As a member of the Commonwealth Realms,
New Zealand, like 15 other nations, shares the British Royal Family
and The Queen as head of state. But what most people don’t realise,
is that since 1858, New Zealand has had its own King, through the
Māori King Movement, with the current monarch Tūheitia Potatau Te
Wherowhero VII reigning since 2006. The Māori King, while holding
no constitutional…
The Princess Royal marks her 70th
birthday in August 2020. It’s a milestone in any life and this
special celebration has brought plenty of reflection on Anne’s
public life. For seven decades, the princess has been one of the
most high profile royals in the world. Even as…
The Queen, upon the advice of her Prime
Minister, is to confer peerages on 36 individuals in a highly
controversial honours list. A number of dissolution peerages and
political peerages were revealed on Friday, with critics making
allegations of nepotism. Among those…
The Austrian Prince Maximilian was born
in 1832 as the son of Archduke Franz Karl of Austria and Princess
Sophie of Bavaria. He grew up in safe surroundings in Austria and
pursued a career in the Austrian Navy. Following his career, he
became a close friend of Emperor Napoleon III of France. Maximilian
was encouraged by Napoleon III to become Emperor of Mexico
following the French intervention…
This is one royal wedding bouquet you’re
not going to miss. When the Princess Royal’s only daughter, Zara,
married Mike Tindall in Edinburgh on July 30th 2011, her flowers
made a striking impression. For, unusually among royal brides, Zara
included a splash of colour…
The spectacular beauty of the Empress
Elisabeth of Austria (1837-1898) was a reputation which, once
created, had to be determinedly maintained. This was only achieved
through rigorous beauty and exercise regimes, which she adopted as
her personal discipline. The Empress, who…
King Olav II of Norway was born in 993 at
a royal farm in Ringerike, west of the present capital of Oslo.
Even though neither of his parents were a king or queen, Olav was
the great-great-grandchild of King Harald I, Norway’s first king.
Being a decedent of King Harald was politically convenient as it
gave Olav the right to claim political power and to be considered
when the Norwegians…
Queen Elizabeth II is NOT the Queen of England – is it so hard to get it right?
28th July 2020
I am a bit of a stickler for correct
usage of styles and titles. So it is a bit of a pet peeve of mine
when these are used improperly. The main one that bugs me is
calling Elizabeth II, Queen of England. That bothers me because
“Queen of England” is not her correct…
Empress Elisabeth of Austria was one of
the most beautiful women of nineteenth-century Europe, yet this
beauty was the determined result of intensive labour, at
considerable cost. The cult of that beauty which astonished her
contemporaries became Elisabeth’s personal myth…
Spain’s King Felipe and Queen Letizia
have continued their tour through Spain in Pamplona in an effort to
promote tourism. Their Majesties have been visiting different areas
of the country after the pandemic lockdown in Spain was lifted. The
King and Queen arrived in the Navarra region alongside the Minister
of Territorial Policy and Public Function, Carolina Darias, to
learn about the social…
