FeaturesHistory

The English Queens of France

Mary Tudor, sister of Henry VIII, married King Louis XII of France on October 9th 1514 On this day, 501 years ago, Mary Tudor, sister of Henry VIII, married the French king, Louis XII.  The spectacular ceremony in Abbeville in Northern France transformed Mary into the Queen of France.  No other English princess held that title after her.  In fact, only one other daughter of a King of England…
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Palaces & Buildings

Historic castle entrance set to be restored after public appeal

The entrance to Powis Castle, which one welcomed Queen Victoria and King George V, is set to be restored after a public appeal raised a momentous £500k. Powis Castle is located in Welshpool, Mid Wales, and Supporters of Powis Castle were asked to help restore the castle’s crumbling East Front which in its time has welcomed major figures in both British and World history. Powis Castle When…
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History

Monarchy Rules: a look at Queen Anne

Born on 6th February 1665, Anne is a Queen whose reign is often overshadowed by her female forbear Elizabeth I and one of her many successors, Queen Victoria. Both Elizabeth and Victoria reigned for longer than Anne and, during both their tenures, saw dramatic changes occur…
State & Ceremonial

All The Queen’s men: The Welsh Guards

The Welsh Guards have been around for exactly 100 years this year. They were founded by King George V on 26 February 1915 by Royal Warrant to include Wales in the national component to the Foot Guards. They were the last Guards to be created, and they began their first…
History

Eleanor of Aquitaine: A Medieval Matriarch

Though the sex to which I belong is considered weak, you will nevertheless find me a rock that bends to no wind.” – Queen Elizabeth I. As the wife of King Henry II of England, Eleanor of Aquitaine subsequently became Queen of England in 1152. The couple would go on to have a very large and somewhat dysfunctional family, which included two future Kings of England – Richard I…
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FeaturesHistory

Mysterious Mary, the queen's daughter

Within the walls of one of England’s most picturesque castles, a queen gave birth to her only child and set in motion a chain of events that would become one of Tudor England’s most intriguing mysteries.  The birth had been much anticipated and much talked…
FeaturesHistory

Royal Connections: City of Portsmouth

Portsmouth comes from the Old English Portesm?ða, which translates to: “mouth of the harbour called Portus.” It was a city founded in the year 1180 by John of Gisors, a Norman lord. Before that, it was known to have been a Saxon fort called Portus Adurni in the…
FeaturesHistory

The October Queens

Maria of Modena was born in October 1658 and is the last queen consort, so far, to have celebrated a birthday in that month When being a queen meant that you had married a king, rather than being a ruler yourself, life stories were told very differently. The queens of yesteryear might have ended up as some of the best known personalities of their time but the start of their stories were often as…
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