History

Plan in place to save Queen Victoria's high-tech ship HMS Warrior

Repair work will soon get underway aboard a Victorian battleship, the HMS Warrior, which was once a part of the high-tech marine fleet of Queen Victoria. Anchored at the Portsmouth Historic Dockyard, the vessel has deteriorated over the past century and requires urgent engineering intervention. HMS Warrior, launched in 1860, was the pride of Queen Victoria’s fleet. Powered by steam and sail…
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FeaturesHistory

Mother of a dynasty: Louisa Jane, first Duchess of Abercorn

On 31 March 1905 an extraordinary woman died at Coates Castle in Sussex, aged 92. Although she had been widowed since 1885, Louisa Jane, the first Duchess of Abercorn, was not going to let advancing years and the loss of a husband interfere with the rest of her life. She may have outlived her close friend, Queen Victoria, by four years, but she was unlikely to be lonely. This is a version of a…
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History

Benedict Cumberbatch to give reading at Richard III reburial

Star of Sherlock, Benedict Cumberbatch, will read a poem at the re-internment of the last Plantagenet King, Richard III, on Thursday. The re-internment service will take place at Leicester Cathedral three years after his remains were discovered at the site of an archaeological excavation on a Leicester City Council car park. The actor will read verses of a poem written by Poet Laureate, Carol Ann…
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History

The final journey: Richard III's reburial procession

Over 500 years after his death, and nearly three years after the discovery of his remains under a Leicester car park, King Richard III is finally set to get the funeral that he deserves, as his reburial procession got underway in Leicester today. Richard III’s remains…
History

Richard III had blonde hair and blue eyes? That is what scientists say.

For years, it was believed that King Richard III had dark hair and black eyes. That is how he is portrayed in his portraits, and the image certainly is consistent with that of a notorious King, rumoured to have murdered his nephews. But now, scientists say that the last of the Plantagenet rulers may, in fact, have had blonde hair and blue eyes. The results of DNA tests carried out by Dr Turi King…
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