Royal Wedding Countdown: the cake takes shape

Not one but two royal wedding staples have taken a tumble today. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have chosen a lemon and elderflower sponge for their marriage celebrations which means that as well as taking a swerve on the royal tradition of a fruit cake for the big day, they’ve also ensured that another regal custom will be broken. Yep, you can rest easy. This is one royal wedding cake that has no chance of turning up at auction.

Royal Wedding Dresses: Beatrix of the Netherlands

The wedding of Princess Beatrix of the Netherlands and Claus von Amsberg on March 10th 1966 (photo: by Anefo - Nationaal Archief, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wiki Commons)

All royal wedding gowns are spectacular in their own way but the dress of a queen in waiting has to have something really regal about it. So the wedding dress chosen by Princess Beatrix of the Netherlands on March 10th 1966 came with a lot of expectations and anticipation attached to it. And when the bride walked into the Westerkerk in Amsterdam, her gown didn't disappoint.

A double dose of March royal brides

A queen in waiting was a royal March bride in 1966 when Beatrix of the Netherlands married Claus von Amsberg

(photo Wiki Commons)

March brings the first sights of spring and what could say new beginnings better than a wedding. Sadly, it's not a top pick for the regal save the date cards of recent years and it can't match the sunnier months of April, May and June for royal brides. But that doesn't mean to say it's a royal wedding free zone. It's been the month of choice for two of the most famous royal weddings of the last fifty or so years. As the sunshine of spring starts to break through, here's a look back at two famous royal March brides.

Six royal roles that won Oscars

It's Oscars night and that means the eyes of the world are on Hollywood for the biggest, glitziest and most famous film awards of them all. There will be dozens of statuettes handed out this evening but the some of the most intense interest will be in who takes home the acting prizes. There are no royal roles among this year's nominations but regal parts have brought home the gold statuette in the past. Here are 6 royal roles which have won Oscars for the women and men who brought them to life on the screen.

Victorian Royal Brides for March

March royal brides are now rare but go back just a few decades and that's not the case. In particular, Queen Victoria's children were rather partial to a March wedding. Among her nine children are three who wed in this blowy, showy month that bridges winter and spring and that means a hat trick of Victorian March Royal Brides.....

Royal Birthdays in March: the House of Windsor

The House of Windsor has a hat trick of high profile royal babies who arrived in March among its current members. And the good news is that they all celebrate towards the middle or end of the month so you've got plenty of time yet to get the post. While you pick out patterns and think of jolly messages, here's a look at the House of Windsor's March royal babies.....