Confessions of a Castleholic

Photo: Wikimedia Commons "Its [The British monarchy's] mystery is its life. We must not let in daylight upon magic", Walter Bagehot once famously said. The perceived magic surrounding monarchies is what seperates the royals and us, and sets them apart. After all what is the point of having a person just like us, by accident of birth, have a position that sets them above everyone else? Lately, Prince Harry has gotten in a bit of hot water over comments he made in an interview with Newsweek . The fifth in line to the British throne said, "We are involved in modernizing the British monarchy. We are not doing this for ourselves but for the greater good of the people…. Is there any one of the royal family who wants to be king or queen? I don’t think so, but we will carry out our duties at the right time." Naturally most headline writers simply took the line "No one wants to be king or queen" and ran with it. If you read the whole interview, y...

A guest post by Saad. All photos: Wikimedia Commons North America is not famous for its castles, and castles with links to Royalty are almost unheard of. However, Hatley Castle is just that, with links to multiple generations of the British Royal Family, the castle and its grounds have played a significant role in politics of the Canadian Province of British Columbia, and has been featured in many famous movies. Built in 1908 for British Columbia’s Lieutenant Governor James Dunsmuir by renowned Canadian architect Samuel Maclure just outside of Victoria, the capital of British Columbia, Hatley Castle is a 40-room mansion built in the Scottish Baronial style, situated on a 229 hectare estate on the edge of Esquimalt Lagoon. The stunning park was designed by American designers and features Japanese, Rose and Italian gardens. After being bought to the Canadian Government, some of the land was sold, and in June 1939, 927 lots of the Castle’s contents were sold at public auction....

While probably best known today as the home of some very prominent members of the British Royal Family, including the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge as well as Prince Harry, Kensington Palace is also rich with royal history - and some parts are even open to the general public. The history of one of the homes of the Windsor family goes all the way back to King William III and Queen Mary II. Coming to the throne as joint monarchs in 1689, the couple soon looked for a residence away from the River Thames to help with William's fragile health. They found it in Nottingham House, a two-story Jacobean mansion built by Sir George Coppin in 1605 and at the time owned by Daniel Finch, 2nd Earl of Nottingham. They commissioned Sir Christopher Wren to carry out extensions of the house to provide accommodation for the royal household. To save time and money, four three-story pavilions were added at each of the house's corners. The royal court took residence in the palace shortly befo...

Well, one things is for sure: The coming Sunday nights won't be as royal as the past eight or so. The first season of ITV's Victoria just ended but luckily the show will return for a second season next year. I guess you are able to guess by now that I did enjoy season one very much. Admittedly, my expectations - as with any fictionalisation of actual historical persons - weren't very high, but even if they would have been, I don't think I would have been too disappointed. The first season follows the young Queen Victoria from when she takes the crown at 18, dealing with matters of the kingdom with the help of Prime Minister Lord Melbourne - no, I was never Team Vicbourne - and her eventual marriage to Prince Albert. It ends with the birth of the couple's first daughter. While I won't go into too much detail plot-wise, here are a few thoughts... Apart from a few aha moments, most of the downstairs storylines were a bit superfluous, as were the rats t...

"I despise simplicity, it is the negation of all that is beautiful." (Norman Hartnell) And whoever likes to look at beautiful dresses will feel right at home in the British capital this year there being a number of exhibitions about royal clothing. One of them is "Fashion Rules Restyled" at Kensington Palace.  "Fashion Rules Restyled" sets out to "explore how three royal women, HM Queen Elizabeth II, Princess Margaret and Diana, Princess of Wales navigated the fashion ‘rules’ defined by their royal duties in unique style and set their own rules, which in turn overtly lead fashion and taste." The exhibition includes some 18 couture dresses by various designers worn by Queen Elizabeth II, her sister Princess Margaret as well as her former daughter-in-law Princess Diana. This one above by Norman Hartnell certainly is the star of the show: You know you are at a royal exhibition when even the dresses sparkle ! On the left: A 1978 Ian T...

A guest post by Kim-Lisa Last week I had the chance to visit London during my summer holidays. Not only that I think that the capital of the UK is always worth visiting but to visit Buckhingham Palace makes it even more worth to go.  I booked my ticket almost four months ago, so I was quite excited when I finally entered the security area. The security staff was really friendly and helpful and entering the palace after a security check wasn't as difficult as expected. Unfortunatly taking pictures during the audio-guided tour is prohibited, but luckily you can buy an exhibition catalogue by curator Anna Reynolds.  This years exhibition motto is "A Royal Welcome - Making magnificence at Buckingham Palace" and presents the work behind state visits, receptions, Investitures, private audiences and garden parties. As a result of all these events, 62,000 guests are welcomed at Buckingham Palace. For the first time the visitors of the ann...

At the outbreak of the First World War three cousins reigned over Europe's greatest powers - Tsar Nicholas II of Russia, Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany and King George V of Britain. This two-part series looks at the role played by the three monarchs, and their relationships with each other, in the outbreak of war. It was broadcasted by the BBC last year to mark the 100th anniversary of the beginning of the First World War. Part 1: A House Divided Part 2: Into the Abyss