HistoryInsight

All Fine on the Day: a look at past royal weddings which have turned out well despite problems

By
16th May 2018
Being part of a royal family may be a privilege but it does not protect its members from the worries and woes that beset everyone else. Weddings are famously fraught with difficulties, as Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are discovering. Perhaps they can take comfort from the fact that other royal nuptials have faced problems in the past, yet everything has turned out fine. The wedding of Prince…
Read more
FeaturesHistory

The Queen's Chapel, St James's

By
16th May 2018
On 21 September 1662, Samuel Pepys entered the following words into his Restoration diary: “The Queen coming by in her coach, going to her chappell at St. James’s (the first time it hath been ready for her), I crowded after her, and I got up to the room where her closet…
British RoyalsFeaturesHistoryInsightKing Charles III

The Wedding Dress of Diana, Princess of Wales

By
14th May 2018
It is perhaps the most famous royal wedding dress of them all. The gown worn by Lady Diana Spencer for her marriage to Prince Charles, Prince of Wales on July 29th, 1981 at St Paul’s Cathedral has its special place in royal history. Designed by David and Elizabeth Emanual, it came to symbolise the fairytale wedding that hundreds of millions of people around the world tuned in to watch. The…
Read more
FeaturesHistory

Looking at Marie Antoinette and Tsarina Alexandra

By
10th May 2018
Comparison between historical personalities should, as a rule, always be treated with caution even if given life circumstances are similar; an example of this might be ‘comparisons’ made between the legendary Empress Elisabeth of Austria and the late Diana, Princess of Wales. Where an interest or association is deliberately fostered by one of the individuals, this can, of course, be better…
Read more
FeaturesHistory

What did the Tsarina read?

By
9th May 2018
A study of the books owned by someone can open a window into their interests, and a royal personage no less so. In so doing, the reading material of the last Empress of Russia, Alexandra Feodorovna (1872-1918) charts important events in her life and tells us a lot about what…
British RoyalsPalaces & BuildingsThe Sussexes

The Duke & Duchess of Gloucester's apartment under refurbishment for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle

By
7th May 2018
With less than two weeks remaining until Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s anticipated wedding, work remains underway on the couple’s new family residence at Kensington Palace. Nottingham Cottage has been Prince Harry’s long-time bachelor residence, following in his brother’s footsteps since before his own marriage. The cottage has been the couple’s residence since…
Read more