He was disliked by his father and siblings and was unpopular with the public. So it is perhaps not surprising that, when the valet of the Duke of Cumberland was found dead in his room at St James’s Palace with his head partially severed, an element of suspicion fell on …
Read More »Did King James II really smuggle a baby into his wife’s birthing chamber so he could claim to have a male heir? The Mail’s Robert Hardman and historian Kate Williams explore the ‘warming pan’ scandal in new podcast
It was the royal arrival that should have been the most wonderful news for the whole country. On June 10, 1688, after 15 years of miscarriages, stillbirths and deaths in infancy, Queen Mary of Modena gave birth to a boy. In little James Stuart, the Catholic King James II finally …
Read More »Postman who served in a community for 30 years gets a heartwarming farewell gift from its residents
A postman does not only bring posts and letters. They deliver love, joy, sorrow, and a lot of other emotions at people’s doors. They become a part of the community where they serve. When Graham McFiggins, a beloved Royal Mail postman, retired, the residents in the Poets area of Bedford …
Read More »Queen’s disabled cousins Katherine and Nerissa Bowes-Lyon who were kept ‘hidden’
They are the royals who were kept at arm’s length, albeit for starkly different reasons. Katherine and Nerissa Bowes-Lyon, severely disabled cousins of the late Queen, were cared for in an asylum and listed as dead from 1963, even though they were very much alive. Prince John, the youngest child …
Read More »And you thought THAT painting was cursed! Artwork in Royal Holloway has such a haunting reputation it is covered with an enormous British flag to quell students’ fears its presence will make them fail exams
Ever since the discovery of the New World in 1492 explorers had been seeking ways to travel beyond the continent to reach Asia. In 1578 Sir Francis Drake sailed into the Pacific Ocean via Cape Horn, but that route was a huge detour for ships seeking to reach the trade …
Read More »‘Last Royal Navy veteran of Dunkirk’ dies aged 102: Tributes pour in for great-grandfather who signed up to be a sailor on his 18th birthday – one year before WW2 broke out
Tributes have been paid to a soldier believed to be the last Royal Navy veteran of the Dunkirk evacuation who has died aged 102. Lawrence Churcher was posted to HMS Eagle at the start of World War Two and landed in France in May 1940 to help get ammunition to …
Read More »The Great Train Robbery of 1963: Who was in the gang with Ronnie Biggs and how much was stolen?
T his month marks the 60th anniversary of the Great Train Robbery, one of Britain’s most notorious crimes which continues to provoke fascination. One of the most infamous robberies of all time, the heist involved the hijack of a London-bound post train and the theft of millions of pounds. And …
Read More »The royals at Wimbledon! From Kate Middleton to Princess Margaret and Prince George
From a smoking Princess Margaret to a loving Princess Diana and a beaming Kate as she arrived at the All England club today, these pictures show how the tennis at Wimbledon has enthralled the Royal Family for decades. Margaret attended several times during the 1960s, although her sister Queen Elizabeth …
Read More »How George VI was the only royal to COMPETE at Wimbledon
Watched by his loving wife, England’s tennis hero carried the hopes of the nation at Wimbledon. But back in 1926, the future King George VI’s attempt to put on a royal display on the tennis court ended in disaster. Partnering up with his former equerry, Wing-Commander Louis Greig, the then …
Read More »This week in royal history: Oliver Cromwell’s New Model Army defeats Charles I’s forces
This week in royal history marks one of the most momentous battles in British history. On June 14, 1645, King Charles I’s forces were defeated at the Battle of Naseby by troops led by Oliver Cromwell and Thomas Fairfax. It was a victory which marked the beginning of the end …
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