#OTD: Mary of Teck becomes Queen of England

On this day, in 1910, Mary of Teck became Queen Consort. She took on the role on the accession of her husband as King George V. They were also now Emperor and Empress of India. They would reign for 26 years.

Did the White Queen really marry her king?

May 1st is traditionally the date given for one of the most famous and romantic royal weddings in history.  For it was on May Day 1464 that Elizabeth Woodville is said to have married Edward IV in a secret ceremony that turned her into Queen of England and altered royal history forever. But even now, five centuries and more on, the question remains - did the White Queen really marry her king?

A queen at the bottom of a beer glass

The sign for the Queen Adelaide, London, SW18 - it's one of a handful of pubs in England that bear the name of this former Queen Consort

It's estimated that around 50 million pints of beer are at risk of going off as the UK's pubs remain shut. They were asked to bolt their doors as lockdown measures were introduced to try and stop the spread of coronavirus. Some of that beer is getting old in pubs bearing the name of a largely forgotten but really rather admirable queen consort. Ten or so pubs bear rejoice in the name of Queen Adelaide, a quiet princess who turned a drinking duke into a popular and successful king.

Celebrating Elizabeth the Great

It's never too early to call this one. On her birthday, the 94th if you don't mind, let's call a great by the name she deserves. The world is celebrating Elizabeth II and there's little doubt in anyone's mind, she really is a great monarch.

Naming a princess: politics and power

Elizabeth Woodville had been pretty unstoppable until 1466.  She had married a king, seen off those who wanted to denounce her marriage as invalid, been crowned queen of England and started to snap up some of the most eligible spouses in town for her siblings.  When she gave birth to her first baby with Edward in 1466 everyone expected it be a boy.  The queen had had two sons with her first husband and, what's more, until then Elizabeth and Edward got whatever Elizabeth and Edward wanted. They wanted a son and heir for the House of York. So the arrival of a little girl was a surprise, as was her name.  And their choice perhaps gives us more pointers to the politics of the court of the House of York.