Royal interest in polar exploration began with Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, who followed the fortunes of the early adventurers. The royal couple acquired photographs and written accounts of voyages from the 1840s and 1850s, many associated with search expeditions for Sir John Franklin and his crew, who failed to return from an 1845 expedition to navigate a trade route between Europe and Asia via Canada. Queen Victoria’s interest in polar exploration continued throughout her reign. For example, she was presented with a painting by the American artist and explorer William Bradford of his voyage to the Arctic in 1869…
Author: Royalty
When Naomi Watts took on the role of Princess Diana for the biopic ‘Diana’ she would no doubt have been aware of the controversial nature of the role. But she may not have anticipated the full extent of the backlash the film faced on its release in the autumn of 2013. Even sixteen years after the fatal accident in the Alma Tunnel Diana’s final days remain a controversial and bitter topic. A fact that was reflected in the stinging reviews the movie received. Epithets such as ‘car crash cinema’ and ‘opportunistic bilge’ were representative of the critical mauling. It is…
Letizia, Princess of Asturias, celebrated her 40th birthday privately with her family, receiving an official photo-shoot as a present from the royal household. The rather lovely pictures feature the Crown Prince and Crown Princess with their daughters Leonor and Sofia at home, the family looking relaxed and happy writes Simona Rossi. A charming way to mark Letizia’s birthday for which photographer Cristina García Rodero was commissioned. Rodero, 63, is one of Letizia’s favourite artists. She has managed to capture the intimacy of private life as well as creating some stunning portraits of the birthday princess. The release of the offiicial photographs came…
How does monarchy respond in a revolutionary age? That is the question facing the royal rulers of the Middle East as the shock waves from the political revolutions which began in Tunisia and Egypt continue to reverberate across the Arab world. From Morocco in the west to Saudi Arabia in the east, the future is in the balance in a way not seen for generations. So far the Arab monarchies are showing few signs of being able to meet the demands for change, although some are trying. There are some indications that King Abdullah of Jordan and King Mohammed of Morocco…
In contrast to her Tudor namesake, Queen Elizabeth II came to the throne at the end of the age of empire. In the post-war period, which would soon become known as the Cold War and be remembered as an era of nuclear stand off between the USA and the Soviet Union, Britain would struggle to maintain itself amongst the first rank of powers. One of the controversial aspects of the young Queen Elizabeth’s reign was that from the outset she was fully appraised of the dangers the new world order posed and of the decisions facing the country. Alongside the…
The wedding was scheduled for the afternoon of Saturday, June 19. The guests arrived at Storkyrkan (Saint Nicholas) Church at 3pm in the heart of Stockholm’s old town known as ‘Gamla stan’. Storkyrkan is Stockholm’s old village church and the current church of the cathedral parish of the city. Built in the middle ages, it has been the scene of royal coronations, weddings, christenings and funerals since the 16th century. Storkyrkan has been the venue for the weddings of kings or successors to the throne on five previous occasions. Gustav Vasa (I) and Katarina of Sachsen-Lauenburg in 1531; King Erik…
In the 1980s the Middletons were far from being able to send their children to private schools and four year-old Kate was enrolled at Bradfield Church of England Primary School, which was next door to the family’s home. Kate would be followed by little sister Pippa. On April 15, 1987, the family celebrated the arrival of a new addition, Michael and Carole’s third child, a son named James. Around this time Carole was also setting about turning her party bags sideline into a full time business. ‘Party Pieces’ was born and soon rented a small premise in nearby Yattendon to…
At 10.52 came the moment everyone had been waiting for as Michael Middleton came out of the Goring Hotel with his daughter Catherine. She was helped into the Rolls Royce Phantom 6 (the same car that had been damaged during the student protests earlier in the year) with her beautiful dress designed by Sarah Burton, creative director of the Alexander McQueen label. Almost immediately parallels were being drawn between the clean, classic lines of Catherine’s dress with the iconic Grace Kelly dress she wore for her marriage to Prince Rainier in 1956. The clean cut 50’s style of dress with its…
Crown Prince Mathilde of Belgium’s fortieth birthday provided a moment to reflect on the life and work of one of the most discreet and elegant of royal consorts. Mathilde is in many ways a throwback to an earlier generation, a somewhat more conservative incarnation of royal wife and mother. Which is not to say she is anything but a contemporary and liberated woman who has also pursued her own career and interests. Mathilde was born on 20 January 1973 in the Belgium municipality of Uccle to the nobleman Count Patrick d’Udekem d’Acoz and his Polish born wife Countess Anna Maria…
A moment of synchronicity for the Houses of Windsor and Oldenburg with the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge paying a visit to Denmark’s Crown Couple and, thereafter, Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Mary following Queen Elizabeth for a visit to Australia. Shared charitable interests, official duties and a touch of coincidence illustrating that, even with the human population having recently passed the 7 billion mark, the world is a smaller place than we realise, writes Janette Aldace. But also a world with a great deal of suffering and the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge’s visit to Denmark to view…