The Coronation of Anne Boleyn

Anne Boleyn was crowned Queen of England on June 1st 1533. The ceremony took place at Westminster Abbey after four days of pageants. It was a spectacle that cemented her place and her power as consort. The woman for whom a king had changed the known world was now, most publicly and definitely, Queen of England.

Katherine of Valois: parents of a queen

One of the most famous royal weddings in medieval Europe took place six hundred years ago this month. On June 2nd 1420, Katherine of Valois married Henry V of England in a ceremony that would seal the king's ambitions but set the course for decades of fighting. This month with be Katherine's month on the blog. And we'll start at the very beginning, with her parents.

Birth of the May Queen

She really was a May queen. Mary of Teck was born in May while perhaps the most significant moment of her royal career took place in its sunlit days. Those who loved her called her May for her whole life. She really was a May queen.

Anne Boleyn Day

It's amazing how history changes. Not the things that happened, but the way we tell them. Ten years ago, May 19th was a date that historians would note but that might pass unnoticed by others. Thanks to the reach of social media, for anyone interested in royalty, history or a combination of the two, it's now known as Anne Boleyn Day.

To Crown a Queen

It is one thing to watch a coronation or to look at the images that are left or the words that remain long after this most impressive of royal ceremonies has taken place. But what is the experience of those few women who have been crowned as Queen? There are written records from the women themselves though they are rare. But among those who have committed their impressions to paper is Elizabeth, later Queen Mother, whose coronation as consort took place on May 12th 1937.