I have a confession to make. I have finally found the beauty in one of the most famous royal jewels of the 20th century. The aquamarine tiara created in the reign of Queen Elizabeth II has never been a favourite but now that the chance to see it up close has come around, the real prettiness of the piece is obvious.
Queen Mary of Denmark is mourning the death of her father. John Dalgleish Donaldson died at his hometown of Hobart in Australia at the age of 84.
The royal 1926 began quietly with King George V and Queen Mary at Sandringham, surrounded by their family. The newspapers reported, as the year got under way, that the Duke of York ad gone hunting with his brother, the Prince of Wales, while the Duchess of York had returned to her new London home at Curzon Street. And then....
A century ago, the Royal Family welcomed a baby who would change everything. No one knew on the day she was born that the whole future of the Monarchy would not only rest on her shoulders but be steered by her to a place of safety it had perhaps never known before. The arrival of Elizabeth Alexandra Mary, on April 21 1926, was a family celebration that hid a turning point in royal history. Through the year, I'll be looking back at the Royal Family in 1926 as it lived a year that would alter its very existence even though it didn't know it at the time.