Spain's younger Sofia reaches milestone birthday

 

The second Sofia of Spain is marking a special birthday. Sofia, daughter of King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia, turns 18 on April 29 2025.

Prince Louis is the king of smiles as he celebrates a special day

 

Prince Louis is celebrating his seventh birthday and there's a new photo, natch. And the young prince is super smiley and more than happy to show off the gap in his teeth, a true sign of growing up.

Prince William to attend funeral of Pope Francis alongside queens and kings

 

The Prince of Wales will attend the funeral of Pope Francis in the Vatican City.

The historic meeting between Queen Elizabeth II and Pope Francis

 

The death of Pope Francis has been mourned around the world. His pontificate was one of humility and a deep and unwavering commitment to put the very poorest in society first. Francis was a very human Pope but also an adept statesman. He discovered very early on in his reign that his role required top level diplomacy as well as spiritual leadership and one of the most famous moments came in 2014 when the Head of the Roman Catholic Church welcomed the Supreme Governor of the Church of England, Elizabeth II, to Rome. As the death of Pope Francis is mourned, we look back at a moment of history.

Two queens and a king pay tribute to Pope Francis

 

The King of Spain and the country's two queens have paid tribute to Pope Francis following his death in Rome. Felipe VI was accompanied by his wife and mother as he travelled to the Apostolic Nunciature to honour the Pontiff.

Denmark's Princess Isabella shows she was, quite literally, born to wear a tiara

 

She was the first princess in the direct line of succession to the Danish throne for decades and now, as she turns 18, she gets a tiara of her own. As Princess Isabella of Denmark reaches this milestone birthday, she's been given a gem that links her to two queens and a very famous Crown Princess. Quite in keeping with her own place in modern royal history.

The discreet house in a very posh part of London that accidentally became the birthplace of the most famous Monarch of all

Queens and Kings are born in palaces and castles, their arrivals proclaimed across the lands they will one day rule by heralds, the lighting of bonfires and the ringing of bells. That's what the storybooks tell us and in many cases it is true. But the baby girl who would go on to make history by becoming Britain's longest reigning monarch made her debut in rather more low key surroundings. Elizabeth II, Queen of England, was born at her grandad's London house.

Countdown on to glorious centenary celebrations now under way

 

The countdown is now on to a centenary to remember. There is just one year to go until we reach the 100th anniversary of the birth of Queen Elizabeth II.

The royal fashion statement of Easter 2025

 

We have an unexpected winner for the royal fashion statement of this Easter. As celebrations continued around Europe, the King of Sweden took to social media to share Easter wishes in not one but two quite extraordinary style picks.

Queen Camilla's Easter bonnet is as pretty as a picture in pale blue

Every queen needs an easter bonnet especially when they're known for their power hats. Camilla didn't disappoint this year and was bonny in baby blue for the big day.

Queen Camilla and King Charles lead the Royal Family at Easter - with a few surprises

 

We already knew that the Prince and Princess of Wales wouldn't be joining the Royal Family for Easter at Windsor this year but that doesn't mean the clan couldn't pull a few surprises. In fact it was quite the shock to see Prince Andrew and his ex-wife, Sarah, with the main party heading into church on Easter Day.

Princess Ines of Sweden to be christened on her mum and dad's wedding anniversary

 

It's a rather special wedding anniversary this year for one royal couple and for more than one reason. Prince Carl Philip and Princess Sofia are celebrating ten years of marriage and to really put the cherry on top of their anniversary cake, they are having their youngest child baptised on the same day.

Queen Camilla gets a jar of Nutella with her name written on it in gold

 

Everyone loves a souvenir and when you're a queen, you get special ones. Queen Camilla is just back from her trip to Italy and she has a rather sweet present tucked up in the packing. Her Majesty was given her own jar of Nutella, complete with her name in gold on the label.

The beautiful gems of a queen's mother that were worn to mark a romantic moment

 

Queen Camilla went without a tiara for the gala dinner during the State Visit to Italy but she wore a very striking, and very sentimental, piece of jewellery. With the world's eyes on her, The Queen chose to sparkle in one of her mother's favourite gems.

Queen Camilla re-wears her wedding dress for the ultimate royal anniversary look

 

Well, no one saw that one coming. Queen Camilla pulled an epic style surprise by re-wearing her wedding dress on the twentieth anniversary of her marriage to King Charles. And just to really make it special, The Queen chose the outfit from her civil ceremony.

Queen Camilla chooses a glittering form of bridal flowers for her anniversary portraits

The Queen has reverted to one of the most popular bridal flowers to mark her wedding anniversary but she's done it in a very queenly fashion. Queen Camilla wore a brooch made to look like lily of the valley for the official portraits celebrating twenty years of marriage with King Charles.

Where Prince Philip found the diamonds for Queen Elizabeth II's engagement rin

 

It's a platinum ring that became one of the most important pieces of jewellery belonging to the only ever Platinum Queen. The engagement ring given to Elizabeth II by Prince Philip was first seen by the world when both were young. The official engagement appearance of Elizabeth and Philip took place on July 10th 1947, a milestone in a royal romance that was the bedrock of the modern House of Windsor. 

The diadem of diamond daisies bought for a queen to be

The Crown Princess of Norway in her diamond daisy tiara 

(photo Jorgen Gomnaes, Royal Court Norway)

April is all about spring, new life and the fun that comes from the sun starting to shine again. So it's no surprise that the month's birth flower is a daisy, that pretty little reminder of everything that is lovely about spring. The birth stone is a diamond which, let's face it, would suit any month of the year but April got lucky and got the biggest sparkler of them all. And one rather well known piece of royal jewellery brings the two together - the Diamond Daisy tiara that belongs to Mette-Marit of Norway.

The Royal Family just got a brand new member

 

The Royal Family has just welcomed its newest member - and she's got a very unusual name.

The engagement ring of a duchess that outsparkles some queenly gems

 

You'd think queens would get the best engagement rings but sometimes their lowlier relatives trump them. Step forward the Duchess of Edinburgh who has a sparkler that can outdazzle many a regal gem.

Meet the huge tiara that's about to get a brand new royal owner

There's absolutely no way of missing this particular royal tiara. It's massive and studded with so many diamonds that, even in the dark, it has to sparkle. And just in case that didn't make it noticeable enough, it has a very mysterious past. However, it's future is guaranteed. For this is one of those tiaras that is meant to sit only on the head of a consort and the country it belongs to knows that it's getting a brand new one of those before this brand new year is done.

A beautiful pearl drop that sits in a brooch worn by three queens

It's a single pearl set among dozens of diamonds but despite that sparkling competition, it still shines. For this pearl is part of a brooch that was given to the Royal Family in times of war in the hope that it would always be used by queens. And the decision of Queen Camilla to make it a favourite in her jewellery box since her husband became King Charles III has fulfilled that wish once more.

How bra talk ended with the loss of a royal warrant

 

There's a word you don't get to write every day. Corsetiere. And so much more sophisticated than bra supplier even though they have both been used to describe a lady who fell foul of a Queen of England. To much fanfare, and headlines around the world, Rigby & Peller lost its royal warrant in 2018 because one of its leading ladies wrote a book about bras and Buckingham Palace.

Dressing for Denmark, queen style

 

Yes, this is a blog about Queens of England and Mary is most definitely Queen of Denmark but I'm going to mix it up when I feel like it and also there is a kind of moral here about defining a consort. Plus diamonds and emeralds. So, let's go.

The historic and dazzling diamond that's belonged to at least two queens

 

It is a diamond that made history and it has belonged to at least two queens. The stunning ring presented to Queen Camilla by King Charles when they got engaged has a special story all of its own and a link to the last British woman to be called an empress.

The daughters of the House of Windsor

 

On July 17th 1917, George V issued a royal proclamation changing the name of his royal house and family to Windsor. It was the beginning of dynasty that would set records and change the concept of modern monarchy. And it's a house built on and by women. Four women have been born to the monarchs of the House of Windsor, all of them hugely important. This is a piece I first wrote in 1917 for the centenary of the dynasty but I really like it so I am sharing it again. It also seems a good way to start a new year. Here are the daughters of those who have worn the Crown in the 108 years and counting of the House of Windsor.