1.
Duke of Kent
–
The title of Duke of Kent has been created several times in the peerages of Great Britain and the United Kingdom, most recently as a royal dukedom for the fourth son of King George V. Since 1942, the title has held by Prince Edward. A title associated with Kent first appears anciently with the Kingdom of Kent, the Kings of Cantware date back to about 449. After 825, when the Kingdom of Kent was taken over by Egbert, King of Wessex, Kent became a dependency of Wessex and was ruled by sub-kings, usually related to the Wessex rulers. The titular kingship became something like the title, as Aethelwulf, Egberts son. By 860, Kent lost its status as a kingdom, becoming absorbed into Wessex, in the peerage of England the first title of Kent was that of the Earl of Kent. After the death of his father, Godwin the Earl of Wessex, Leofwine and it is possible that Godwin was the first Earl of Kent, since he ruled over that area as well as many others. After Leofwines death at Hastings in 1066, William the Conqueror named his half-brother, Odo of Bayeux, who was also Bishop of Bayeux, however, Odo was twice removed from this title. The first occasion was in 1082, when he was imprisoned and it was not until 1141 that the title returned, this time for William de Ipres, but he was deprived of the title in 1155. In 1227 it was revived for Hubert de Burgh, but became extinct with his death. In 1321, it was revived for Edmund of Woodstock, and through the marriage of Joan Plantagenet to Thomas Holland, the title passed to the Holland family. In 1461 it was revived for William Neville, and then in 1465 for Edmund Grey, the Grey family held the title until Henry Grey died without male heirs. Henry Grey succeeded his father, Anthony Grey, as the 12th Earl of Kent in 1702, in 1706, he was elevated to Marquess of Kent, along with Earl of Harold and Viscount Goderich. In 1710 he was elevated again as Duke of Kent. Henry had one son and five daughters with his first wife, Jemima Crew, by the time of Henrys death in 1740, both of his sons had died, Anthony and George, leaving the Duke of Kent without a male heir. On 23 April 1799 the double dukedom of Kent and Strathearn was given, with the earldom of Dublin, to King George IIIs fourth son, Edward had only one child, a daughter, Princess Alexandrina Victoria. Upon Edwards death in 1820, the dukedom of Kent and Strathearn became extinct, the Duke of Edinburgh had only one son, Prince Alfred, who would have inherited his fathers titles had he not died before his father in 1899. With Prince Alfreds death in 1900, Kents title became extinct, in 1934, Prince George, the fourth son of King George V of the United Kingdom and Queen Mary, was created Duke of Kent, Earl of St Andrews and Baron Downpatrick
Duke of Kent
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HRH Prince Edward, the current Duke of Kent
Duke of Kent
–
Dukedom of Kent
2.
Allan Warren
–
Michael Allan Warren is an English portrait photographer, primarily known for his images of members of high society. After growing up in post-war London with his mother, Warren attended Terrys Juveniles and it was during this period that he attended auditions through which he received several assignments. Warren started his career at the age of 17 when he was acting in Alan Bennetts play Forty Years On with John Gielgud in the West End at the Apollo Theatre. Around this time Warren bought his first second-hand camera and began to take photographs of his fellow actors and his first major assignment was when his friend Mickey Deans asked him to cover his wedding to Judy Garland, which marked the beginning of Warrens work as a professional photographer. When in New York for personal reasons, he attended an audition for the Broadway production of Minnies Boys, however, he later declined the role offered to him in favour of returning to London and pursuing photography as his vocation. In the early 1980s Warren embarked on a quest to photograph all 26 non-royal, together with the 12th Duke of Manchester he set up the Dukes Trust, a charity for children in need. Warren has uploaded many pictures from his archive to Wikimedia Commons, in the early 90s Warren embarked on writing plays. One of his works, The Lady of Phillimore Walk, was directed by Frank Dunlop and critics went as far as comparing it to Sleuth, the cast of The Lady of Phillimore Walk consisted of Zena Walker and Philip Lowrie, and saw productions in the United States. Warren invented the Hankybreathe, a handkerchief which allows the user to inhale air through a filter at the mouth. The invention, which is meant to be dabbed in eucalyptus oil, harks back to the nosegay and stems from Warrens experience with asthma in heavily polluted London
Allan Warren
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Warren in 2012
Allan Warren
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Warren's portrait of
Roger Moore from 1973
3.
Belgrave Square
–
Belgrave Square is one of the grandest and largest 19th-century squares in London. It is the centrepiece of Belgravia, and was out by the property contractor Thomas Cubitt for the 2nd Earl Grosvenor, later the 1st Marquess of Westminster. Most of the houses were occupied by 1840, the square takes its name from one of the Duke of Westminsters subsidiary titles, Viscount Belgrave. The village of Belgrave, Cheshire is two miles from the Grosvenor familys main seat of Eaton Hall. Today, many embassies are based in the square, the numbering is anticlockwise from the north, NW terrace Nos.1 to 11, west corner mansion No. 12, SW terrace 13–23, south corner mansion No,24, SE terrace Nos. 25–36, east corner mansion No. There is also slightly later detached house at the northern corner,49, which was built in by Cubitt for Sidney Herbert in 1851. The terraces were designed by George Basevi and are possibly the grandest houses ever built in London on a speculative basis. The largest of the mansions, Seaford House in the east corner, was designed by Philip Hardwick. From its construction until World War II, the square was occupied by leading members of the British aristocracy, during World War II, it was used as a tank park. The square has been a location for embassies since the nineteenth century, and houses several to this day, including the German Embassy. After World War II, most of the houses were converted into offices for charities and institutes and this is now being reversed, with leases of three houses being offered for sale and conversion to residential use by the Grosvenor Estate in 2004. The present Duke of Westminster remains the freeholder of the square, in addition to the buildings, the railings and gate piers of 12,24, and 49 are listed II*. 1 Belgrave Square was the residence of the Ambassadors of Romania from 1936 to 2005. Since 2006, the continues to host events for the Embassy and is also headquarters of the Romanian Cultural Institute in London. 2 Belgrave Square was first leased to a brewer, James Goding. Later residents included James Hamilton, 2nd Duke of Abercorn, Edward Balfour, in the 20th century,2 Belgrave Square was purchased by the British soldier and politician, Ernest George Pretyman and his wife, Lady Beatrice, daughter of George Bridgeman, 4th Earl of Bradford. In 1935, after Pretyman’s death, the house was sold to Grace, on 12 May 1953, it was re-opened by the Duke of Gloucester as the base of the Hispanic and Luso-Brazilian Council
Belgrave Square
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The north east side of Belgrave Square soon after construction.
Belgrave Square
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Typical buildings in Belgrave Square.
Belgrave Square
–
Homage to Leonardo
Belgrave Square
–
Statue of
Simón Bolivar
4.
London
–
London /ˈlʌndən/ is the capital and most populous city of England and the United Kingdom. Standing on the River Thames in the south east of the island of Great Britain and it was founded by the Romans, who named it Londinium. Londons ancient core, the City of London, largely retains its 1. 12-square-mile medieval boundaries. London is a global city in the arts, commerce, education, entertainment, fashion, finance, healthcare, media, professional services, research and development, tourism. It is crowned as the worlds largest financial centre and has the fifth- or sixth-largest metropolitan area GDP in the world, London is a world cultural capital. It is the worlds most-visited city as measured by international arrivals and has the worlds largest city airport system measured by passenger traffic, London is the worlds leading investment destination, hosting more international retailers and ultra high-net-worth individuals than any other city. Londons universities form the largest concentration of education institutes in Europe. In 2012, London became the first city to have hosted the modern Summer Olympic Games three times, London has a diverse range of people and cultures, and more than 300 languages are spoken in the region. Its estimated mid-2015 municipal population was 8,673,713, the largest of any city in the European Union, Londons urban area is the second most populous in the EU, after Paris, with 9,787,426 inhabitants at the 2011 census. The citys metropolitan area is the most populous in the EU with 13,879,757 inhabitants, the city-region therefore has a similar land area and population to that of the New York metropolitan area. London was the worlds most populous city from around 1831 to 1925, Other famous landmarks include Buckingham Palace, the London Eye, Piccadilly Circus, St Pauls Cathedral, Tower Bridge, Trafalgar Square, and The Shard. The London Underground is the oldest underground railway network in the world, the etymology of London is uncertain. It is an ancient name, found in sources from the 2nd century and it is recorded c.121 as Londinium, which points to Romano-British origin, and hand-written Roman tablets recovered in the city originating from AD 65/70-80 include the word Londinio. The earliest attempted explanation, now disregarded, is attributed to Geoffrey of Monmouth in Historia Regum Britanniae and this had it that the name originated from a supposed King Lud, who had allegedly taken over the city and named it Kaerlud. From 1898, it was accepted that the name was of Celtic origin and meant place belonging to a man called *Londinos. The ultimate difficulty lies in reconciling the Latin form Londinium with the modern Welsh Llundain, which should demand a form *lōndinion, from earlier *loundiniom. The possibility cannot be ruled out that the Welsh name was borrowed back in from English at a later date, and thus cannot be used as a basis from which to reconstruct the original name. Until 1889, the name London officially applied only to the City of London, two recent discoveries indicate probable very early settlements near the Thames in the London area
London
–
Palace of Westminster,
Buckingham Palace and
Central London skyline
London
London
London
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The name London may derive from the
River Thames
5.
United Kingdom
–
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom or Britain, is a sovereign country in western Europe. Lying off the north-western coast of the European mainland, the United Kingdom includes the island of Great Britain, Northern Ireland is the only part of the United Kingdom that shares a land border with another sovereign state—the Republic of Ireland. The Irish Sea lies between Great Britain and Ireland, with an area of 242,500 square kilometres, the United Kingdom is the 78th-largest sovereign state in the world and the 11th-largest in Europe. It is also the 21st-most populous country, with an estimated 65.1 million inhabitants, together, this makes it the fourth-most densely populated country in the European Union. The United Kingdom is a monarchy with a parliamentary system of governance. The monarch is Queen Elizabeth II, who has reigned since 6 February 1952, other major urban areas in the United Kingdom include the regions of Birmingham, Leeds, Glasgow, Liverpool and Manchester. The United Kingdom consists of four countries—England, Scotland, Wales, the last three have devolved administrations, each with varying powers, based in their capitals, Edinburgh, Cardiff and Belfast, respectively. The relationships among the countries of the UK have changed over time, Wales was annexed by the Kingdom of England under the Laws in Wales Acts 1535 and 1542. A treaty between England and Scotland resulted in 1707 in a unified Kingdom of Great Britain, which merged in 1801 with the Kingdom of Ireland to form the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. Five-sixths of Ireland seceded from the UK in 1922, leaving the present formulation of the United Kingdom of Great Britain, there are fourteen British Overseas Territories. These are the remnants of the British Empire which, at its height in the 1920s, British influence can be observed in the language, culture and legal systems of many of its former colonies. The United Kingdom is a country and has the worlds fifth-largest economy by nominal GDP. The UK is considered to have an economy and is categorised as very high in the Human Development Index. It was the worlds first industrialised country and the worlds foremost power during the 19th, the UK remains a great power with considerable economic, cultural, military, scientific and political influence internationally. It is a nuclear weapons state and its military expenditure ranks fourth or fifth in the world. The UK has been a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council since its first session in 1946 and it has been a leading member state of the EU and its predecessor, the European Economic Community, since 1973. However, on 23 June 2016, a referendum on the UKs membership of the EU resulted in a decision to leave. The Acts of Union 1800 united the Kingdom of Great Britain, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have devolved self-government
United Kingdom
–
Stonehenge, in
Wiltshire, was erected around 2500 BC.
United Kingdom
–
Flag
United Kingdom
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The
Bayeux Tapestry depicts the
Battle of Hastings, 1066, and the events leading to it.
United Kingdom
–
The
Treaty of Union led to a single united kingdom encompassing all Great Britain.
6.
Katharine Worsley
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Katharine, Duchess of Kent, GCVO, is the wife of Prince Edward, Duke of Kent, who is a grandson of King George V and Queen Mary, and first cousin of Queen Elizabeth II. The Duchess of Kent gained attention for her conversion to Catholicism in 1994, the Duchess of Kent is strongly associated with the world of music, and has performed as a member of several choirs. She is also known as the presenter of trophies at the annual Wimbledon lawn tennis championships — a role she inherited from her mother-in-law, Princess Marina. As a known fan, she also has attended —. She prefers to be known in her life as Katharine Kent. However, her formal title remains Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Kent and she is a descendant of Oliver Cromwell. Worsley was christened at All Saints Church, Hovingham, on 2 April 1933 and her godparents were, Sir Felix Brunner, 3rd Baronet, Major Sir Digby Lawson, 2nd Baronet, Mrs Arthur Colegate, and Mrs Ronald Fife. She was educated at Queen Margarets School, York, and at Runton Hill School in North Norfolk, at school she was introduced to music, and was taught to play the piano, organ and violin, which she still plays today. The Duchess has stated her admiration for the late cellist Jacqueline du Pré in the documentary by Christopher Nupen called Who is Jacqueline du Pré and she later worked for some time in a childrens home in York and worked at a nursery school in London. On 8 June 1961, she married Prince Edward, Duke of Kent, the eldest son of Prince George, Duke of Kent, and Princess Marina of Greece and Denmark, at York Minster. Guests included actors Noël Coward and Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. as well as members of the British, Greek, Danish, Norwegian, Yugoslavian, Romanian, the brides gown was designed by John Cavanagh, and she wore a diamond bandeau tiara lent by her mother-in-law. After her marriage she was styled Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Kent, the Duke and Duchess of Kent have three children, George Windsor, Earl of St Andrews, Lady Helen Taylor, Lord Nicholas Windsor. It had the most devastating effect on me, she told The Daily Telegraph in 1997, I had no idea how devastating such a thing could be to any woman. It has made me extremely understanding of others who suffer a stillbirth, the Duchess of Kent was received into the Catholic Church in 1994. This was a decision, and she received the approval of The Queen. As she explained in an interview on BBC, I do love guidelines, I have always wanted that in my life. I like to know whats expected of me, I like being told, You shall go to church on Sunday and if you dont youre in for it. Basil Hume, then Cardinal Archbishop of Westminster and thus leader of the Catholic Church in England and Wales
Katharine Worsley
–
The Duchess at the
Trooping the Colour, June 2013
7.
Lord Nicholas Windsor
–
Lord Nicholas Charles Edward Jonathan Windsor is the youngest child of the Duke and Duchess of Kent, a great-grandson of King George V. He is a first cousin once removed of Queen Elizabeth II, lord Nicholas Windsor was born on 25 July 1970 at University College Hospital, London, and was the first member of the British Royal Family to be born in a hospital. He has a brother, the Earl of St Andrews. He was baptised on 11 September 1970 at Windsor Castle and his godparents included Charles, Prince of Wales and Donald Coggan, at the time Archbishop of York and later Archbishop of Canterbury. Windsor was educated at Westminster Under School and then Harrow School and he later attended Harris Manchester College, Oxford, where he studied theology. In a private ceremony in 2001 he was received into the Roman Catholic Church and his mother had converted seven years earlier. Roman Catholics are barred from the succession, on 14 July 2011, he became an Honorary Vice-President of the Friends of the Personal Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham, an Anglican Ordinariate within the Roman Catholic Church. He has voiced strong views on the issue of abortion, which he has stated is, as a societal threat, Windsor met his future wife, Princess Paola Doimi de Lupis Frankopan Subic Zrinski, at a party in New York City in 1999 to mark the Millennium. He became engaged to her in July 2006 and he became the first member of the English royal family to be married there since the Reformation. As required by the Royal Marriages Act 1772, the Privy Council of the United Kingdom consented to the marriage. Lord and Lady Nicholas Windsor had their first child, a son, Albert Louis Philip Edward Windsor, on 22 September 2007 at the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital, Albert is the eighth grandchild for the Duke and Duchess of Kent. The names Louis and Edward are after his maternal and paternal grandfathers, an Early Day Motion in the House of Commons welcomed the Baptism of Albert as the first Royal child to be Baptised a Catholic since 1688. Albert was baptised Catholic in the Queens Chapel in St. Jamess Palace, Lady Nicholas gave birth to the couples second child, Leopold Ernest Augustus Guelph Windsor, on 8 September 2009 at the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital. Leopold was baptised by Angelo Cardinal Comastri in St. Peters in the Vatican on 29 May 2010, a third son, Louis Arthur Nicholas Felix Windsor was born 27 May 2014. Lord Nicholas and his sons are still in the line of succession to the Dukedom of Kent and he and his sons are 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th in line of succession to the Dukedom of Kent respectively. In 2011, Windsor was appointed to the Pontifical Academy for Life and he is co-signatory of the San José Articles which promote the protection of the unborn child. In 2007, Windsor accepted the invitation to become Patron of Bromley Mind, the position is a public statement of his support for its work, and he makes a practical contribution from time to time by supporting special events and fundraising campaigns. Windsor has worked for the Refugee Council in London, the DePaul Trust for the homeless and he was a Visiting Fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Centre in Washington DC
Lord Nicholas Windsor
–
Windsor in 2013.
8.
Dynasty
–
A dynasty is a sequence of rulers from the same family, usually in the context of a feudal or monarchical system but sometimes also appearing in elective republics. The dynastic family or lineage may be known as a house, historians periodize the histories of many sovereign states, such as Ancient Egypt, the Carolingian Empire and Imperial China, using a framework of successive dynasties. As such, the dynasty may be used to delimit the era during which the family reigned and to describe events, trends. The word dynasty itself is often dropped from such adjectival references, until the 19th century, it was taken for granted that a legitimate function of a monarch was to aggrandize his dynasty, that is, to increase the territory, wealth, and power of his family members. The longest-surviving dynasty in the world is the Imperial House of Japan, dynasties throughout the world have traditionally been reckoned patrilineally, such as under the Frankish Salic law. Succession through a daughter when permitted was considered to establish a new dynasty in her husbands ruling house, however, some states in Africa, determined descent matrilineally, while rulers have at other times adopted the name of their mothers dynasty when coming into her inheritance. It is also extended to unrelated people such as poets of the same school or various rosters of a single sports team. The word dynasty derives via Latin dynastia from Greek dynastéia, where it referred to power, dominion and it was the abstract noun of dynástēs, the agent noun of dynamis, power or ability, from dýnamai, to be able. A ruler in a dynasty is referred to as a dynast. For example, following his abdication, Edward VIII of the United Kingdom ceased to be a member of the House of Windsor. A dynastic marriage is one that complies with monarchical house law restrictions, the marriage of Willem-Alexander, Prince of Orange, to Máxima Zorreguieta in 2002 was dynastic, for example, and their eldest child is expected to inherit the Dutch crown eventually. But the marriage of his younger brother Prince Friso to Mabel Wisse Smit in 2003 lacked government support, thus Friso forfeited his place in the order of succession, lost his title as a Prince of the Netherlands, and left his children without dynastic rights. In historical and monarchist references to formerly reigning families, a dynast is a member who would have had succession rights, were the monarchys rules still in force. Even since abolition of the Austrian monarchy, Max and his descendants have not been considered the rightful pretenders by Austrian monarchists, nor have they claimed that position. The term dynast is sometimes used only to refer to descendants of a realms monarchs. The term can therefore describe overlapping but distinct sets of people, yet he is not a male-line member of the royal family, and is therefore not a dynast of the House of Windsor. Thus, in 1999 he requested and obtained permission from Elizabeth II to marry the Roman Catholic Princess Caroline of Monaco. Yet a clause of the English Act of Settlement 1701 remained in effect at that time and that exclusion, too, ceased to apply on 26 March 2015, with retroactive effect for those who had been dynasts prior to triggering it by marriage to a Catholic
Dynasty
–
Charles I of England and his son, the future
James II
9.
House of Windsor
–
The House of Windsor is the royal house of the United Kingdom and the other Commonwealth realms. The houses of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha and Windsor have provided five British monarchs to date, including four kings, the name was changed from Saxe-Coburg and Gotha to the English Windsor in 1917 because of anti-German sentiment in the British Empire during World War I. During the reign of the Windsors, major changes took place in British society, the British Empire participated in the First and Second World Wars, ending up on the winning side both times, but subsequently lost its status as a superpower during decolonisation. Much of Ireland broke with the United Kingdom and the remnants of the Empire became the Commonwealth of Nations, the current head of the house is monarch of sixteen sovereign states. As well as these separate monarchies, there are also three Crown dependencies, fourteen British Overseas Territories and two associated states of New Zealand. Edward VII and, in turn, his son, George V, were members of the German ducal House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha by virtue of their descent from Albert, Prince Consort, husband of Queen Victoria. The King and his family were convinced to abandon all titles held under the German Crown and to change German titles. From 1917 to 1919, George V also stripped 15 of his German relations—most of whom belonged to the House of Hanover—of their British titles and styles of prince, Prince Alastair and Princess Victoria died unmarried and childless. Princess Mary married into the Lascelles family, and Princess Patricia married Alexander Ramsay, neither of the Prince Arthurs had any further children, meaning all subsequent members of the House of Windsor descend from the sons of George V. In 1947, Princess Elizabeth, heir presumptive to King George VI and he was a member of the House of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg, a branch of the House of Oldenburg, and had been a prince of Greece and Denmark. It is the translation of the German battenberg, which refers to Battenberg. Philip privately complained, I am nothing but a bloody amoeba, I am the only man in the country not allowed to give his name to his own children. Still, Elizabeth also decreed that her descendants who do not have that style and title would bear the surname Mountbatten-Windsor. This came after months of correspondence between the Prime Minister Harold Macmillan and the constitutional expert Edward Iwi. Iwi had raised the prospect that the Royal child due to be born in February 1960 would bear the Badge of Bastardy if it were given its mothers maiden name rather than its fathers name and she clearly wished to make this change before the birth of her child. The issue did not affect Prince Charles or Princess Anne, as they had been born with the name Mountbatten, Prince Andrew was born 11 days later, on 19 February 1960. Any future monarch can change the name through a similar royal proclamation. At the creation of the House of Windsor, its head reigned over a unitary British Empire, in the chart below, the countries are differentiated between light green, medium green, and dark green
House of Windsor
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Succession to the British throne - family tree (2015)
House of Windsor
–
House of Windsor
House of Windsor
House of Windsor
–
King
George V
10.
Prince George, Duke of Kent
–
Prince George, Duke of Kent, KG, KT, GCMG, GCVO was the fourth son and fifth child of King George V and Queen Mary. He was the brother of Kings Edward VIII and George VI. He held the title of Duke of Kent from 1934 until his death in a military air-crash on 25 August 1942, Prince George was born on 20 December 1902 at York Cottage on the Sandringham Estate in Norfolk, England. His father was George, Prince of Wales, the surviving son of King Edward VII. His mother was the Princess of Wales, the daughter of the Duke, at the time of his birth, he was fifth in the line of succession to the throne, behind his father and three older brothers. George was baptised in the Private Chapel at Windsor Castle on 26 January 1903 by Francis Paget, Prince George received his early education from a tutor and then followed his elder brother, Prince Henry, to St Peters Court, a preparatory school at Broadstairs, Kent. At the age of thirteen, like his brothers, the Prince of Wales and Prince Albert, before him, he went to college, first at Osborne and, later. He remained in the Royal Navy until March 1929, serving on HMS Iron Duke, after leaving the navy, he briefly held posts at the Foreign Office and later the Home Office, becoming the first member of the royal family to work as a civil servant. From January to April 1931 Prince George and his brother the Prince of Wales travelled 18,000 miles on a tour of South America. Their outward voyage was on the ocean liner Oropesa, in Buenos Aires they opened a British Empire Exhibition. They continued from the River Plate to Rio de Janeiro on the liner Alcantara and returned from Brazil to Europe on the liner Arlanza, the princes returned via Paris and an Imperial Airways flight from Paris–Le Bourget Airport that landed specially in Windsor Great Park. In October 1938 George was appointed Governor General of Australia in succession to Lord Gowrie with effect from November 1939, on 11 September 1939 it was announced that, owing to the outbreak of the Second World War, the appointment was postponed. At the start of the Second World War, George returned to military service in the rank of rear admiral. In April 1940, he transferred to the Royal Air Force and he temporarily relinquished his rank as air vice-marshal to assume the post of staff officer at RAF Training Command in the rank of group captain. On 12 October 1934, in anticipation of his marriage to his second cousin Princess Marina of Greece and Denmark he was created Duke of Kent, Earl of St Andrews. The couple married on 29 November 1934 at Westminster Abbey and they had three children, Prince Edward, Duke of Kent Princess Alexandra, The Hon. Lady Ogilvy Prince Michael of Kent Both before and after his marriage, the better known of his lovers included banking heiress Poppy Baring, socialite Margaret Whigham, and Barbara Cartland. There were strong rumours that he had affairs with musical star Jessie Matthews and Noël Coward, reportedly, Prince George shared Kiki in a ménage à trois with Jorge Ferrara, the bisexual son of the Argentinian ambassador to Britain
Prince George, Duke of Kent
–
The Duke and Duchess in 1934
Prince George, Duke of Kent
–
Prince George
Prince George, Duke of Kent
–
The Duke of Kent before he crossed the Atlantic by air.
11.
Princess Marina of Greece and Denmark
–
Princess Marina of Greece and Denmark, CI, GCVO, GBE was the daughter of Prince Nicholas of Greece and Denmark and Grand Duchess Elena Vladimirovna of Russia. In 1934, she married Prince George, Duke of Kent, from then on she also became known as the Duchess of Kent. Princess Marinas marriage was the most recent occasion on which a foreign-born princess married into the British Royal Family, Princess Marina was born in Athens, Greece, on 13 December 1906. Her father was Prince Nicholas of Greece and Denmark, the son of George I of Greece. Her mother was Grand Duchess Elena Vladimirovna of Russia, a granddaughter of Tsar Alexander II of Russia and she was the youngest of the couples children. One of her uncles was Prince Andrew of Greece and Denmark. The family was poor and forced into exile when she was 11. They later moved to Paris, while the Princess stayed throughout Europe with her extended family, in 1932 Princess Marina and Prince George, Duke of Kent, a second cousin through Christian IX of Denmark, met in London. Their betrothal was announced in August 1934, on 29 November 1934, they married at Westminster Abbey, London. The wedding was followed by a Greek ceremony in the chapel at Buckingham Palace. The brides gown was in white and silver brocade, designed by Edward Molyneux. The Royal School of Needlework made a quilt as a gift for Princess Marina. Following the marriage she became the Duchess of Kent, the couple had three children, Prince Edward, Duke of Kent he married Katharine Lucy Mary Worsley on 8 June 1961. Sir Angus James Robert Bruce Ogilvy, son of David Lyulph Gore Wolseley Ogilvy, 7th Earl of Airlie and Lady Alexandra Marie Bridget Coke, Prince Michael of Kent he married Marie Christine von Reibnitz on 30 June 1978. The Duke of Kent was killed on 25 August 1942, in an crash at Eagles Rock, near Dunbeath, Caithness, Scotland. The Duchess, according to royal biographer Hugo Vickers, was the only war widow in Britain whose estate was forced to pay death duties, during World War II, Marina was trained as a nurse for three months under the pseudonym Sister Kay and joined the civil nurse reserve. After her husbands death, the Duchess of Kent continued to be an member of the British Royal Family. She was the president of the Wimbledon All England Lawn Tennis and she was President of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution from 1943 until her death and was awarded the RNLIs Gold Medal in 1967 to mark this contribution
Princess Marina of Greece and Denmark
–
The Duchess in 1936
Princess Marina of Greece and Denmark
–
Princess Marina of Greece and Denmark, right, with her sisters
Princess Olga of Greece and Denmark, left, and
Princess Elizabeth of Greece and Denmark, center.
Princess Marina of Greece and Denmark
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Princess Marina on her wedding day
Princess Marina of Greece and Denmark
–
The foundation stone of St Mark's, Bromley, laid by the Duchess
12.
Field Marshal (UK)
–
Field marshal has been the highest rank in the British Army since 1736. A five-star rank with NATO code OF-10, it is equivalent to an admiral of the fleet in the Royal Navy or a marshal of the Royal Air Force in the Royal Air Force. A field marshals insignia consists of two crossed batons surrounded by yellow leaves below St Edwards Crown. As with marshals of the RAF and admirals of the fleet in their services, field marshals remain officers of the British Army for life. The rank has been used throughout its history and was vacant through parts of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. After the Second World War, it became practice to appoint the Chief of the Imperial General Staff to the rank on his last day in the post. Army officers occupying the post of Chief of the Defence Staff, in total,141 men have held the rank of field marshal. The majority led careers in the British Army or the British Indian Army, some members of the British Royal Family—most recently Prince Edward, Duke of Kent, and Charles, Prince of Wales—were promoted to the rank after shorter periods of service. Other ceremonial appointments were made as diplomatic gestures, twelve foreign monarchs held the honour, though three were stripped of it when their countries became enemies of Britain and her allies in the two world wars. Also awarded the rank were two distinguished foreign military officers, honoured for their contributions to World War I and World War II respectively, and one foreign statesman. A report commissioned by the Ministry of Defence in 1995 made a number of recommendations for financial savings in the forces budget. The recommendation was not taken up in full, but the convention of promoting service chiefs to five-star ranks was stopped, Sir Peter Inge was, in 1994, the last active officer to be promoted to the rank. Inge relinquished the post of Chief of the Defence Staff in 1997 and his successor, at the same time, Guthrie, who relinquished the post of CDS and retired from active service in 2001, was promoted to honorary field marshal. In June 2014 former Chief of the Defence Staff Lord Walker of Aldringham was also promoted to field marshal. The rank insignia of a marshal in the British Army comprises two crossed batons in a wreath of oak leaves, with a crown above. On appointment, British field marshals are awarded a gold-tipped baton which they may carry on formal occasions, the vast majority of officers to hold the rank of field marshal were professional soldiers in the British Army, though eleven served as officers in the British Indian Army. At least fifty-seven field marshals were wounded in battle earlier in their careers, of whom 24 were wounded more than once, and eight had been prisoners of war. Fifteen future field marshals were present at the Battle of Vitoria, where the Duke of Wellington earned the rank, and ten others served under Wellington at the Battle of Waterloo
Field Marshal (UK)
–
Douglas!
George Hamilton, 1st Earl of Orkney
Field Marshal (UK)
–
The insignia of a field marshal as worn on epaulettes
Field Marshal (UK)
–
Campbell!
John Campbell, 2nd Duke of Argyll
Field Marshal (UK)
–
Boyle!
Richard Boyle, 2nd Viscount Shannon
13.
Royal Scots Greys
–
The Royal Scots Greys was a cavalry regiment of the British Army from 1707 until 1971, when they amalgamated with the 3rd Carabiniers to form The Royal Scots Dragoon Guards. The regiments history began in 1678, when three independent troops of Scots Dragoons were raised, in 1681, these troops were regimented to form The Royal Regiment of Scots Dragoons, numbered the 4th Dragoons in 1694. They were already mounted on horses by this stage and were already being referred to as the Grey Dragoons. In 1707, they were renamed The Royal North British Dragoons and they were also sometimes referred to, during the first Jacobite uprising, as Portmores Dragoons. In 1877, their nickname was made official when they became the 2nd Dragoons. They kept this title until 2 July 1971, when they amalgamated with the 3rd Carabiniers, the Royal Scots Greys originated as three troops of dragoons. The first two were formed on 21 May 1678 under the commands of Captain John Strachan and Captain John Inglis, the third, under the command of Captain Viscount Kingstoun, was formed on 23 September 1678. These were the first mounted troops raised for the British crown in Scotland, in 1681, by Royal Warrant, these three troops were combined, with the addition of three further troops, into what would be named the Royal Regiment of Scots Dragoons. Lieutenant-General Thomas Dalziel would be the regiments first colonel, in its original configuration, the Scots Greys were configured as a true dragoon regiment. Although mounted, as regiments were, their armament was closer to that carried by infantry units. Troopers of the Scots Greys were authorised, during the late 17th century, to carry matchlock muskets with bayonets, while their sergeants and corporals carried halberds, only the officers were authorised swords, though the lieutenants were to be armed with a partisan. Interestingly, the original uniform called for the troopers to wear grey coats, between its formation in 1681 and 1685, the Scots Greys were employed primarily in keeping civil order in Scotland. The regiment participated in expeditions against various fractious clans which resisted the monarchs rule, in 1688, the regiment was quartered in London at the start of the Glorious Revolution. Upon the landing of William of Orange, the regiment took the side of William and Mary, ordered back to Scotland, the Scots Greys took part in the Battle of Killiecrankie against the Jacobites. For their service, the title as a Royal regiment was confirmed. Prior to 1693, there is no record that the regiment used grey horses exclusive to others, however, when inspected in London in 1693 by King William III, people took note that the regiment was mounted on all grey horses. Some have offered the theory that the grey horses originated with the Dutch Horse Guards, when they left to return to the Netherlands, the horses were turned over to the Scots Greys. Although there is no reason, some of the men also wore either fur caps or broad-brimmed hats
Royal Scots Greys
–
Tartan
Royal Scots Greys
–
Cap badge of the Scots Greys
Royal Scots Greys
–
Dragoon's helmet and pistol from the 17thC civil wars period,
Edinburgh Castle
Royal Scots Greys
–
17th-century government dragoon, Edinburgh Castle
14.
British royal family
–
The British royal family comprises the monarch of the United Kingdom and her close relations. There is no legal or formal definition of who is or is not a member of the British royal family. Different terms may be applied to the same or similar group of relatives of the monarch in his or her role as sovereign of any of the other Commonwealth realms, for example, in Canada, the family is known as the Canadian royal family. Some members of the family have official residences named as the places from which announcements are made in the Court Circular about official engagements they have carried out. The state duties and staff of some members of the family are funded from a parliamentary annuity. Since 1917, when King George V changed the name of the house from Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, members of the royal family belong, either by birth or by marriage. In 2014, the family were regarded as British cultural icons. Today, they often perform ceremonial and social duties throughout the United Kingdom, in the other countries of the Commonwealth royalty do not serve as Counsellors of State, although they may perform ceremonial and social duties on behalf of individual states or the organisation. Wives of the said enjoy their husbands precedence, and husbands of princesses are unofficially but habitually placed with their wives as well and she did not alter the relative precedence of other born-princesses, such as the daughters of her younger sons. The Oxford Illustrated History of the British Monarchy and they Serve the Queen, A New and Authoritative Account of the Royal Household. The Lives of the Kings & Queens of England, symbol and Privilege, The Ritual Context of British Royalty. Britains Royal Families, The Complete Genealogy, Royal Family is a celebrated and reverential BBC documentary made by Richard Cawston to accompany the investiture of the current Prince of Wales. The documentary is frequently responsible for the greater press intrusion into the royal familys private life since its first broadcast. Official website of the royal family Official YouTube Channel House of Windsor Family Tree, archived from the original on 2010-12-02
British royal family
–
The Royal Family on the balcony of
Buckingham Palace after the annual
Trooping the Colour in 2013.
British royal family
–
United Kingdom
15.
Commonwealth realm
–
Subsequently, India and Pakistan and Ceylon became Dominions. By the early 1950s, in order to reflect the equality between the countries in that group, each came to be known as a realm. The word was used in Britains proclamation of Elizabeth II as queen in 1952 and was adopted for the modern royal styles and titles under the legislation enacted by the individual countries. The principle was applied to countries as they became Commonwealth realms. The phrase Commonwealth realm, though used officially, is not a statutory term, the number of independent countries in the Commonwealth of Nations all sharing the same person as monarch reached 18 between 1983 and 1987. The Commonwealth realms are, for purposes of international relations, sovereign states, political scientist Peter Boyce called this grouping of countries associated in this manner, an achievement without parallel in the history of international relations or constitutional law. Since each realm has the person as its monarch, the diplomatic practice of exchanging ambassadors with letters of credence. Diplomatic relations between the Commonwealth realms are thus at a cabinet level only and high commissioners are exchanged between realms, a high commissioners full title will thus be High Commissioner for Her Majestys Government in. Opinion on the prospect of the coming to fruition is mixed. This means that in different contexts the term Crown may refer to the extra-national institution associating all 16 countries, from a cultural standpoint, the sovereigns name and image and other royal symbols unique to each nation are visible in the emblems and insignia of governmental institutions and militia. By 1959, it was being asserted by Buckingham Palace officials that the Queen was equally at home in all her realms and this convention was first applied to the abdication of Edward VIII in 1936. For expediency and to avoid embarrassment, the British government had suggested that the Dominion governments automatically regard the monarch of the UK, whoever this may be, as their monarch also. Sir Maurice Gwyer, first parliamentary counsel in the UK, reflected this position and these changes came into effect on 26 March 2015. Agreement among the realms does not, however, mean the succession laws cannot diverge, the parliament of South Africa, however, passed its own legislation—His Majesty King Edward the Eighths Abdication Act, 1937—which backdated the abdication there to 10 December. The Irish Free State recognised the kings abdication with the Executive Authority Act 1936 on 12 December, according to Anne Twomey, this demonstrated the divisibility of the Crown in the personal, as well as the political, sense. For E H Coghill, writing as early as 1937, it proved that the convention of a line of succession is not of imperative force. It is generally agreed that any alteration of succession by the UK would not have effect in all the realms. Following the accession of George VI to the throne, the United Kingdom created legislation that provided for a regency in the event that the monarch was not of age or incapacitated
Commonwealth realm
–
Elizabeth II is the reigning sovereign of each of the 16 Commonwealth realms
Commonwealth realm
–
The Commonwealth realms, shown in blue. Former Commonwealth realms or Dominions are shown in red
Commonwealth realm
–
Queen
Elizabeth II and
the Duke of Edinburgh pose at
Windsor Castle with the Queen's fifteen governors-general in April 2002
Commonwealth realm
–
Charles, Prince of Wales (left),
heir apparent to Queen Elizabeth II; his eldest son,
Prince William, Duke of Cambridge (centre), the second in the line of succession; and Charles' second son,
Prince Henry of Wales (right), then third in line (now fifth)
16.
Elizabeth II
–
Elizabeth II has been Queen of the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand since 6 February 1952. Elizabeth was born in London as the eldest child of the Duke and Duchess of York, later King George VI and Queen Elizabeth and her father acceded to the throne on the abdication of his brother Edward VIII in 1936, from which time she was the heir presumptive. She began to undertake duties during the Second World War. Elizabeths many historic visits and meetings include a visit to the Republic of Ireland. She has seen major changes, such as devolution in the United Kingdom, Canadian patriation. She has reigned through various wars and conflicts involving many of her realms and she is the worlds oldest reigning monarch as well as Britains longest-lived. In October 2016, she became the longest currently reigning monarch, in 2017 she became the first British monarch to commemorate a Sapphire Jubilee. Elizabeth has occasionally faced republican sentiments and press criticism of the family, however, support for the monarchy remains high. Elizabeth was born at 02,40 on 21 April 1926, during the reign of her paternal grandfather and her father, Prince Albert, Duke of York, was the second son of the King. Her mother, Elizabeth, Duchess of York, was the youngest daughter of Scottish aristocrat Claude Bowes-Lyon, 14th Earl of Strathmore and she was delivered by Caesarean section at her maternal grandfathers London house,17 Bruton Street, Mayfair. Elizabeths only sibling, Princess Margaret, was born in 1930, the two princesses were educated at home under the supervision of their mother and their governess, Marion Crawford, who was casually known as Crawfie. Lessons concentrated on history, language, literature and music, Crawford published a biography of Elizabeth and Margarets childhood years entitled The Little Princesses in 1950, much to the dismay of the royal family. The book describes Elizabeths love of horses and dogs, her orderliness, others echoed such observations, Winston Churchill described Elizabeth when she was two as a character. She has an air of authority and reflectiveness astonishing in an infant and her cousin Margaret Rhodes described her as a jolly little girl, but fundamentally sensible and well-behaved. During her grandfathers reign, Elizabeth was third in the line of succession to the throne, behind her uncle Edward, Prince of Wales, and her father, the Duke of York. Although her birth generated public interest, she was not expected to become queen, many people believed that he would marry and have children of his own. When her grandfather died in 1936 and her uncle succeeded as Edward VIII, she became second-in-line to the throne, later that year, Edward abdicated, after his proposed marriage to divorced socialite Wallis Simpson provoked a constitutional crisis. Consequently, Elizabeths father became king, and she became heir presumptive, if her parents had had a later son, she would have lost her position as first-in-line, as her brother would have been heir apparent and above her in the line of succession
Elizabeth II
–
The Queen in March 2015
Elizabeth II
–
Princess Elizabeth aged 3, April 1929
Elizabeth II
–
Princess Elizabeth aged 7, painted by
Philip de László, 1933
Elizabeth II
–
Elizabeth in
Auxiliary Territorial Service uniform, April 1945
17.
Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh
–
Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh is the husband of Queen Elizabeth II. A member of the House of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg, Philip was born into the Greek and he was born in Greece, but his family was exiled from the country when he was an infant. After being educated in France, Germany, and the United Kingdom, he joined the Royal Navy in 1939, from July 1939, he began corresponding with the 13-year-old Princess Elizabeth, whom he had first met in 1934. During the Second World War he served with the Mediterranean and Pacific fleets, after the war, Philip was granted permission by King George VI to marry Elizabeth. After an engagement of five months, he married Elizabeth on 20 November 1947, just before the wedding, he was created Duke of Edinburgh. Philip left active service when Elizabeth became Queen in 1952. He was formally made a Prince of the United Kingdom in 1957, Philip has four children with Elizabeth, Prince Charles, Princess Anne, Prince Andrew, and Prince Edward. He has eight grandchildren and five great-grandchildren, a keen sports enthusiast, Philip helped develop the equestrian event of carriage driving. He is a patron of over 800 organisations and serves as chairman of the Duke of Edinburghs Award scheme for people aged 14 to 24 and he is the longest-serving consort of a reigning British monarch and the oldest-ever male member of the British royal family. Philips four elder sisters were Margarita, Theodora, Cecilie, and he was baptised into the Greek Orthodox Church. His godparents were Queen Olga of Greece and the Mayor of Corfu, shortly after Philips birth, his maternal grandfather, Prince Louis of Battenberg, then known as Louis Mountbatten, Marquess of Milford Haven, died in London. Louis was a naturalised British citizen, who, after a career in the Royal Navy, had renounced his German titles and adopted the surname Mountbatten during the First World War. After visiting London for the memorial, Philip and his mother returned to Greece where Prince Andrew had remained behind to command an army division embroiled in the Greco-Turkish War, the war went badly for Greece and the Turks made large gains. On 22 September 1922, Philips uncle, King Constantine I, was forced to abdicate, the commander of the army, General Georgios Hatzianestis, and five senior politicians were executed. Prince Andrews life was believed to be in danger, and Alice was under surveillance, in December, a revolutionary court banished Prince Andrew from Greece for life. The British naval vessel HMS Calypso evacuated Prince Andrews family, with Philip carried to safety in a cot made from a fruit box. Philips family went to France, where settled in the Paris suburb of Saint-Cloud in a house lent to them by his wealthy aunt, Princess George of Greece. Because Philip left Greece as a baby, he not have a strong grasp of Greek
Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh
–
Prince Philip in March 2015
Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh
–
Mon Repos, the birthplace of Philip
Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh
–
Philip studied at
Gordonstoun school, Scotland.
Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh
–
Philip served aboard
HMS Valiant in the
Battle of the Mediterranean.
18.
Charles, Prince of Wales
–
Charles, Prince of Wales is the eldest child and heir apparent of Queen Elizabeth II. Known alternatively in South West England as Duke of Cornwall and in Scotland as Duke of Rothesay, he is the heir apparent in British history. He is also the oldest person to be next in line to the throne since Sophia of Hanover, Charles was born at Buckingham Palace as the first grandchild of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth. After earning a bachelor of degree from Trinity College, Cambridge. In 1981, he married Lady Diana Spencer and they had two sons, Prince William later to become Duke of Cambridge, and Prince Harry, in 1996, the couple divorced, following well-publicised extramarital affairs. Diana died in a car crash in Paris the following year, in 2005, Charles married Camilla Parker Bowles. Charles has sought to raise awareness of the dangers facing the natural environment. As an environmentalist, he has received awards and recognition from environmental groups around the world. His support for alternative medicine, including homeopathy, has been criticised by some in the medical community and he has been outspoken on the role of architecture in society and the conservation of historic buildings. Subsequently, Charles created Poundbury, a new town based on his theories. He has authored a number of books, including A Vision of Britain, A Personal View of Architecture in 1989 and he was baptised in the palaces Music Room by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Geoffrey Fisher, on 15 December 1948. When Prince Charles was aged three his mothers accession as Queen Elizabeth II made him her heir apparent. As the monarchs eldest son, he took the titles Duke of Cornwall, Duke of Rothesay, Earl of Carrick, Baron of Renfrew, Lord of the Isles and Prince. Charles attended his mothers coronation at Westminster Abbey on 2 June 1953, seated alongside his grandmother, as was customary for upper-class children at the time, a governess, Catherine Peebles, was appointed and undertook his education between the ages of five and eight. Buckingham Palace announced in 1955 that Charles would attend school rather than have a private tutor, Charles then attended two of his fathers former schools, Cheam Preparatory School in Berkshire, England, followed by Gordonstoun in the north-east of Scotland. He reportedly despised the school, which he described as Colditz in kilts. Upon his return to Gordonstoun, Charles emulated his father in becoming Head Boy and he left in 1967, with six GCE O-levels and two A-levels in history and French, at grades B and C, respectively. Tradition was broken again when Charles proceeded straight from school into university
Charles, Prince of Wales
–
The Prince of Wales in
Jersey, July 2012
Charles, Prince of Wales
–
Signature
Charles, Prince of Wales
–
Telegram announcing the birth of Prince Charles to the
Governor-General of New Zealand
Charles, Prince of Wales
–
Queen Elizabeth II formally invests the Prince of Wales with
his coronet, 1969
19.
Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall
–
Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, GCVO, CSM, PC, is the second wife of Charles, Prince of Wales, who is the eldest child and heir apparent of Queen Elizabeth II. Instead of using the title of Princess of Wales, she uses the title Duchess of Cornwall, in Scotland, she is known as the Duchess of Rothesay. Camilla was born into a family as the eldest child of Major Bruce Shand and his wife, the Honourable Rosalind Cubitt. She was raised in East Sussex and South Kensington, and was educated in England, Switzerland, subsequently, she worked for different firms based in central London, most notably the decorating firm Sibyl Colefax & John Fowler. In 1973, Camilla married British Army officer Andrew Parker Bowles, for many years, Camilla was in a relationship with the Prince of Wales before and after their former marriages. The relationship became highly publicised in the media and attracted worldwide scrutiny, as the Duchess of Cornwall, Camilla assists the Prince of Wales on his official duties. She is also the patron, president and a member of numerous charities, since 1994, she has taken action on osteoporosis, which has earned her honours and awards. She has also raised awareness in areas including rape and sexual abuse, literacy and poverty, Camilla Rosemary Shand was born at Kings College Hospital, London, on 17 July 1947 at 7,00 am. She grew up in the Laines, a house located in Plumpton, East Sussex. Her parents were British Army officer turned businessman Major Bruce Shand and his wife, the Hon. Rosalind and she has one younger sister, Annabel Elliot, and had a younger brother, Mark Shand. Her maternal great-grandmother, Alice Keppel, was a mistress of King Edward VII from 1898 to 1910, on 1 November 1947, Camilla was baptised at Firle Church, Sussex. Her godparents were Hon. Henry Cubitt, Major Neil Speke, Mrs Heathcoat-Amory, Mrs Lombard Hobson, Camillas mother worked for an adoption agency, while her father had different business interests after retiring from the army. He was most notably a partner in Block, Grey and Block, during her childhood years, Camilla became an avid reader due to the influence of her father, who read to her frequently. She grew up with dogs and cats, and, at a young age, according to her, childhood was perfect in every way. Biographer Gyles Brandreth describes her background and childhood, Camilla is often described as having had an Enid Blyton sort of Childhood, in fact, it was much grander than that. The Shands had position and they had help—help in the house, help in the garden and they opened their garden for the local Conservative Party Association summer fête. At the age of five, Camilla was sent to Dumbrells and she left Dumbrells aged ten to attend Queens Gate School in Queens Gate, South Kensington. Her classmates at Queens Gate knew her as Milla, her pupils included the singer Twinkle
Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall
–
The Duchess of Cornwall at
Hillsborough Castle in April 2014
Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall
–
Signature
Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall
–
Bolehyde Manor in Allington, Wiltshire
Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall
–
The Queen, the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall during the
Diamond Jubilee celebrations in 2012
20.
Prince William, Duke of Cambridge
–
Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, KG, KT, PC, ADC is the elder son of Charles, Prince of Wales, and Diana, Princess of Wales. He is second in line to succeed his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II, William was educated at four schools in the United Kingdom and obtained a degree from the University of St Andrews. He spent parts of a gap year in Chile, Belize, in December 2006, he completed 44 weeks of training as an officer cadet and was commissioned in the Blues and Royals regiment. In April 2008, he qualified as a pilot by completing training at Royal Air Force College Cranwell. He then underwent helicopter flying training in order to become a pilot with the RAF Search. His service with the British Armed Forces ended in September 2013, William married Catherine Middleton, on 29 April 2011 at Westminster Abbey. Hours before the wedding, he was created Duke of Cambridge, Earl of Strathearn, the couples first child, Prince George, was born on 22 July 2013, and their second, Princess Charlotte, was born on 2 May 2015. William, the first child of the Prince and Princess of Wales, was born at St Marys Hospital and his names, William Arthur Philip Louis, were announced by Buckingham Palace a week later on 28 June. He was baptised in the Music Room of Buckingham Palace on 4 August by the Archbishop of Canterbury and he was the first child born to a Prince and Princess of Wales since Prince John in 1905. William was affectionately called Wombat by his parents or Wills, Williams first public appearance was on 1 March 1991, during an official visit of his parents to Cardiff, Wales. After arriving by aeroplane, William was taken to Llandaff Cathedral where he signed the visitors book, on 3 June 1991, William was admitted to Royal Berkshire Hospital after being accidentally hit on the side of the forehead by a fellow student wielding a golf club. He did not lose consciousness, but suffered a fracture of the skull and was operated on at Great Ormond Street Hospital. In a 2009 interview, he dubbed this scar a Harry Potter scar and he was reported to have said, I call it that because it glows sometimes and some people notice it—other times they dont notice it at all. His mother wanted him and his younger brother Harry to have wider experiences than are usual for royal children and she took them to Walt Disney World and McDonalds as well as AIDS clinics and shelters for the homeless. She bought them typical teenage items, such as video games, Diana, who was by then divorced from the Prince of Wales, died in a car accident in the early hours of 31 August 1997. William, then aged 15, along with his brother who was 12, the Prince of Wales waited until his sons woke the following morning to tell them about their mothers death. At his mothers funeral, William accompanied his father, brother, paternal grandfather, William began to accompany his parents on official visits at an early age. William was educated at independent schools, starting at Jane Mynors nursery school, following this, he attended Ludgrove School near Wokingham, Berkshire, and was privately tutored during summers by Rory Stewart
Prince William, Duke of Cambridge
–
The Duke of Cambridge in
Japan in 2015
Prince William, Duke of Cambridge
–
Chapel of
Eton College
Prince William, Duke of Cambridge
–
St Salvator's Quad,
University of St. Andrews
Prince William, Duke of Cambridge
–
William in his flight lieutenant's uniform in 2010.
21.
Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge
–
Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge is the wife of Prince William, Duke of Cambridge. Following his father Charles, Prince of Wales, William is second in line to succeed his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II, the duchess grew up in Chapel Row, a village near Newbury, Berkshire, England. She studied art history in Scotland at the University of St Andrews and their engagement was announced on 16 November 2010 before they married on 29 April 2011 at Westminster Abbey. The duke and duchess have two children, Prince George and Princess Charlotte of Cambridge, who are third and fourth in line to the British throne. Catherine Elizabeth Middleton was born at Royal Berkshire Hospital in Reading on 9 January 1982 to an upper-middle-class family and she was christened at St Andrews Bradfield, Berkshire, on 20 June 1982. The family of her father Michael has ties to British aristocracy and her Middleton relatives were reported as having played host to British royalty as long ago as 1926. She has a sister, Philippa Pippa, and a younger brother. The family lived in Amman, Jordan, from May 1984 to September 1986, her father worked for British Airways, following her return to Berkshire in 1986, she was enrolled aged four at St Andrews School, a private school near the village of Pangbourne in Berkshire. She boarded part-weekly at St Andrews in her later years and she then studied briefly at Downe House. In November 2006, Middleton accepted a position as a buyer with the clothing chain Jigsaw. She also worked until January 2011 at Party Pieces, her role within the business included catalogue design and production, marketing. In 2001, Middleton met Prince William while they were students in residence at St Salvators Hall at the University of St Andrews. The couple began dating in 2003, although their relationship remained unconfirmed, on 17 October 2005, Middleton complained through her lawyer about harassment from the media, stating that she had done nothing significant to warrant publicity. Middleton attended Prince Williams Passing Out Parade at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst on 15 December 2006, on 17 May 2008, Middleton attended the wedding of Prince Williams cousin Peter Phillips to Autumn Kelly, which the prince did not attend. On 19 July 2008, she was a guest at the wedding of Lady Rose Windsor, Prince William was away on military operations in the Caribbean, serving aboard HMS Iron Duke. In 2010, Middleton pursued an invasion of privacy claim against two agencies and photographer Niraj Tanna, who took photographs of her over Christmas 2009 and she obtained a public apology, £5,000 in damages, and legal costs. In April 2007, Prince William and Middleton split up, the couple decided to break up during a holiday in the Swiss resort of Zermatt. Newspapers speculated about the reasons for the split, although these reports relied on anonymous sources, Middleton and her family attended the Concert for Diana at Wembley Stadium, where she and Prince William sat two rows apart
Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge
–
The Duchess of Cambridge in 2014
Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge
–
The newly married Duke and Duchess of Cambridge on the balcony of
Buckingham Palace
Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge
–
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge with their son
Prince George of Cambridge the day after his birth
Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge
–
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge at the
Canada Day celebrations in
Ottawa, 1 July 2011
22.
Prince George of Cambridge
–
Prince George of Cambridge is the elder child and only son of Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge. He is third in line to succeed his paternal great-grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II, after his grandfather, Charles, Prince of Wales. On 3 December 2012, Clarence House announced that the Duke, at less than twelve weeks, the announcement was made earlier in the pregnancy than is traditional because of the Duchesss admission to hospital with hyperemesis gravidarum. During this time, a couple of Australian radio jockeys attempted to ring up the Hospital and they tried to put on fake British accents and mimicked the Queen and Prince Charles. The nurse who answered their call later committed suicide, before the birth, there was speculation the event would boost the British national economy and provide a focus for national pride. Welsh composer Paul Mealor, who composed Ubi Caritas et Amor for the wedding of the Duke and Duchess, composed a lullaby entitled Sleep On, a recording was made of it by New Zealand soprano Hayley Westenra as a gift for the baby. Commemorative coins were issued by the Royal Mint, Royal Canadian Mint, and Royal Australian Mint, the Duchess was admitted to St Marys Hospital, London, in the early stages of labour on 22 July 2013. She gave birth to a boy weighing 8 pounds 6 ounces at 16,24 BST later the same day, Queen Elizabeth IIs former gynaecologist, Marcus Setchell, delivered the baby assisted by Guy Thorpe-Beeston, Sunit Godambe and Physician to the Queen John Cunningham. The midwifery team accompanying the gynaecologists was led by Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trusts director of midwifery Professor Jackie Dunkley-Bent, William was by his wifes side when she gave birth. The Duchess and her baby, accompanied by the Duke, left hospital on 23 July, William took the full two weeks paternity leave from his job allowed by the Ministry of Defence. Julia Samuel, William van Cutsem and Zara Tindall serving as godparents, the ceremony used a font that was made for Queen Victorias first child and water from the River Jordan. The Royal Mint issued a set of coins to celebrate the christening. George, with his parents, embarked on his first royal tour in April 2014 and his first public engagement of the tour was on 9 April at a playdate at Government House, Wellington, organised by the New Zealand parenting organisation, Plunket. On 20 April, Easter Sunday, he met a bilby named after him at Taronga Zoo in Sydney, the BBC said at the end of the tour theres no doubt Prince George stole the limelight. Georges first birthday party was themed around childrens author Beatrix Potter, on 2 May 2015, George visited the hospital of his birth after the birth of his sister Charlotte, his first public appearance in the United Kingdom. In January 2016, George started his education at the Westacre Montessori School Nursery and that April, he was photographed for postage stamps to mark his great-grandmothers 90th birthday, alongside his father and grandfather. On 22 April of that year, he met President of the United States Barack Obama and he was photographed with a rocking horse that Obama had given him when he was born. The encounter later prompted Obama to joke that Prince George showed up to our meeting in his bathrobe, in March 2017, it was announced that George would begin primary school in September at the private Thomass School in Battersea
Prince George of Cambridge
–
George with his parents and the Governor-General of Australia,
Sir Peter Cosgrove, at
Admiralty House, Sydney, April 2014
Prince George of Cambridge
–
George and his mother, 23 July 2013
Prince George of Cambridge
–
Easel outside
Buckingham Palace, announcing: "Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Cambridge was safely delivered of a son at 4.24 p.m. today. Her Royal Highness and her child are both doing well."
Prince George of Cambridge
–
Fountain at
Trafalgar Square illuminated in blue to mark the birth of Prince George
23.
Princess Charlotte of Cambridge
–
Princess Charlotte of Cambridge is the younger child and only daughter of Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge. She is fourth in line to succeed her paternal great-grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II, after her grandfather, father. Clarence House announced on 8 September 2014 that the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge were expecting their second child, the next month, Kensington Palace announced that the baby was expected to be born in April 2015. On 2 May 2015, at 08,34 BST, the Duchess gave birth to a daughter at St Marys Hospital, London, the Duke of Cambridge was present at the birth. The Duchess had been in labour at St Marys Hospital since 06,00 BST, farthing, Thorpe-Beeston, and Godambe were also present at the birth of the Cambridges first child, Prince George, in 2013. The baby was shown to the public for the first time outside the hospital with her parents, on 4 May, gun salutes were fired at Hyde Park and the Tower of London. Later that day, her name was announced as Charlotte Elizabeth Diana, on 5 July 2015, Princess Charlotte was baptised by the Archbishop of Canterbury at St. Mary Magdalene Church, Sandringham. Laura Fellowes, Prince Williams maternal cousin, Adam Middleton, the Duchesss paternal cousin, and family friends Thomas van Straubenzee, James Meade, on 1 May 2016, the Royal Family released photographs of Charlotte ahead of her first birthday. Multiple retailers, particularly in clothing, were expected to benefit greatly from their placement in these photographs. On 11 June, she made her first public appearance on the balcony of Buckingham Palace following Trooping the Colour, the princess is fourth in line to succeed the Queen, after her grandfather, father, and elder brother. Because of the changes to succession law effected in 2015, she cannot be displaced in the line of succession by any younger brothers. In 2016, Marc Jacobs debuted the lipstick Charlotte named after her, ancestry charts of the current British royal family Genealogy of the British royal family Birth certificate The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge website
Princess Charlotte of Cambridge
–
The queue outside
Buckingham Palace,
London, to view the official announcement of the birth of Princess Charlotte at 13:15 on 2 May 2015. The ornate golden easel holding the announcement is just visible behind the railing, centre left.
24.
Prince Harry
–
Prince Henry of Wales, KCVO, familiarly known as Prince Harry, is the younger son of Charles, Prince of Wales, and Diana, Princess of Wales. After an education at schools in the United Kingdom and spending parts of his gap year in Australia and Lesotho, Harry chose a military career, undergoing officer training at RMA Sandhurst. He was commissioned as a cornet into the Blues and Royals, serving temporarily with his brother, in 2007–2008, he served for 77 days in Helmand, Afghanistan, but was pulled out following publication of his presence there by an Australian magazine. He returned to Afghanistan for a 20-week deployment in 2012–2013 with the Army Air Corps and he left the army in June 2015. Harry launched the Invictus Games in 2014, and remains patron of its Foundation and he also gives patronage to several other organisations, including the HALO Trust, the London Marathon Charitable Trust, and Walking With The Wounded. Harry was born at St Marys Hospital in Paddington, London, on 15 September 1984 at 4,20 pm and he was baptised on 21 December 1984 at St Georges Chapel, Windsor Castle, by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Robert Runcie. His godparents are Prince Andrew, Lady Sarah Armstrong-Jones, Carolyn Bartholomew, Bryan Organ, Gerald Ward and Celia, Harry began to accompany his parents on official visits at an early age, his first overseas tour was with his parents to Italy in 1985. Harrys parents divorced in 1996, and his mother died following a car accident in Paris the following year, Harry and William were staying with their father at Balmoral at the time, and the Prince of Wales told his sons about their mothers death. Like his father and brother, Harry was educated at independent schools and he started at Jane Mynors nursery school and the pre-preparatory Wetherby School, both in London. Following this, he attended Ludgrove School, and, after passing the exams, was admitted to Eton College. In June 2003, Harry completed his education at Eton with two A-Levels, having decided to drop history of art after AS level and he excelled in sports, particularly polo and rugby union. Passing two A-levels, Harry was eligible to apply for a commission in the British Army. One of Harrys former teachers, Sarah Forsyth, has assessed that Harry was a weak student, both Eton and Harry denied the claims. While a tribunal made no ruling on the claim, it accepted the prince had received help in preparing his A-level expressive project. After school, Harry took a gap year, during which he spent time in Australia, working on a cattle station and he also travelled to Lesotho, where he worked with orphaned children and produced the documentary film The Forgotten Kingdom. Harry entered the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst on 8 May 2005, where he was known as Officer Cadet Wales, and joined the Alamein Company. Within a year, in April 2006, Harry completed his training and was commissioned as a Cornet in the Blues and Royals. He was given the service number 564673, on 13 April 2008, when he reached two years seniority, Harry was promoted to lieutenant
Prince Harry
–
Prince Harry during the
Invictus Games in London, September 2014
Prince Harry
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Chapel of
Eton College
Prince Harry
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Officer Cadet Wales (standing to attention next to the horse) on parade at Sandhurst, 21 June 2005
Prince Harry
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Harry (left) talking to an injured soldier at the
Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, 15 May 2013
25.
Prince Andrew, Duke of York
–
Prince Andrew, Duke of York, KG, GCVO, CD, ADC, is the second son and third child of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. At the time of his birth, he was second in the line of succession to succeed his mother, as of 2017 he is sixth in line. He holds the rank of commander and the rank of vice admiral in the Royal Navy, in which he served as an active duty helicopter pilot and instructor. He saw active service during the Falklands War, flying on multiple missions including anti-surface warfare, Exocet missile decoy, in 1986, Prince Andrew married Sarah Ferguson, the couples marriage, subsequent separation and eventual divorce in 1996 attracted a high level of media coverage. As well as carrying out official engagements, he served as Britains Special Representative for International Trade. Prince Andrew was born in the Belgian Suite of Buckingham Palace on 19 February 1960 and he was baptised in the Palaces Music Room on 8 April 1960 by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Geoffrey Fisher. He is the namesake of his grandfather, Prince Andrew of Greece and Denmark. Prince Andrew was the first child born to a monarch since the birth in 1857 of Queen Victorias youngest child. As with his siblings, Andrew was looked after by a governess. He was sent to Heatherdown School near Ascot in Berkshire, in September 1973, he entered Gordonstoun, in northern Scotland, which his father and elder brother had attended before him. While there, he spent six months—from January to June 1977—participating in a programme to Lakefield College School in Canada. He left Gordonstoun in July two years later with A-Levels in English, history, economics, and political science and he did not go to university but instead entered the Britannia Royal Naval College at Dartmouth. The Royal Household announced in November 1978 that Prince Andrew would join the Royal Navy the following year, on 1 September of the same year, Prince Andrew was appointed as a midshipman, and entered Britannia Royal Naval College, Dartmouth. During 1980 he also took the Royal Marines All Arms Commando Course, after being awarded his wings, he moved onto more advanced training on the Sea King helicopter, and conducted operational flying training until 1982. He joined carrier-based squadron,820 Naval Air Squadron, serving aboard the aircraft carrier, the Falkland Islands, which are a British overseas territory claimed by Argentina, were invaded by Argentina on 2 April 1982, an event that instigated the Falklands War. Invincible was one of the two aircraft carriers available at the time, and, as such, was to play a major role in the Royal Navy task force assembled to sail south to retake the islands. The Queen, though, insisted that her son be allowed to remain with his ship and he witnessed the Argentinian attack on the SS Atlantic Conveyor. At the cessation of the war, Invincible returned to Portsmouth, the Argentine military government reportedly planned, but did not attempt, to assassinate the prince on Mustique in July 1982
Prince Andrew, Duke of York
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The Duke of York, 2014
Prince Andrew, Duke of York
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Gordonstoun
Prince Andrew, Duke of York
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The Duke of York with the US
Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta commemorating 100th anniversary of Naval Aviation at the
National Building Museum in 2011.
Prince Andrew, Duke of York
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The Duke and
Duchess of York on their wedding day.
26.
Princess Beatrice of York
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Princess Beatrice of York is the elder daughter of Prince Andrew, Duke of York, and Sarah, Duchess of York. Beatrice is seventh in line to succeed her grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II and her name, an unexpected choice, was not announced until almost two weeks after her birth. Beatrice began her education at the independent Upton House School in Windsor. From there, she and her sister attended the independent Coworth Park School from 1995. Beatrice continued her education at the independent St Georges School in Ascot, having been diagnosed with dyslexia as a child, she delayed sitting her GCSE exams for one year. She remained at St Georges to take her A-Levels, gaining a grade A in drama and she was elected Head Girl in her final year. In September 2008, she started a course studying for a BA in History and History of Ideas at Goldsmiths College. Princess Beatrice graduated in 2011 with a 2,1 degree, in 2002, Beatrice visited children living with HIV in Russia, and, in Britain, she supported Springboard for Children and the Teenage Cancer Trust. During the summer of 2008, Beatrice volunteered as an assistant at Selfridges, and it was reported Beatrice. In April 2010, running to raise money for Children in Crisis, Beatrice was in a long-term relationship with Virgin Galactic businessman Dave Clark until July 2016. Princess Beatrice attends garden parties and receptions at Buckingham Palace, at the wedding of her cousin Prince William, Beatrices fascinator designed by Philip Treacy was remarked upon by some as an odd choice of fashion. In May 2011, the hat was offered for sale on the auction site eBay with the proceeds going to charity. Princess Beatrice accompanied her grandmother, the Queen, to the traditional Royal Maundy services on 5 April 2012 in York and she and the Duke of Edinburgh were the sole members of the royal family to attend the Maundy Thursday services at York Minster with the Queen. There, Beatrice interacted with parishioners, received flowers from the public, in the lead up to the 2012 Summer Olympics Princess Beatrice welcomed the Olympic flame on the steps of Harewood House near Leeds. In 2013, Beatrice and her sister promoted Britain overseas in Germany and she also visited the Isle of Wight in 2014. After the birth of her first cousin once removed, Princess Charlotte of Cambridge in 2015, in November 2012, Beatrice became a patron of the York Musical Society. In April 2013, she became patron of The Helen Arkell Dyslexia Centre. She accompanied her father during an engagement in the United Arab Emirates on 24 November 2014
Princess Beatrice of York
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Princess Beatrice at the wedding of
Lady Melissa Percy, 22 June 2013
Princess Beatrice of York
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Princess Beatrice with her sister at
Trooping the Colour, June 2013.
Princess Beatrice of York
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The infamous fascinator worn by Princess Beatrice at the wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton.
27.
Princess Eugenie of York
–
Princess Eugenie of York is the younger daughter of Prince Andrew, Duke of York, and of Sarah, Duchess of York. She is eighth, and the female, in line to succeed her grandmother. In 2015, she started working for the Hauser & Wirth art gallery in London as an associate director, on 30 March, the seventh day after her birth, it was announced that the Duke and Duchess of York had named her Eugenie Victoria Helena. She was baptised at the Church of St Mary Magdalene, Sandringham, by the Bishop of Norwich and she was the first royal baby to have a public christening, and the only one of the Queens grandchildren not to be baptised in the Lily font. Her godparents were James Ogilvy, Captain Alastair Ross, Susan Ferguson, Julia Dodd-Noble and she was named after Victoria Eugenie of Battenberg and after Princess Helena, Queen Victorias granddaughter and daughter respectively. Eugenie is the first British princess since her grandmothers aunt, Princess Victoria Alexandra Alice Mary, Eugenie is the only one of the Queens granddaughters without Elizabeth as a middle name. Eugenies parents divorced when she was six years old, when she was not at school, she spent her time with her family, as the divorce had been amicable. The Duke and Duchess of York had agreed to joint custody of the girls, Eugenie and her sister frequently travel abroad with one or both of their parents. In the April 2008 issue of Tatler, Eugenie described her grandmother as one of the most amazing women ever and she made a full recovery and is not expected to undergo any further surgery for the condition. Eugenie began her schooling at Winkfield Montessori from 1992 to 1993, from there she joined her sister at Upton House School in Windsor until 1995. She attended Coworth Park School from 1995 to 2001, and then St Georges School, for the next five years, Eugenie boarded at Marlborough College in Wiltshire. She undertook a gap year before continuing her education in 2009, Eugenie began studying Combined Honours BA at Newcastle University in September 2009, combining Art History, English Literature and Politics. She completed her studies in 2012, earning a 2,1 in English literature, in 2013, she moved to New York City for one year to work for the online auction firm Paddle8 as a benefit auctions manager. In July 2015, she moved back to London to work for the Hauser & Wirth art gallery as an associate director, Princess Eugenie does not carry out public duties and receives no allowance from the Privy Purse. She has undertaken limited public engagements, such as connected with charities her mother supports, including the Teenage Cancer Trust, Children in Crisis. She also attends receptions and garden parties at Buckingham Palace, Eugenie and her sister represented their father at a service of thanksgiving for her aunt, Diana, Princess of Wales, in 2007. In 2008, she opened a Teenage Cancer Trusts unit for young patients in Leeds. On 2 June 2011, Eugenie visited the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital with her father as one of her first official engagements, in April 2012 she agreed to be patron for the Hospitals Redevelopment Appeal, this was her first patronage
Princess Eugenie of York
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Eugenie at her first royal engagement, opening Teenage Cancer Trust's unit in Leeds, October 2008
Princess Eugenie of York
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Princess Eugenie with her sister at
Trooping the Colour, June 2013.
28.
Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex
–
Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex, KG, GCVO, CD, ADC is the youngest of four children and the third son of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. At the time of his birth, he was third in line to succeed his mother, as of 2017, he is ninth in line. Prince Edward was born on 10 March 1964, at Buckingham Palace, as the son and fourth and youngest child of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip. He was baptised on 2 May 1964 in the chapel at Windsor Castle by the then-Dean of Windsor. As with his siblings, a governess was appointed to look after Edward and was responsible for his early education at Buckingham Palace. At the age of seven, Edward was then sent to Gibbs School before attending, in September 1972, Heatherdown School, near Ascot in Berkshire. He then, as his father and elder brothers had done him, moved to Gordonstoun, in northern Scotland. Upon his return to Britain, Edward matriculated at Jesus College, Cambridge and his admission to Cambridge caused some controversy at the time, since his A-level grades were far below the standard normally required, straight As, for Oxbridge entrance. Edward graduated in 1986 as BA and proceeded Master of Arts in 1991, Prince Edward made two very public attempts to pursue a career. However, in January 1987 he dropped out of the commando course after completing just one third of the 12-month training. Media reported, at the time, that the move prompted a berating from Prince Philip who reduced his son to prolonged tears, after leaving the Marines, Edward opted for a career in entertainment. His duties reportedly involved making tea for the artistic staff, while there he met actress Ruthie Henshall, whom he dated for three years. The media attacked the programme, it was reported that the Queen was not in favour of the event. In 1993, Edward formed the production company Ardent Productions. Commercial breaks are filled with army recruiting advertisements, ardents productions were somewhat better received in the United States and a documentary Edward made about his great-uncle, Edward VIII in 1996, sold well worldwide. Nonetheless, the reported losses every year it operated save one when Edward did not draw a salary. The Prince of Wales was reportedly angered by the incident, Ardent Productions was voluntarily dissolved in June 2009, with assets reduced to just £40. Edwards original backers in the venture are said to have lost every penny, Edward met Sophie Rhys-Jones, then a public relations executive with her own firm, in 1994
Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex
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The Earl in
Belfast, February 2015
Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex
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The Earl and
Countess of Wessex at the
wedding of the Crown Princess of Sweden in June 2010
Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex
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The Earl and Countess of Wessex at
Trooping the Colour in June 2013
Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex
–
The Earl of Wessex at
Yate, Gloucestershire, December 2011
29.
Sophie, Countess of Wessex
–
Sophie, Countess of Wessex, GCVO, is the wife of Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex, the youngest son of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. Married in 1999, she worked in public relations until 2002, the Earl and Countess have two children, James, Viscount Severn, and Lady Louise Windsor, who are respectively tenth and eleventh in line to the British throne. She has a brother, David, and was named after her fathers sister, Helen. Her godfather, actor Thane Bettany, is her fathers stepbrother, Sophie was raised in a four-bedroom 17th-century farmhouse in Brenchley, Kent. She then trained as a secretary at West Kent College, Tonbridge and she also worked as a ski representative in Switzerland and spent a year travelling and working in Australia. In 1996, Rhys-Jones launched her public relations agency, RJH Public Relations, while working at Capital Radio, Sophie met Prince Edward, the youngest son of the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh, for the first time in 1987 when he was dating her friend. She met Prince Edward again at a charity event in 1993, and their engagement was announced on 6 January 1999. Edward proposed to Sophie with an engagement ring featuring a two-carat oval diamond flanked by two heart-shaped gemstones set in 18-carat white gold and this engagement ring was made by Asprey and Garrard and is worth an estimated £105,000. Following their union, the moved to Bagshot Park, their home in Surrey. The Earl and Countess have two children, Lady Louise Windsor and James, Viscount Severn, in December 2001, the Countess was taken to the King Edward VII Hospital after feeling unwell. It was discovered that she was suffering from an ectopic pregnancy, the Countess returned to Frimley Park Hospital on 17 December 2007, to give birth, again by caesarean section, to her son, James, Viscount Severn. The Countess of Wessexs first overseas tour after her marriage was to the Canadian province of Prince Edward Island in 2000 and she also became patron of a number of organisations, including the SAFC Foundation and Girlguiding UK. In 2003, she became Patron of Tomorrows People Trust, in 2006, she also lent her support to the Born in Bradford research project, which is investigating causes of low birth weight and infant mortality. In December 2011, the Countess of Wessex joined her husband visiting troops in Afghanistan, on the same trip, the royal couple visited Bahrain, and received two gifts of jewels from the Bahraini royal family and Prime Minister. Given concern about human rights abuses in Bahrain, this gift attracted controversy, with calls for the jewels to be sold, on 26 March 2015, she attended the reburial of Richard III of England in Leicester Cathedral. Buckingham Palace immediately issued a statement saying, This mornings story in The Sun is an invasion of privacy. Prime Minister Tony Blair also condemned the publication of the photograph, the Palace made an official complaint to the Press Complaints Commission. According to Sophies business partner the incident had left her distressed, tarrant later said, There was never, ever the slightest hint of romance between Sophie and myself, let alone these snidey insinuations
Sophie, Countess of Wessex
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The Countess at the
wedding of Princess Madeleine of Sweden and Christopher O'Neill in Stockholm, June 2013
Sophie, Countess of Wessex
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The Countess at the England vs Germany
2010 Women's Hockey Champions Trophy Bronze Medal Match
Sophie, Countess of Wessex
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The Earl and Countess of Wessex at
Trooping the Colour in June 2013
Sophie, Countess of Wessex
–
Sophie
dressed as
Honorary Air Commodore on a visit to
Kandahar
30.
Anne, Princess Royal
–
Anne, Princess Royal, KG KT GCVO GCStJ QSO GCL CD is the second child and only daughter of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. At the time of her birth, she was third in the line of succession, behind her mother – then Princess Elizabeth – and elder brother and she rose to second after her mothers accession, but is currently 12th in line. Anne is known for her work, and is patron of over 200 organisations. Princess Anne has held the title of Princess Royal since 1987 and is its seventh holder, Anne was married to Captain Mark Phillips in 1973, they divorced in 1992. They have two children and three grandchildren, in 1992, within months of her divorce, Anne married Vice Admiral Sir Timothy Laurence, whom she had met while he served as her mothers equerry between 1986 and 1989. Anne was born at Clarence House on 15 August 1950 at 11,50 am, as the child and only daughter of Princess Elizabeth, Duchess of Edinburgh. She was the grandchild of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth. Anne was baptised in the Music Room of Buckingham Palace on 21 October 1950, by Archbishop of York, after the death of George VI, Annes mother ascended the throne as Queen Elizabeth II. Given her young age at the time, she did not attend the coronation, the Company was active until 1963, when Anne went to boarding school. Anne enrolled at Benenden School in 1963, in 1968 she left school with six GCE O-Levels and two A-Levels. In the next couple of years, Anne started dating, in 1970 her first boyfriend was Andrew Parker Bowles, who later became the first husband of Camilla Shand. Following the wedding, Anne and her husband lived at Gatcombe Park and he was made acting captain by the start of 1974 when he was appointed a personal aide-de-camp to Queen Elizabeth II. By 1989, however, Princess Anne and Mark Phillips announced their intention to separate, the couple divorced on 23 April 1992. The Queen had offered Phillips an earldom on his wedding day, the couple had two children, Peter Phillips and Zara Phillips. As female-line descendants of royalty, the children have no title despite being the grandchildren of a monarch, Anne became a grandmother on 29 December 2010 when Peter and his wife Autumn had a daughter, Savannah. On 29 March 2012, the couple had daughter, Isla. Annes third granddaughter, Mia Grace, was born on 17 January 2014 to Zara and her husband Mike Tindall. As Princess Anne and Mark Phillips were returning to Buckingham Palace on 20 March 1974, from a charity event on Pall Mall, the driver of the Escort, Ian Ball, jumped out and began firing a pistol
Anne, Princess Royal
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The Princess Royal at
Chatham House, October 2015
Anne, Princess Royal
Anne, Princess Royal
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Princess Anne with her parents and elder brother in October 1957
Anne, Princess Royal
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Anne and Charles at the
White House with
Tricia Nixon and
Julie &
David Eisenhower in June 1970
United Kingdom
1960 Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order (GCVO)
Knight Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George (GCMG)
1985 Royal Knight of the Order of the Garter (KG)
Canadian Forces' Decoration (with two clasps) (CD)
1970 United Nations Medal for the UNFICYP mission
6 November 2000 Knight of the Order of Charles XIII[25]
Order of Saints George and Constantine First class (civil division)
Grand Cordon of the Supreme Order of the Renaissance (special class)
Grand Band of the Order of the Star of Africa
Order of the Three Divine Powers First Class (Jyotirmaya-Subikhyat-Tri-Shakti-Patta)
Grand Cross of the Order of St Olav
Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland
21 May 2015 Order of Merit of the Free State of Saxony[26]
Colonel-in-Chief, of The Lorne Scots (Peel, Dufferin and Halton Regiment)[28] (11 June 1977 – present)
Colonel, of the Scots Guards
1993: Honorary Air Commodore, of the RAF Leuchars[30]
Media related to Prince Edward, Duke of Kent at Wikimedia Commons
