her wedding

It was a low key royal wedding, set against a backdrop of family illness and impending drama. But the marriage of Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester and Lady Alice Montagu Douglas Scott, on November 6th 1935, began a royal partnership that would become a bedrock for the House of Windsor as it faced some of its most challenging times. Prince Henry, third son of King George V and Queen Mary, had…
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Features

Is it time to rethink royal jubilees?

Sweden is enjoying a summer of celebrations to mark a very special event. The reign of King Carl XVI Gustaf reaches half a century this year. The party for his Golden Jubilee will see Sweden sparkle but after this special milestone, the Jubilee juggernaut slows down. The Grand Duke of Luxembourg hits 25 years of rule in 2025 while Prince Albert II of Monaco will reach Silver Jubilee status by…
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Features

The English Queens of France

On an August day, over 500 years ago, Mary Tudor, sister of Henry VIII, was promised in marriage to the French king, Louis XII.  She would wed him several months later. The spectacular ceremony in Abbeville in Northern France transformed Mary into the Queen of France.  No other English princess held that title after her.  In fact, only one other daughter of a King of England had married a King…
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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…
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 leading up to the ceremony, courtiers and politicians were working behind the scenes, trying to manage how to deal with one…
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