As the ‘Grandmother of Europe’, as Queen
Victoria was popularly termed, her very numerous grandchildren
could, of course, expect to receive a variety of charming presents
for their birthdays, just as we might treasure things sent to us by
our grandmothers. These presents are in themselves interesting
because they lend insight into the kind of gifts the Queen
considered would give pleasure to…
Looking Back at the Wedding of Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Mary of Denmark
14th May 2019
Today we are going to look back at the
wedding of Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Mary which took
place 15 years ago. Denmark’s Crown Prince married his Australian
fiancée on a beautiful May morning at the Copenhagen Cathedral.
Crown Prince Frederik first met his…
To Queen Victoria, she was ‘dear Marie
Erbach’. That was what the Queen called Princess Marie of
Battenberg, later Princess zu Erbach-Schönberg, whose memoirs first
appeared in English in 1925, printed by London publishers George
Allen & Unwin. Princess Marie…
English Heritage celebrates the
bicentenary of the births of both Queen Victoria and Prince Albert
with a new exhibition, Royal Presents at Osborne, focusing on the
unique stories behind seven gifts exchanged by the royal couple.
Osborne itself was, of course, the Queen and Prince Consort’s
supreme present as a private retreat, for themselves and the royal
children. Its situation was ideal…
Queen Victoria’s use of perfume is a
subject of interest because of what it reveals about both her
personal toilette and tastes. An equivalent in scent perhaps, of
that distinctive signature we know so well on paper, adding an ‘I’
for ‘Imperatrix’ after she was…
In the German spa town of Bad Nauheim in
Hesse, hangs a present – by tradition – from Imperial Russia. It is
to be found within the solemnly beautiful church, the
Reinhardskirche, in the old town quarter, built between 1732/33.
Like many baroque churches whose…
A royal burial site from over 1,400 years
ago found near a supermarket in Essex is being called England’s
answer to the tomb of Tutankhamun. And experts now believe they
know which Anglo Saxon royal was laid to rest here as they prepare
to display some of the artefacts found in the burial chamber for
the first time. The site, at Prittlewell in Essex, was first found
in 2003 during roadworks…
The regal tradition of scratching
signatures in windowpanes is long established and well known. The
windows – particularly when in rooms of royal residences – formed a
kind of living ‘guestbook’, often accompanied by the date the visit
or signature, was made. These…
Queen Victoria’s sapphire and diamond
coronet will be on permanent display this year at London’s Victoria
& Albert Museum, as part of the museum’s 2019 bicentenary
celebration to mark the births of both Queen Victoria and Prince
Albert, to whom of course, the…
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex rejoiced
at the arrival of Baby Sussex yesterday, and landmarks around
London lit up in celebration of the good news last night. As they
did for the births of the Cambridge babies, two of the city’s
iconic sights are shining in special colours to honour the arrival
of Harry and Meghan’s first child. The London Eye has lit up the
night sky in the Union…
