For a princess who claimed a bit of a
royal first at the baptismal font, it’s perhaps not surprising that
Patricia of Connaught – known for most of her adult life as Lady
Patricia Ramsey – ended up changing plenty of regal rules on her
way. The little girl who was born in Buckingham Palace on
March 17th 1886 grew up to be one of the most eligible women in
Europe, and when she…
King Richard III brings extra visitors to Leicester on the first Bosworth anniversary since his reinterment
21st August 2015
For years, August 22nd was the one time
in the year when the focus really fell on Richard III. The last
king of the House of York lost his throne and his life on that date
when he lost the Battle of Bosworth to the first Tudor monarch,
Henry VII. And for the long time when…
The White Rose of York and the Red Rose
of Lancaster had been in battle for the throne of England for quite
some time. At the time of the Battle of Tewkesbury the Yorkists
were being led by Edward of York, or Edward IV and the
Lancastrians were being led by Margaret of…
Abigail Masham was the Daughter of
Francis Hill and through relatives, she already had a very close
connection to the court of Queen Anne. Abigail’s Mother was the
former Elizabeth Jennings, aunt to Sarah, Duchess of Marlborough,
her second cousin was Robert Harley, Tory Minister and First Lord
of the Treasury. When Abigail married Samuel Masham, these
connections were further enhanced, she…
The stories of Queen Victoria’s granddaughters: Princess Beatrice of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha
20th August 2015
Princess Beatrice was born Beatrice
Leopoldine Victoria on 20 April 1884 at Eastwell Park in Kent. She
was the youngest child of Prince Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh and Duke
of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha and Grand Duchess Maria Alexandrovna of
Russia. Her father was the second son…
The Stuart Court was a very lively place
with Music and Masques being the main form of entertainment and
during the reign of King Charles I and his Queen, Henrietta Maria,
music, poetry, drama and painting flourished at their cultured
court. The Court of King Charles I and…
In our present series on Royal Central,
we are looking back at the women who were granddaughters of Queen
Victoria. In some ways, their diverse and often surprising lives
are the legacies of the great queen. A queen whose reign as longest
reigning monarch in British history is about to end as her record
is broken by another of her female descendants, our own Queen. But
Victoria had some very…
Being Queen of Spain isn’t the easiest
royal role around. Ask the two women who currently hold that title
– neither Sofia of Greece nor Letizia Ortiz have enjoyed totally
smooth sailing. And a century ago, the woman who reigned as Spanish
consort had more than her fair…
Everybody will remember the magnitude of
celebrations commemorating the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth
II in 2012. From the River Thames pageant to the concert outside
Buckingham Palace and especially the extended Bank Holiday weekend.
Let’s not forget though that…
On this day in 1786 a baby girl was born
to a German noble and his wife. They weren’t the wealthiest of
families and already had a large family to look after. But they
were ambitious and determined and their daughter inherited those
traits. For that baby would grow up to have a very famous daughter
indeed – here are eight things to know about the woman who gave the
world Queen Victoria. 1. She…
