As the Queen welcomes the fourteenth
Prime Minister of her reign, the ancient practice of ‘kissing
hands’ will once more take centre stage. The brief exchange between
monarch and premier will be mentioned in the Court Circular entry
marking the meeting that will see Boris Johnson become PM. In the
21st century, it’s thought the act involves either a very short and
symbolic brushing of lips…
In August 1856, Christiania received an
exceptionally grand visit. Seven royals from three royal houses,
one Imperial house and a princely house were gathered in Norway’s
capital that summer. One of them was Napoleon, although it wasn’t
the Napoleon most of us think…
By October 1764 the Mozarts had once more
been at court, having been received at the Queen’s House in May as
Leopold Mozart wrote ‘within 5 days of arriving’. The young
Wolfgang played before George III and even accompanied Queen
Charlotte, who sang an aria. In…
This summer, Royal Central is taking a
look at the lines of succession of royal families around the world.
Today we are looking at the Dutch line of succession. The Dutch
order of succession has just eight people, as only those who are
relatives of the monarch in the first, second and third degrees of
consanguinity are eligible to succeed to the throne. The current
monarch is King…
It’s no secret that my favourite actress
is Lucille Ball and my favourite show, I Love
Lucy. Whenever I’m having a bad day and/or my anxiety is
really bothering me, I tune into I Love Lucy. Flipping
through the season where they tour Europe led me to one of
my…
Worn by a famous bride on the day she
became a queen, visitors to Madrid can get up close and personal
with one of the best known royal wedding gowns of the 20th century.
The Balenciaga creation chosen by a certain Fabiola de Mora y
Aragon for her 1960 marriage to King…
She was the long dead widow who was used
by a king to overthrow his own nephew and yet her name is all but
forgotten today. Eleanor Butler was the woman who helped change the
royal history of England forever and almost brought one of its most
famous dynasties to disaster before they had even secured the
throne. But was she also Queen of England? Eleanor never claimed a
crown for herself but as the…
This summer, we are taking a look at the
various lines of successions in the world’s monarchies. Today, we
are focusing on the eleven people in line to the Danish throne. The
current monarch is Queen Margrethe II. She ascended the throne on
14 January 1972 following the…
Having given several royal performances
before George III and Queen Charlotte, the boy Mozart’s sonatas for
keyboard and violin K10-15 were engraved before the end of 1764,
dedicated to the musical Queen: ‘Six Sonates pour le clavecin que
peuvent se jouer avec…
They’ve claimed crowns, founded dynasties
and shaped royal history but much of it has been done against the
odds. For those born outside of royal marriage were often seen as
also rans until they stormed the castles their parents called home.
For centuries, royal families have relied on legitimate heirs. In
centuries past, when being born outside of wedlock was frowned on
and led to shaming and…
