Lady Jane Grey, or Lady Jane Dudley, was proclaimed Queen on this day in 1553. She has been commonly referred to as The Nine Days Queen. She was the great-granddaughter of Henry VII through his daughter Mary, Queen of France. From 10 July to the 19 July, she was the de facto monarch of England and Ireland.
It has been reported that she was born in October of 1537. However, more recent research…
A chance listing on the Public Catalogue Foundation Art UK, for an oil on canvas painting (35.8 x 30.7 cm) said to be of Russia’s last Empress, Tsarina Alexandra Feodorovna, when she was Princess Alix of Hesse (1872-1918) led me to investigate this extraordinary artwork…
Archduchess Mathilde of Austria was born in 1849 as the daughter of Archduke Albert, Duke of Teschen and his wife, Princess Hildegard of Bavaria. She grew up in a wealthy and charming home with a kind family. During the summer, the family spent their time at the Weilburg…
June is royal wedding month in Sweden and one particular date is filled with regal marriage memories. King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia wed on June 19th 1976 and their eldest child and heir to the throne, Crown Princess Victoria, chose the same date for her marriage to Daniel Westling in 2010. Mother and daughter wore the same tiara for their marriages and selected cream and green blooms for…
London has many plaques and memorials with royal connections but in fact, rather fewer statues. Some of these statues have interesting hidden histories of their own, of how they were made, how they came to be in the places that they are and why. Some of these statues may be…
The 7th of June is a special day in Norwegian history. On that day, the Norwegians celebrated both the end of the Union with Sweden in 1905 and the return of King Haakon in 1945 following the Second World War. This year, there was no celebration because of the coronavirus…
In 1997, the life of the Spanish King came under threat as a plot was made to kill him during the opening of a new museum. The failed assassination attempt on King Juan Carlos was discovered by Spanish police by chance and resulted in an international hunt for the men who wanted to kill the Spanish monarch. Eneko Gogeaskoetxea Arronategui was the master of the plan together with some other members…
Flashback Friday: King Carl XVI Gustaf's remarks on Crown Princess Victoria becoming queen
5th June 2020
King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden has not always been happy with the idea of Crown Princess Victoria following him as head of state. In the past, he has stated that he wanted his son, Prince Carl Philip, to follow him as King as Sweden. If the King had been able to decide…
The current situation in the United States, where President Trump has said he will authorise the military to enter towns and cities unless growing civil unrest comes to an end, has drawn attention around the world. In these circumstances, it is perhaps not unsurprising to…
His Majesty King Rama V of Siam, present-day Thailand, also called King Chulalongkorn, was born in 1853 and died in 1910. As a fifteen-year-old, Chulalongkorn ascended the Siamese throne, but because of his young age, his uncle acted as his guardian.
During his five years of custody, he was educated by an English governor, Anna Leonowens, in literary history, language and art. He was King of…
