It was a famous royal love story that shocked as much as it thrilled. John of Gaunt was the ultra-ambitious prince whose desire to be a king almost cost him his life, Katherine Swynford was the mysterious commoner who supplanted a queen in his affections. Their relationship lasted decades, survived a serious separation and ultimately led to the creation of a dynasty which would snatch the throne…
History’s royal Kates have taken part in some of the best-known stories in Britain’s regal history but while royal Katherines can be found in England as far back as the 13th century, it’s a name that has gone in and out of favour as a regal choice. A…
Born a princess, daughter of a feted king and a much-admired queen, this royal Kate seemed destined for a crown of her own. But when civil war once more erupted in England, she found herself on the wrong side of royal favour and ended up a countess instead. This is the…
Catherine of Braganza has gone down in history as a rather nice lady who liked drinking tea. The Portuguese princess who arrived in Portsmouth in 1662 to marry Charles II has been portrayed as a gentle soul whose heart was broken by her inability to have children and who instead contented herself by making a nice cuppa the fashion of the day while trying to be friends with her husband’s many…
For a woman who founded one of the most famous royal dynasties in British history, she is surpisingly enigmatic. Katherine of Valois was the first Kate to be Queen of England and yet much of the modern imagining of her comes from her fleeting appearance in the works of…
