The Chapel Royal at St James’s Palace
first and foremost is the name of the Chapel Royal, that
establishment of the Royal Household intended to meet the spiritual
needs of the Sovereign; the secondary term refers to the building
itself – a royal peculiar – in which the monarch actually
worshipped. The Chapel Royal is probably best remembered for the
wedding of Queen Victoria and Prince…
As a princess prepares to say ‘I do’, the
latest Royal Central podcast looks at the sweet and symbolic
connections between Beatrice and the church where she will say ‘I
do’. There’s an anniversary, a queen and a christening involved as
well as…
George IV ascended the British throne 200
years ago today. Here, Royal Central’s Assistant Editor, Moniek
Bloks, looks at the life of the Regent who finally got to reign.
The future George IV was born at St. James’s Palace on 12
August 1762 to George III and…
Lockets form an important part in Queen
Victoria’s personal jewellery. The first of these lockets was given
to the baby Princess Victoria and the last mentions of them occur
at the end of her life. Like any object, therefore, they tell a
life story in a new way. In briefly exploring their story of Queen
Victoria through original research, I hope to bring fresh
understanding to the Queen’s…
It might be argued that the lack of a
father in the life of the future Queen Victoria was the singular
most important influence on her emotional life. It is surely
significant that she referred to those men she regarded as fathers
of sorts, in correspondingly filial…
Christmas at Windsor to include gifts exchanged by Queen Victoria and Prince Albert
23rd November 2019
The bicentenary of the births of Queen
Victoria and Prince Albert will be celebrated by a small display at
Windsor, once the setting for the many Christmases which the royal
couple spent together with their growing family of nine children.
Displayed in the Octagon Dining…
Princess Alix of Hesse, sixth child and
fourth daughter of Queen Victoria’s daughter, Princess Alice, Grand
Duchess of Hesse and her husband, Ludwig IV, Grand Duke of Hesse,
was six years old when her mother died on 14 December 1878,
incidentally the seventeenth anniversary of the death of Albert,
the Prince Consort. This effect of this singularly shattering event
on the young Princess Alix can…
‘An angel whose brightness shall illume
my life”. The passionate words of a young prince in love, written
to the queen he had just been asked to marry, are among the many
items shared on a new website celebrating the life and achievements
of one of the most…
In the Royal Ceremonial Dress Collection
at Kensington Palace is preserved one of the most important wedding
dresses in British history. Worn by Princess Charlotte (1796-1817)
for her wedding on 2 May 1816 in the magnificent Crimson Drawing
Room at Carlton House to Prince…
On 6 July 1893, another royal wedding was
celebrated at the Chapel Royal, St. James’s Palace, between Prince
George of Wales – created Duke of York in 1892 – and Princess Mary
of Teck, the future George V and Queen Mary. Princess Mary of Teck
had been betrothed in December 1891 to Prince Albert Victor, Duke
of Clarence and Avondale, eldest son of the Prince and Princess of
Wales, who had…
