On 21 April 1926, Elizabeth Alexandra Mary was born in Mayfair, London at 02:40am. The first child of the then Duke and Duchess of York, Elizabeth’s father was the second son of the King, and her mother was the youngest daughter of Scottish aristocrat the Earl of Strathmore and Kinghome.
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If you think royal baby fever is a new thing, think again. Back on April 21st 1926, when the Queen was born, there was plenty of excitement over the arrival of a new princess who – at the time – was several steps removed from the Crown and never expected to rule. No…
Some monarchs are born in massive castles that have stood for centuries while others are born in relatively new palaces. Although the birth of a royal baby is a celebrated event, some of these more modern palaces have darker connections. King Philippe of Belgium was born at…
The Duke of Edinburgh served in the Royal Navy during the Second World War, and during that time, he found himself in a place that he was never meant to be: Tokyo Bay on VJ (Victory over Japan) Day in 1945.
Just before midnight on 9 August, Japanese Emperor Hirohito convened the Supreme War Council. After a long debate and a proposal by Prime Minister Suzuki, Japan eventually accepted the…
It seems almost common today: a royal promoting a favourite cause will film a documentary highlighting their work in the field; another royal will feature in a retrospective of their life during a milestone year; and yet another will grant an interview to a mainstream outlet…
Established in 1882 as The London Guild by Lady Wolverton, the guild was created when a matron from a Dorset orphanage asked for 24 pairs of knitted socks and 12 jerseys for the children in her care. The small guild provided no less than two garments for each child at the…
For over 260 years, Trooping the Colour has marked the official birthday of the British sovereign. While Queen Elizabeth II was born in April, the annual event takes place in June. Over 1,400 parading soldiers, 200 horses, and 400 musicians come together for military precision, horsemanship, and fanfare during the event.
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Women have always struggled with how the world sees them in positions of power, and historian and author Dr Helen Castor compared some of England’s early royal women to modern politicians in an online lecture this week.
Pointing out “the precedent set by the…
Most British monarchs have something that their reign is remembered for more than anything else, even if they actually had little to do with it beyond offering their support. Think of Queen Victoria and the Industrial Revolution, or George VI and the Second World War. But…
On Sunday March 21st 2021, the Census takes place in the UK. Every ten years, all households in the country are required to fill in a form with details of everyone living in that one unit to give a picture of the population and help plan future services. The information is held securely and can’t be released publicly for another 100 years. But that means that, a century on, we get wonderful…
