British RoyalsFeaturesHistoryThe Yorks

Royal Weddings: The Wedding of Prince Andrew and Sarah, Duchess of York

The second big royal wedding of the 1980s was, at the time, seen as a something of a turning point for the Windsors. When Prince Andrew married Sarah Ferguson in the summer of 1986, the bride was billed as a more relaxed royal who would bring a new outlook to the dynasty while her groom’s service in the Falklands War of 1982 was still fresh in the memory. The handsome hero prince and his fun…
Read more
FeaturesHistory

Two little known royal weddings at St George's Chapel, Windsor

In addition to the four weddings of Queen Victoria’s children which took place at St. George’s Chapel, two other marriages were performed at St. George’s within the Queen’s family during her lifetime, which are far less known – that of Princess Frederica of Hanover, Baroness von Pawel-Rammingen (1848-1926) in 1880 and Princess Marie Louise of Schleswig-Holstein (1872-1956) in 1891. The…
Read more
FeaturesHistory

The first royal wedding at Windsor

Windsor’s first royal wedding took place in the twelfth century. What do we know about this wedding and why exactly did it take place at Windsor Castle? It was the second marriage of the third Norman King, Henry I (r. 1100-35). His thirty-five-year reign was one without…
Palaces & BuildingsPrincess Anne and FamilyThe KentsThe Yorks

All of the Royals who live at St James's Palace

Of all the current Royal Palaces, St James’s is the most senior and all foreign ambassadors to this country are still referred to as being appointed to the Court of St James’. This is perhaps ironic, as the palace was constructed in the 1530’s by King Henry VIII, as somewhere to escape from the rigid court life of the Palace of Whitehall. It was built on the site of a leper hospital…
Read more
FeaturesHistory

Queen Victoria's wedding

“Oh! This was the happiest day of my life!” With these words, Queen Victoria described her wedding day in her diary – 10 February 1840, writing up the event for the day’s entry from Windsor Castle. It marked the beginning of her marriage to her cousin, Prince Albert…
FeaturesHistoryInsightKing Charles III

Why Charles and Camilla couldn’t wed at Windsor Castle

When the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall announced their engagement in February 2005 they wasted no time in setting a date or venue for their marriage. They immediately told the world they would marry in April that year in a civil ceremony at Windsor Castle followed by a service of blessing at St. George’s Chapel later the same day. Yet just a week later, they had to move their civil…
Read more