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.

The first royal sign of summer

The weather has been heating up, the sun has been shining and there's even been the odd thunder shower.  But while they may be indications that summer is on its way, there's an even clearer sign that the dark days of winter are gone and that spring is making way for the splendour of the middle of the year.  The Queen has held a garden party at Buckingham Palace.

The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh step into summer as the first garden party of the year takes place at Buckingham Palace

On May 21st 2014, the palace gates were thrown open to hundreds of invited guests who drank tea, ate sandwiches and cakes, indulged in strawberries and cream and spent time seeing and meeting the Queen, the Duke of Edinburgh and Princess Beatrice who accompanied her grandparents on this first big summer event of the year.

Princess Beatrice at the Buckingham Palace garden party that started the summer season on May 21st 2014

The tradition was started by Queen Victoria in the 1860s and every year there are at least three garden parties at Buckingham Palace and one at Holyrood House, the Queen's official residence in Scotland.  Guests come from all walks of life and are treated to cake, tea and a chance to look at the gardens of the palace which are usually out of bounds.  The weather stayed warm and dry for the first event of 2014.  And with the Queen having already attended the Chelsea Flower Show earlier this week, this garden party really is a royal sign that summer is on its way.

The prince who used to be third in line to the British throne

The latest addition to the British Royal Family was never going to be called Alfie.  It's one of the most used boys' names in the UK at the moment and with Alfie Moon on TV four times a week in EastEnders it was just too in use to make it into the exclusive club of future kings' names. 

It was never going to be all about Alfie..the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge present

HRH Prince George to the world on July 23rd 2013

(photo Christopher Neve)
 

But today marks the anniversary of the death of a Prince Alfie who, for almost twenty years, was number two in line to the British throne.  Alfred Ernest Albert of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha was Queen Victoria's second son and for the best part of two decades he played the part of spare to the future Edward VII's heir.  The arrival of Edward and Alexandra's first son in 1864 sent him tumbling down the pecking order to number three but to make up for it, he succeeded his uncle as Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha as his own big brother had renounced any claim to that title to concentrate on being Prince of Wales.

 

He might look just like Edward VII but unlike the king, Prince Alfred wasn't born to rule

 

But life on the slide was far from dull for Alfie.  He was the first member of the British royal family to visit Australia - late in his teenage years he joined the Navy and landed there on service although the trip was made into a state event. But the welcome was far from warm as he was shot in a failed assassination attempt.  Nursed back to health he went on to become the first British royal to go to Japan. 

 

His marriage provided a fantastic opportunity for lacy fans and long gloves at dawn for two royal consorts.  Alfie married the only daughter of Tsar Alexander II of Russia.  The Grand Duchess Maria became Duchess of Edinburgh on their wedding day in 1874 but she had no intention of playing second fiddle to the second lady of Victoria's court.  Alexandra of Denmark was the second most important woman but Maria lobbied the queen to take precedence arguing that the Russian royals outranked the Danish first family.  Victoria was not amused by the request and turned it down.

 

 

Maria, Duchess of Edinburgh wasn't so coy at court after her marriage, demanding to be given a higher ranking than the Princess of Wales

 



Alfie became Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha in 1893 but enjoyed his new position for just seven years - he died of throat cancer on July 30th 1900.  His only son had died the year before him so his German title passed away from his line while the title of Duke of Edinburgh returned to the Crown to be revived in 1947 for Prince Philip on his marriage to the then Princess Elizabeth. 

 

Alfie - actually known as Affie by his family - is now largely forgotten by history, a fate that won't await his distant relative Prince George of Cambridge who may be third right now but who is guaranteed the top job in the years to come.