“The sun never sets on the British Empire”.
The far-reaching political and cultural might of the Sceptered Isle is embodied in this documentary. Vintage Movietone News footage reveals the pageantry and magic that was, as well as the players of the worldwide drama that shaped nations and events.
Review coming soon!
Janice writes: “Do you know if the tiara Emily Blunt wears [The Young Victoria
The tiara worn by actress Emily Blunt in the film is indeed a replica of that fringe tiara. The real Queen Victoria wore the George III tiara for the famous Winterhalter portrait (seen below).
Thanks to Andrew Cusack, who explains it beautifully.
Prince Michael In Bid to Clear King George’s Name
Prince Michael of Kent is to appear in an upcoming TV series about one of history’s – and the monarchy’s – most tragic stories: the murder of the Romanovs.
Prince Michael, a cousin to the Queen, speaks fluent Russian and does a fair amount of business in Russia. His looks are reminiscent of the bearded Tsar Nicholas II, which comes as no surprise – his mother Princess Marina was a descendant of the Romanov clan.
The Russian dynasty was closely entwined with the British royals even before the Prince’s mother, Marina of Greece, married the fourth son of King George V. Tsar Nicholas was a first cousin to King George V himself. Their mothers were sisters, Danish princesses who married into the Russian and British royal families. Princess Dagmar became Tsarina Maria Feodorovna, and Princess Alexandra became Queen Alexandra of Great Britain.
The families were very close, and as World War I toppled monarchies and forced Royal Families to choose sides, King George V was expected to help his cousin. However, the paranoid and bombastic German Kaiser Wilhelm II, cousin to both George and Nicholas, inspired fear and xenophobia of Germans across the globe. Nicholas’ wife, Alexandra, was German, and on top of that she had turned many in the Russian court against her because of her belief in the supernatural and her reliance on the sketchy Rasputin.
Would George give the Tsar asylum and risk his own throne, or leave him to his own devices in Russia? As it turned out, the king’s decision cost his cousin and his family their lives. It’s a decision that Prince Michael now discusses in the television interview.
The program Mystery Files: The Romanovs, airs at 7pm on Thursday, February 11th on National Geographic
The Cullinan Diamond: discovered January 26, 1905
Just over a century ago in the town of Cullinan, South Africa, one of the world’s most famous diamonds was discovered.
Frederick Wells, surface manager of the Premier Diamond Mining Company, uncovered a huge diamond in a mine owned by Sir Thomas Cullinan. The stone was named for Cullinan and was purchased from him by the Transvaal government. It was then given to King Edward VII as a birthday gift and as a sign of loyalty from the newest portion of the British Empire. The Transvaal had been under Boer control, but at the conclusion of the Second Boer war in 1902, it became British territory.
The Cullinan was cut into three large parts by Dutch jeweler Joseph Asscher. The three big portions were eventually cleaved into 9 large gem-quality stones and small fragments. The largest polished gem from the stone is referred to as Cullinan I, or the Greater Star of Africa. It weighs in at a whopping 530.2 carats. The second largest gem, known as Cullinan II or the Lesser Star of Africa, weighs 317.4 carats.
These massive gems remained with the British Royal Family, and are still seen today. Cullinan II is mounted in the brow band of the Imperial State Crown, seen above. Cullinan I is mounted within the sceptre, which the Queen holds in her coronation photos.
The chips are worn as pieces of jewelry. The Queen wears a large pear-shaped ring that is a cleaving of the Cullinan, and Cullinans III and IV were worn as brooches by Queen Mary.
The Cullinan Diamond was discovered 105 years ago, and is still leaving people awestruck. Happy birthday to a legend.
With thanks to RoyalBlog.nl, you can see photos of William’s final days in Australia.
Prince William in New Zealand and Australia
