Prince Edward, the Duke of Edinburgh, Queen Elizabeth II’s youngest child, has long appeared to be eclipsed by popular wife, the Duchess of Edinburgh, and the more well-known members of the British royal family. Despite his privileged background, his early life was faced by a slew of scandals and public disasters that eclipsed his dreams of becoming a theatrical professional. His father, Prince Philip, expressed disapproval of his decision to leave the Royal Marines after just three months of training. Edward, however, took comfort in the entertainment industry, where he worked as a producti ..read more

Princess Alice of Albany, Countess of Athlone, c1911. Image from Wikimedia Commons A most interesting personality has the young Princess who recently became the wife of Prince Alexander of Teck. The daughter of a Prince who was renowned for his scholastic attainments, and of a Princess who also has abilities of no mean order as well as much natural sweetness of disposition, Princess Alice has developed many of the distinguishing traits of both, and is, in fact, highly accomplished even for a Princess. In these days, when a royal personage must require an encyclopaedia knowledge of me ..read more

London, Christmas of 1948. Image from Pinterest London, Friday (O.S.R.). The King and Queen, who thought they would now be preparing for a strenuous but enjoyable trip to Australia and New Zealand, will have an austerely different Christmas at Buckingham Palace. It is the first time in their 12-year reign that they will spend Christmas actually in London— instead of at Sandringham, which is King George's birthplace and his favorite family retreat. The King's illness over shadows the whole family celebration. He is making good progress, but doctors have advised—and the King is a faith ..read more

King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra in their coronation robes. Wikimedia Commons At the Coronation of my grandfather, King Edward VII, what I remember most vividly was the consternation caused by the sudden illness of the King on the eve of the Coronation itself. The princes and representatives of all the foreign States had in fact gathered in London when the news was announced in a bulletin from the Palace that the King had perityphlitis — what is now known as appendicitis — and had undergone an emergency operation. In consequence the coronation had to be postponed at the last hour ..read more

King William IV with St Edward's Crown by Sir William Beechey. From Wikimedia Commons William IV had “an inbred dislike of ceremonial,” said historian Roy Strong. At first, he balked at the idea of holding his own coronation, but he had to give in to courtiers and government officials, realizing that it was a constitutional thing to do so. However, he laid his condition: there must be no ceremonial or procession associated with Westminster Hall. This decision irked the Tories, who called the event the "Half Crown-nation". According to Strong, William's insistence on a bare coronation ..read more

King George IV in his coronation robes by Sir Thomas Lawrence, 1821. From Wikimedia Commons Probably the most unpopular of all Coronations was that of George IV. One writer remarked that “the King made up in pageantry what he lacked in popularity.” And there must have been something in that because it cost £238,000. Its unpopularity, however, was the outcome of George's lengthy and much publicised estrangement with his wife, Caroline, and she was actually refused admittance to the Abbey during the ceremony. Both houses for some time previous had been inundated with petitions on beha ..read more

Sir George Hayter's coronation portrait of the Queen. Image from Wikimedia Commons. Queen Victoria was crowned on  June 18, 1838. She was 19 years old. The coronation was primarily planned by the prime minister, Lord Melbourne. Amidst objections from numerous parties, the Cabinet announced on Saturday, April 7, that the coronation would be at the end of the parliamentary session in June.  A budgeted of £70,000 was proposed, twice the amount of William IV's "cut-price" 1831 coronation, but nevertheless a huge pittance compared to the £240,000 spent for George IV lavish but c ..read more

The Coronation Regalia. Image from The Royal Collection Trust The coronation of King Charles III and Queen Camilla on May 6, 2023 at Westminster Abbey will see the United Kingdom stage the much-awaited but seldom-witnessed spectacle filled with pomp and circumstance, the first of its kind in almost seven decades. Aside from witnessing the parade of royals, heads of state, and celebrities, the coronation will also highlight the appearance of the precious coronation regalia, the  precious objects which symbolise the temporal and sacred service and responsibilities of the monarch.&n ..read more

Princess Margaret and her Turquoise parure tiara. Image sources: Getty Images/Europe's Royal Jewels Tumblr.   In the Royal Family’s stupendous tiara collection, there is only one turquoise diadem, and that came into the possession of Princess Margaret.  The Triumph of Love tiara, also known as the Persian Turquoise parure tiara was originally purchased by Queen Mary but she was never seen or photographed wearing it. It gets the name The Triumph of Love thanks to the lover's knots and laurel wreaths in the design, as well as the turquoise, which is a symbol of love. In 1923 ..read more

All the roads lead to Athens, at least for the royals who are slated to pay their final respect to King Constantine II. The former king of Greece, who died on January 10, will be buried privately in Tatoi, the summer palace of the former Greek Royal Family, where his ancestors are also laid to rest. The Greek government  had earlier announced that no state funeral will be afforded to the late king, despite the fact that he was a former head of state. The only son of King Paul I and Queen Frederica of Greece, King Constantine’s reign began in 1964 and ended after he was ousted by a cou ..read more