Month: April 2018

Caroline of Ansbach Before Britain

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The last time we touched on Caroline of Ansbach we were covering her and her husband’s horrific relationship with their eldest son, Prince Frederick of Wales. It’s a period of time in which Caroline is hardly shown in a positive light, but what makes this particular queen so difficult is that when you set that relationship aside, she was an incredibly compelling woman with any number of admirable qualities. Today, we’re going to cover her life leading up 1714, when her father-in-law, George I, ascended the British throne.

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Palace Releases Itinerary for the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meetings (+ Wedding News)

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Buckingham Palace shared next week’s schedule, which will see five days of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) events. Senior members of the Royal Family will help Queen Elizabeth to host a variety of events in different royal residences, including the Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall, Prince Harry, the Duke of York and the Earl and Countess of Wessex. In addition to formal events held towards the end of the week, there will be a series of forums and roundtables that members of the family will attend based on their interests.

Update: Kensington Palace released further information on William, Harry and Meghan Markle’s activity next week. You can see that here.

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Royal Roundup: Baby Watch Begins, Wedding Gift Details Revealed & an Update on Spain

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Restricted parking is officially up in front of the Lindo Wing at St Mary’s Hospital in London. This will be where the Duchess of Cambridge gives birth later this month, and though we don’t know the due date, we do know courtesy of signage that the space has been blocked off between April 9 and April 30. Because Kate’s children are usually late, my guess is the due date itself is on the earlier side.

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The Most Successful Mistress: Katherine Swynford, Duchess of Lancaster

On By RSBIn The House of Lancaster3 Comments

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It’s about time we got to Katherine Swynford given the number of times I’ve referenced her and the Beauforts in other posts. I deem her the most successful royal mistress for three reasons: 1) the longevity of her relationship with John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster, 2) the fact that said relationship ended in marriage and 3) all monarchs since Henry VII have been descended from her. That’s a pretty good career for a woman who was certainly never queen and, quite frankly, had little business being a duchess in the opinion of many.

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Charles is Made a High Chief in Vanuatu

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Today the Prince of Wales visited the Pacific island nation of Vanuatu where he was made an honorary high chief. It’s the first day of the solo leg of his overseas tour, the Duchess of Cornwall having departed to return to London after three days in Australia. And, I can happily report for those who haven’t been following this trip, things have been going swimmingly since a bumpy opening night at the Commonwealth Games.

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Harry & Meghan Attend Invictus Training in Bath

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The Invictus Games likely hold a special place in Prince Harry’s and Meghan Markle’s hearts. Last year’s games marked Meghan’s first public appearance alongside her then-boyfriend, and she was spotted attending both the opening and closing ceremonies in Toronto. It seems only fitting, then, that the organization is featured during their engagement six months later. More importantly, it sounds like they’re due to attend this year’s games in Sydney in October.

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It’s Queen v. Queen in Spain

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In case you missed it Easter weekend, all hell is breaking loose over a video that appears to show a face off between Queen Letizia of Spain and her mother-in-law, Queen Sofia, over posing for a photograph with Letizia’s daughters, Infantas Leonor and Sofia. The video – or videos since there is both a long and short version circulating – appears to show Queen Sofia attempting to pose for a picture with her granddaughters and Queen Letizia blocking the shot. Leonor then attempts to remove her grandmother’s hand from her shoulder and is physically pulled back into place by Queen Sofia. The end of the video shows King Felipe (Queen Sofia’s son and Queen Letizia’s husband) coming over, which many read as him interceding.

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Charles & Camilla Open the Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast

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Well, I suppose this answers the question as to where the Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall were on Easter Sunday. Though their first engagements weren’t until today, the couple arrived in Australia a few days early and were staying privately with friends in New South Wales.

Moving right along, Charles and Camilla opened the Commonwealth Games today, though this Australian tour is not without controversy. There was confusion at the outset over whether Camilla would accompany her husband, which was later clarified by reports that she would join Charles for the start, but fly back to London early. Charles will wrap up the tour on April 10 solo due to Camilla having a difficult time traveling in significant heat.

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Royal Roundup: Prince Philip to Undergo Surgery & Kate’s on Maternity Leave [UPDATED]

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Two quick items to cover on the Windsor front. The first is that the Queen’s husband, the Duke of Edinburgh, was admitted to hospital today for a hip surgery expected to occur tomorrow. Prince Philip was absent from yesterday’s Easter service at Windsor and has reportedly pulled out of multiple (increasingly rare) public appearance with the Queen in recent weeks.

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The Mother-Son Relationship From Hell: Queen Mary & Edward VIII

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The relationship between Edward VIII and his mother, Mary of Teck, is perfectly illustrative of not only the significance of a generational gap, but of how differing views on duty and happiness can be enough to drive a wedge between parent and child. In the case of Edward VIII, or “David” as he was known to his family, and Mary, their relationship was complicated by how each viewed the function of the monarchy itself. Theirs is hardly the first unhappy parent-child relationship in the Royal Family’s history, but it is one that feels more poignant thanks to how recently it unfolded, how much more we know about it and the fact that it was not devoid of natural affection.

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