As the only son of the Russian Empress
Catherine the Great, Tsar Paul I succeeded his mother on her death
in 1796. He would rule the Russian Empire for the next five years.
Probably, he would had ruled the Russian Empire much longer than
that. But Paul was murdered. And his death was planned by his own
son – a fact first discovered by accident 50 years later. Tsar Paul
was a pure despot.
Royal History Mystery: George III's Secret Marriage?
30th April 2020
George III is rather well-known as a
British monarch – The King who lost America, the father of a very
large family, the one who went mad. When people think of him, it
either tends to be as the devoted family man he was in his early
life or his quiet madness in later…
The Windsor Brides of Westminster Abbey
29th April 2020
It’s been a seat of royal tradition for
centuries, a place of coronations, kings and queens. But for much
of its ancient history, Westminster Abbey was far from a go to
place for royal weddings. From the end of the 14th century until
the beginning of the 20th, no regal…
The Chapel Royal, St James's Palace
29th April 2020
The Chapel Royal at St James’s Palace
first and foremost is the name of the Chapel Royal, that
establishment of the Royal Household intended to meet the spiritual
needs of the Sovereign; the secondary term refers to the building
itself – a royal peculiar – in which the monarch actually
worshipped. The Chapel Royal is probably best remembered for the
wedding of Queen Victoria and Prince…
On This Day in 1940: King Haakon and Crown Prince Olav were almost killed in a bomb attack
28th April 2020
It has been 80 years since the German
invasion of Norway. Hitler was looking for the Norwegian Royal
Family, and for a while, he also tried to get the 3-year-old
Prince Harald to rule the nation as a child king. The royal
family managed to escape and lived in exile in the…
Royal Wedding Rewind: a romantic and reluctant queen
28th April 2020
The year 1923 saw the marital calendar
was packed with princely nuptials. The springtime wedding of
Albert, Duke of York had brought huge crowds to London, and there
was an impressive turnout in the city that autumn when Lady Louise
Mountbatten wed Crown Prince Gustaf Adolf…
It has been 80 years since the German
invasion of Norway. Hitler was looking for the Norwegian royal
family, and for a while, he also tried to get the 3-year-old Prince
Harald to rule the nation as a child king. The royal family managed
to escape and lived in exile in the UK and the US for the next five
years. The Royal Palace in Oslo was abandoned quickly; there was no
time to take all the…
Edward II and the kiss that crushed his queen
25th April 2020
In February 1308, England welcomed its
new queen to her realm for the first time. Isabella, consort to
King Edward II, arrived with her husband at Dover after an
elaborate wedding in her home country. Isabella expected adulation
and respect. Instead, she watched as Edward…
#OTD 1611: Sweden’s 16-year-old Crown Prince went to war
24th April 2020
Gustavus Adolphus or better known as King
Gustav II of Sweden was born in 1594. At the age of only 16, Gustav
was a war-torn young Crown Prince who was eager to take over the
Swedish throne. When Denmark-Norway stirred up a new war in 1610,
it was only a question of when the…
The Royal Palace in Oslo is today a
striking monument in the city centre of Oslo. When the castle was
built, it was located outside the very centre of Oslo. The property
that is today the residence of Norway’s monarch was for only 300
years ago nothing more than part of a forest. Let us take a look at
the historical development of this property – from forest to
castle. The most…

