The artworks by the fashionable German portrait painter and historical artist Friedrich August von Kaulbach (1860-1920) of Princess Alix of Hesse, later Tsarina Alexandra Feodorovna and her elder sister, Elisabeth Feodorovna, ‘Ella’ Grand Duchess Sergei of Russia, provide, I think, a rare insight into these two princesses who would both marry into the Russian Imperial House of Romanov. Not…
It was 4 August 1982. The IRA had recently set off bombs in Regent’s Park and Hyde Park, and just a few weeks before that, the infamous Michael Fagan incident occurred, when a man managed to break into Buckingham Palace and entered The Queen’s bedroom.
But a…
The art dealer and BBC Historian Philip Mould has discovered what could be the earliest full-length portrait of Elizabeth I as Queen. The painting is currently on display at 18-19 Pall Mall after being restored.
Art historians and critics have been amazed by the painting…
For a woman who founded one of the most famous royal dynasties in British history, she is surpisingly 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…
At some point this summer, it’s likely we’ll get another close up look of the best known replica christening gown around. For when Prince Louis of Cambridge is baptized, probably before the Royal Family’s summer break, he will wear the intricate copy of the famous…
A portrait of the toddler Princess Alix of Hesse by the Austrian painter George Koberwein caught my attention back in 2004. Examining how it came to be painted was a source of great interest to me, not least because the picture that he produced of the baby princess, not…
The World Cup is about to get underway in Russia with the England squad now at their training camp with royal backing after the Duke of Cambridge visited them ahead of their departure for the competition. We know there will be no Windsor representation in the VIP stands this time around, but royals and the contest have a long history. Three European monarchs have done the honours and handed over…
Banbury Cross is of course, synonymous with local Oxfordshire folklore for many, because of the popular rhyme which has a ‘fine lady’ riding to it on her cockhorse. Indeed, this is the main reason why many people know of the existence of the Cross at all. Far less known…
In a year filled with royal excitement, minds are already turning to what’s expected to be one of the significant events of the summer, the christening of Prince Louis of Cambridge. The youngest child of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, born on 23 April at St. Mary’s…
A few weeks ago a memorial plaque which was dedicated to the Welsh Princess Gwenllian went missing from its usual location at the top of Snowdon. It has since been returned to the Princess Gwenllian society by a local man named Rhys Jones, but the plaque was found to be smashed.
The thirteenth century Princess is revered in Welsh history as she was the daughter of the last sovereign Prince of…
