Polo
Why isn’t polo in the Olympics? Word that Prince Harry is doing a Netfix series about the sport, combined with horse show season and the Paris Olympics made me wonder…
Coronation 1937
My mother kept some newspaper clippings about the Coronation of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth in 1937. They’re in what I think is her first scrapbook.
Meghan and Harry
(by Jim Stewart) Meghan and Harry: The real story, by Lady Colin Campbell. It's hard to believe that this book came out in 2020. It is remarkably prescient, as if it had been written yesterday. Anyone interested in British history, Hollywood, celebrity and popular culture, the effect of media and social media on our society
Elizabeth, 1951 Canada
A page from my mother’s scrapbook. For five weeks in the fall of 1951 Princess Elizabeth and Prince Philip toured Canada. It was her first trip here. My mother kept…
Royalty on The Street
Coronation Street has not been on the air as long as Queen Elizabeth II has been on the British throne. On December 9, 1960 when Corrie began, she had been…
Queens and Consorts
Seventy years ago, in classrooms and public venues in the UK and Commonwealth, people sang God Save the Queen for the first time in 51 years. On February 6, 1952,…
Prince Philip’s Horses
"If it doesn't fart or eat hay, she isn't interested." That, it is said, is how Prince Philip described his daughter Princess Anne. But if the amount of time he…
The Sussex Interview
Oprah's interview with Harry and Meghan is on a par with the 1995 BBC interview with Lady Diana. It asked for compassion, and got it. And, like Diana's, did it…
King’s Curse
The King's Curse by Philippa Gregory is about Henry VIII. It was published in 2014. Despite knowing this, I kept checking the publication date because of passages like this: Dear…
York and Mountbatten Weddings
A big year for royal weddings. Tomorrow, October 12th, Princess Eugenie will marry. In May, her cousin Prince Harry married Meghan Markle. Both large, lavish and televised. But, in between…
Corrie Street 3 June 2018
Royal Weddings The chat in the Kabin on Wednesday about royal weddings and coronations. Liz and Rita remembering, Gemma trying desperately to remember her history lessons in school. Very funny.…
Princess Harry
On Saturday, Meghan Markle will become Princess Harry. That is when she will marry Prince Henry of Wales, second son of the Prince of Wales and better known as Prince…
Royal Corgis
A week ago, the death of an elderly dog made headlines. A pet's death is always momentous for his or her loved ones. But it's usually not world news. Willow,…
Diana 1961-1997
Twenty years ago today Diana, Princess of Wales died at the age of 36. She was the daughter of the 8th Earl Spencer and 15 times great-granddaughter of King Henry…
King George VI
Sixty-five years ago today, Great Britain's King George VI died at the age of 56. The King is dead, long live the Queen. George VI's daughter became Queen Elizabeth II.…
Royal Wedding Anniversary
Happy anniversary, Elizabeth and Philip. November 20th marks 69 years since their wedding. Four children, 8 grandchildren, 5 great-grandchildren. Three heirs apparent to the British throne - son, grandson, great-grandson.…
Queen Elizabeth II
Queen Elizabeth celebrates her 90th birthday today. My mother, two years older, grew up with the Queen. From her teen years to adulthood, Mom kept scrapbooks about the Queen's life.…
Rodeo Kings
From St. Thomas Dog Blog July 8, 2011. Sadly in this year's Stampede, 2 horses died in chuckwagon race crashes. William and Kate opened the Calgary Stampede and attended the…
Royal Charlottes
The first British royal Charlotte was George III's queen. She is best known as the founder of London's Kew Gardens and for perhaps having black ancestry. Born in Germany in…
The Princesses Louise
Is Princess Louise Park in Sussex NB named for a British Royal or a horse? I’ve heard both answers. The person was daughter of Queen Victoria and patron of the…
Baby Prince George
In the past three days, the royal baby has been born, brought home, had pictures posted on Facebook, and been named. A boy named HRH Prince George Alexander Louis of…
Queen’s Secret: Review
Last week I saw a book called The Queen's Secret by Charles Templeton. Curious to see if it was by the late Canadian journalist of that name, I pulled it…
HRH Baby
With the expected Royal baby, there will be a kinship situation that hasn’t existed since Queen Victoria reigned. There will be 3 generations of direct heirs apparent to the throne:…
Coronation Street Scene of the Week (Jul 29/12)
Home Décor It was a splendid week on Corrie Street. The Jubilee festivities were just grand, with the bunting and flags and pictures of Queen Elizabeth. The Street party was…
Dick Francis: A racing life
The back cover of Dick Francis: A Racing Life, a biography by Graham Lord, calls it “warm, affectionate, yet sharp and perceptive.” I usually read the jacket information before starting a…
Coronation Street Scene of the Week (Dec. 4/11)
Marriages of Convenience “For generations, the cream of British aristocracy and the crowned heads of Europe have intermingled to produce a bloodline like vintage champagne. Then what do they go…
Hats off (or on) to the past few days!
It’s been quite a four days – perhaps best summarized with The Hat. Everybody’s had a go at this new game. So hats off to creativity. The Hat - the…
The Royal Wedding
I stayed up all night and watched the Royal wedding pre-pre-coverage, pre-coverage, main event, balcony scene and after coverage. I switched between CBC and CBC NewsNet, CNN, an entertainment news…
Royalty
In June 1983 royalty came to St. John's. Charles and Diana, Prince and Princess of Wales, arrived on the Royal Yacht Britannia. Two years before, I had woken up early…