New information has been unveiled about
the history of Hever Castle in Kent, a property once owned by the
Boleyn family and Anne of Cleves. Recently, architectural historian
and former chief executive of English Heritage, Simon Thurley,
researched how the castle was actually built in 1383 for John de
Cobham. Initially, it was believed the castle was built nearly 100
years prior, in 1270 for…
Twenty contemporary art pieces gifted to
Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II in honour of the Platinum
Jubilee will be displayed at The Queen’s Gallery at Buckingham
Palace. Gifted by the Royal Academy of Arts to the late monarch,
the works of art on paper are by Royal…
If ever a wedding dress summed up its wearer, it was the gown chosen by Sophie for her marriage to Prince Edward
6th January 2023
On January 6 1999, Prince Edward and
Sophie Rhys-Jones announced that they were engaged to be married.
To celebrate the occasion, 24 years on, Lydia Starbuck takes a look
back at the Countess of Wessex’s striking wedding dress. If ever a
royal wedding dress summed up…
Where is it located? Birkhall is one of
the Scottish residences of the British Royal Family which is
located on the Balmoral Estate in Royal Deeside,
Aberdeenshire. When was it built, and when was it used
as a royal residence? Birkhall was built in 1715 and was originally
owned by the Farquharson family, before being acquired by the
Gordon family. Queen Victoria and Prince Albert then…
This year is set to be the year for royal
weddings. Three weddings are set to take place in 2023 – two in
Jordan and one in Luxembourg. It is thought another wedding will
take place in Norway this year, as well. The first royal wedding of
the year will take place in…
Arise Sir Brian May, Sir Grayson Perry and Dame Denise Lewis - The King's first New Year Honours list is revealed
30th December 2022
The very first honours list of King
Charles III’s reign has been released, with figures from the world
of music, television and sport leading the nominations. Musician
and astrophysicist Dr Brian May, who is best known as being the
guitarist in the band Queen, has been…
The connection between the House of
Windsor and the House of Grimaldi begins in the 19th century
when Albert I, Prince of Monaco, married a beautiful and willful
British aristocrat called Lady Mary Victoria Hamilton. Her
father was the 11th Duke of Hamilton and her mother was a
German princess, Marie of Baden. Marie provides the first link
between the Grimaldis and Elizabeth II. Marie…
On December 3 2021, Fortune FitzRoy, the
Dowager Duchess of Grafton, died at the age of 101. For more than
half a century, the Duchess was Mistress of the Robes – the most
senior lady in the Royal Household. The honorary position dates
back to 1553 when Susan…
Westminster Hall floors damaged after thousands of mourners for Queen Elizabeth II
1st December 2022
The historic original floors in London’s
Westminster Hall are now showing signs of damage just a couple of
months after 250,000 mourners came to pay their final respects to
Queen Elizabeth II. A House of Lords spokesperson said the
Yorkstone floor is seeing some…
The royal reason a Christmas tree stands in London's Trafalgar Square
30th November 2022
Every year since 1947, a 20-metre tall
tree has been donated to the British as a thank-you from Norway.
Now, that tree shines in London’s Trafalgar Square every holiday
season. The tree was given to thank the British for their support
during World War II. In April 1940, Germany invaded Norway and
attempted to capture King Haakon VII, the royal family, and other
members of the Norwegian…
