Westminster Abbey

The only consort to wear the Monarch’s crown

17th March 2023

It is a considered a gem meant for monarchs, but there is one notable exception to the rules around St. Edward’s Crown: Anne Boleyn.St. Edward’s Crown is the oldest and heaviest crown in use in the British collection. Worn by Edward the Confessor during his reign from 1003 to 1066, it became a holy relic when Edward was canonized by Pope Alexander III.The original crown was used in…

Features

How TV brought the Coronation of Elizabeth II to the world

By Cara Artman

16th March 2023

Televising the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II was a crowning achievement!On June 2, 1953 over eight million people watched on their own televisions, 10 million people watched in the homes of friends and family who owned TVs and 1.5 million went to cinemas, pubs and…

Features

The history of the Stone of Scone

By Cara Artman

13th March 2023

You could not be faulted if you walked by the Stone of Scone and not even realized you were in the presence of a legendary and mysterious rock.Pronounced ‘Scoon,’ the ancient symbol of Scottish sovereignty is an unassuming rectangular stone, made of sandstone…

King Charles III

BBC ditches licence fee for the Coronation of King Charles and Queen Camilla

By Sydney Zatz

1st March 2023

The BBC has announced a one-time exemption of its licence fee during the Coronation weekend of King Charles and Queen Camilla.The publicly-funded broadcaster will temporarily suspend its licence fee for Coronation weekend from May 6 to May 8. The dispensation will make it possible for venues like town halls, cinemas, and churches to stream the Coronation ceremony and the Coronation concert…

British Royals

Crowds applaud and throw flowers as they accompany Queen Elizabeth II all along her last journey

By Maddalena Mastrostefano

19th September 2022

The procession that brought Queen Elizabeth II’s coffin from London to Windsor was flanked at all times by huge crowds of people.Far from being a sad occasion, some sections applauded, others cheered, and some even threw flowers in front of the State Hearse…

British Royals History Interests Palaces & Buildings Prince Philip Queen Elizabeth II State & Ceremonial

Royal funerals in Westminster Abbey: history with a big hiatus

By Maddalena Mastrostefano

17th September 2022

Queen Elizabeth II will be the first monarch to have her funeral held at Westminster Abbey since 1760. All sovereigns after that date have received their last salute at St George’s Chapel, in Windsor, due to logistic challenges: the Royal Vaults in the Abbey are…

Features History Palaces & Buildings

The last monarch to have a funeral at Westminster Abbey: King George II

By Sydney Zatz

15th September 2022

In just days, the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II will take place at Westminster Abbey in London. It’s been centuries since a monarch had a funeral at the Abbey. The last one was King George II in 1760.The funeral of King George II took place on 13 November 1760. Horace Walpole, the son of Sir Robert Walpole, England’s first and longest-serving prime minister wrote an account of the…

British Royals

How Princess Margaret's marriage reinvented royal weddings

By Jess Ilse

6th May 2022

On 6 May 1960, Princess Margaret became the first royal to marry in a televised ceremony when she married photographer Antony Armstrong-Jones in a glittering service at Westminster Abbey.Princess Margaret had been linked to several beaus, most notably her father’s and…

British Royals