There are records of a Frost Fair on the
River Thames dating back to as early as the Winter of 1607 though
they really became a popular event as the 17th century was drawing
to an end. Though just what is a Frost Fair I hear you ask? Well
they are exactly what they sound like, a fair held on top of a
frozen River Thames and for over 200 years, they became the place
to be for the residents of a…
The stories of Queen Victoria's granddaughters: Princess Marie Louise of Schleswig-Holstein
12th August 2015
In the winter of 1900, Princess Christian
of Schleswig-Holstein fled in a panic from Cumberland Lodge,
clutching an alarming telegram. Arriving at Windsor Castle, she
frantically explained to her mother, Queen Victoria, that the Duke
of Anhalt had tersely demanded that her…
It is fitting that this Hessian
granddaughter of Queen Victoria was christened ‘Irene’ – a name
meaning “peace” – an appropriate choice in more ways than one, as
her character and the circumstances of her birth would prove.
Perhaps the one of Princess Alice’s…
It is one of the most popular nursery
rhymes in this country though not many people know the true origins
of Ring-a-ring of Roses. The rhyme was first sung during the Great
Plague of 1665 and perfectly summed up the symptoms of this
devastating disease. “Ring-a-ring of Roses, A pocketful of posies,
Attischo, Attischo, We all fall down.” Now lets dissect this
nursery rhyme line by…
Princess Margaret Victoria Augusta
Charlotte Norah of Connaught was born on 15 January 1882 at Bagshot
Park in Surrey. She was baptised in the Private Chapel of Windsor
Castle on 11 March 1882 by The Archbishop of Canterbury. Princess
Margaret of Connaught, Crown Princess…
The plague had been around in England for
centuries though never had it hit London so hard than during
the reign of the House of Stuart, 1665 to be precise. The summer of
1665 was an extremely hot one in England and while the population
of London was increasing at a…
Henry I saw his worst nightmare come true
on 25 November 1120. His only son and heir to the Kingdom of
England drowned in the White Ship disaster. Without a son, he
turned to his only surviving legitimate child, Matilda. Young
Matilda had been married to the Holy Roman Emperor since 1114, but
when he died in 1125 and Henry’s second marriage to Adeliza of
Louvain produced no surviving…
This autumn, the heart of a Queen and
British-born princess will be laid to rest in Romania. Born in Kent
as Princess Marie of Edinburgh, the second child and eldest
daughter of Prince Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh and Grand Duchess
Marie Alexandrovna, daughter of Tsar Alexander…
Her Majesty The Queen is the epitome of
grandeur and magnificence. She lives in the lap of luxury, and is
always impeccably dressed, and surrounded by splendour. Which makes
it hard to believe that there was a time when her ancestors, Kings
of England themselves, spent…
Though her reign is disputed by many,
Lady Jane Grey is undoubtedly this country’s shortest reigning
monarch. Jane is popularly known as the ‘Nine Days Queen’ because
of her curtailed reign. It is often a view of many she was a victim
of her cousin, Edward VI’s, plans to keep his Catholic half-sister
Mary off the English throne. The ‘Nine Days Queen’ Lady Jane…
