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The Christmas Spirit of Windsor Castle

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30th November 2018
It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas – and one of the Queen’s favourite residences is ready to put on a festive show like no other. The Christmas season at Windsor Castle is under way. The Great Hall at the ancient castle will, as always, form the centrepiece of the Christmas celebrations at Windsor. A huge Christmas tree, around twenty feet in height, will dominate the…
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What happened to France’s monarchy?

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29th November 2018
In the latest instalment of our autumn series, looking at what led to the fall of various monarchies throughout history, Royal Central looks at the end of the monarchy in France. The most well-known episode regarding the ending of France’s monarchy is the 1789…
FeaturesHistory

One of Britain's most famous tiaras is stolen

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23rd November 2018
The Portland Tiara, commissioned for a duchess to wear at a glittering and hugely important royal occasion, has been stolen. The diadem, made by Cartier in 1902 ahead of the coronation of King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra, was taken on Tuesday night from the gallery where it is on display. Thieves broke into the Portland Collection Gallery on the Welbeck Estate in Worksop, Nottinghamshire…
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A Pearl Earring and Imperial Russia

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20th November 2018
Displayed as part of the London Science Museum’s exhibition on the Russian Imperial Family, The Last Tsar: Blood and Revolution is a pearl earring. This extraordinarily poignant object has its own silent story to tell, concerning the fate of the Romanovs. Believed to have belonged to the Tsarina Alexandra Feodorovna, this single pearl earring is symbolic of the pieces of the Tsarina’s personal…
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Royal Baby Mania: the birth of a prince

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13th November 2018
If you think that royal baby mania is a new thing, think again. Seventy years ago this week, ahead of the birth of Prince Charles, the papers were filled with plenty of stories about his parents, their plans and a very regal pregnancy. As the then Princess Elizabeth prepared…
FeaturesHistory

A chandelier and the fate of the Romanovs

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5th November 2018
Currently displayed in the special exhibition at London’s Science Museum, The Last Tsar: Blood and Revolution – exploring the role of medicine in the lives of the Russian Imperial Family as well as the use of modern science involved in the investigation concerning their murder – is a chandelier, but no ordinary one. I first encountered this chandelier nearly twenty years ago, as a black…
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