Henrik hits five

He bears the name of his grandfather, the Prince Consort, and while the celebrations planned for the elder Henrik's 80th birthday in June are grand and include huge events across several days, the littlest prince of the house of Joachim is making a big deal of his own big birthday.  Henrik Carl Joachim Alain of Denmark is five today and stars in three special photos to mark the event.

Prince Henrik of Denmark is five on May 4th 2014

The little prince, who looks very like his daddy in one of the three special portraits, was born in Copenhagen on May 4th 2014  - the first child of Joachim's marriage to Princess Marie.  The littlest Henrik was seventh in line to his country's throne on that day - five years later, and a school pupil, he has dropped to ninth in line following the arrival of his twin cousins, Vincent and Josephine, in 2011.

Looking quite a lot like his father, Prince Henrik poses for photos to mark his fifth birthday

And he now has a companion in the royal nursery and little sister, Athena, also stars in one of the images released for his big birthday.  Turning five is a landmark moment and this little prince has marked it in style.

Henrik and Athena of Denmark

The Rose of Raby

A woman who was almost queen of England and who is said never to have got over it was born on May 3rd 1415.  Two of her sons were crowned king, one of her grandsons was named king and one of her granddaughters claimed the consort's title that she so desperately wanted for herself.  Her great grandson became arguably the most famous ever king of England and her descendants, thanks to a great granddaughter, still wear the crown today.  And yet a royal title never belonged to her.  Cecily Neville, so beautiful she was named the Rose of Raby, is known to history as one of the women who missed a consort's crown by a whisper.

In the recent adaptation of The White Queen, Cecily Neville was seen as an old and bitter woman but for most of her life she was a beautiful, powerful duchess on the brink of queenship

Leonor and Sofia take to the stage

It's been a busy few weeks for kings and queens in waiting.  Prince George stole the show in New Zealand and Australia, Princess Catharina-Amalia was a star in the making on the Netherlands' first ever King Day while Princess Elisabeth of Belgium took to the stage before watching arts in a double dose of public appearances.  And now two royal children not seen that often in public have joined their parents on a very public engagement.  Leonor and Sofia of Spain were with the Prince and Princess of Asturias in Murcia for a special event for their father.

The Infanta Leonor and the Infanta Sofia at their first public engagement in May 2014

The prince was at a commemoration held by the General Air Academy to mark the 25th anniversary of the graduation of the group of officers which included Felipe, future king of Spain.  His daughters watched as he kissed the Spanish flag and took part in celebrations to mark the anniversary.  

The Infantas Leonor and Sofia with their parents in Murcia

There was also a kiss from the prince for the princess with one photo capturing their two girls looking on.

Leonor and Sofia watch mum and dad get smoochy on their family day out

The public engagement also saw the girls watch an air display.  The Prince and Princess of Asturias have been criticised by some in the past who think that their children are too hidden from view with some asking why the two Infantas were yet to perform a public engagement when just about every other royal family had seen its youngest members tackle their first royal duties.  But Leonor and Sofia are on the same track now as their European counterparts and seemed to enjoy their first footsteps on to the path of royal engagements that they will carry on for decades to come.

Watching planes go by - the Asturias family at their public engagement on May 2 2014

Heartbroken Harry

A chance to see Prince Harry for the first time since his split with Cressida Bonas was announced is about to present itself.  The youngest prince of Wales is now heading to Memphis with the Duke of Cambridge for the wedding of close friend, Guy Pelly.  And just to show how royal mania has really taken a grip in recent weeks, there is a massive press for photos of the princes on their way to the marriage.

Another day, another wedding - William and Harry head to the Abbey for the Duke of Cambridge's marriage to Kate Middleton.  Now they are on their way to Memphis for the marriage of a friend

The Duchess of Cambridge won't be there - she's at home with Prince George.  And there had been high expectations that Cressie would also be present until just a few days ago.  So all eyes will be on Prince Harry to see how the fourth in line to the throne is bearing up after the break up of a relationship tipped to end in a marriage of its own.  When it comes to nursing a broken heart, being a royal can be tough.

England's first Scottish queen

Later this year, Scotland will hold a referendum about whether it wants to remain part of the United Kingdom.  But although the formal union between the crowns of England and Scotland only occurred in the 18th century, the relationship between the royals of both countries had woven their way into the history books for many hundreds of years before.  And the first formal connection between the crowns of England and Scotland came in the early days of  Norman England when the unexpected king, Henry I, married Edith Dunkeld who reigned as Queen Matilda.  Her death on May 1st 1118, her death had a massive impact on the English crown.

Edith 'Matilda' Dunkeld, Queen of England from 1100 to 1118 was well loved and hugely popular

Queen Matilda had been hugely popular, well loved by her subjects and popular with the court at which she resided.  She was known for her love of building, of the arts and poetry and for her devotion to helping the poor and ill.  After her death she was remembered as a good, pious woman who had been a calming influence on her husband.  But the start of Edith's life was much more dramatic.

Henry I, King of England, married Edith Dunkeld in 1100 just months after taking the throne

Edith was the daughter of King Malcolm III of Scotland and Margaret of Wessex, known to history as Saint Margaret.  Edith was born in Dunfermline but at the age of 13 she lost both her parents within months of each other.  At the time, Edith was living in a monastery run by her aunt, Christina, where she was a sought after bride.  But soon after her parents' deaths, she is believed to have left the monastery and disappears from the records until 1100 when the new king of England, Henry I, made her his wife.

Matilda, the Empress, was the daughter of Henry I and Matilda of Scotland

The couple had a son, William, and a daughter, Matilda, but two years after Edith's death William died in the White Ship disaster and her husband's plans for a great dynasty died with him.  His daughter, Matilda, would try to claim his throne as hers after his death but the civil war that followed was only ended by the accession of her son, Henry II. But thanks to Matilda putting her son on the throne, Edith became the ancestor of every monarch to have ruled England and then Great Britain afterwards.  For centuries after her reign, her country of birth was at odds with the country she grew up to rule.  But they did eventually unite their crowns and those who went on to wear it can call England's first Scottish queen great granny - several times over.