Aristocracy · Mores · Paris · Humour

When the Duke of Vendôme accused Marshal de Bassompierre of plotting against Richelieu, hinting at the marshal's secret marriage to the sister of the Duke of Guise with the words "You will doubtless take the side of Monsieur de Guise, because you kiss his

When the Duke of Vendôme accused Marshal de Bassompierre of plotting against Richelieu, hinting at the marshal's secret marriage to the sister of the Duke of Guise with the words "You will doubtless take the side of Monsieur de Guise, because you kiss his sister, Madame de

Monarchies · Heritage · Education · People

The very room in which Catherine of Aragon, who to her last day called herself Queen of England, the first wife of Henry VIII, died on 7 January 1536 is now the office of the headmaster of the prestigious Kimbolton boarding school

The very room in which Catherine of Aragon, who to her last day called herself Queen of England, the first wife of Henry VIII, died on 7 January 1536 is now the office of the headmaster of the prestigious Kimbolton boarding school. So if the queen's ghost does

Books · Science · Ethnography

Birth with teeth in Shakespeare’s “Henry VI” and in European folklore

When you were born, the owl screamed, Foretelling ill times, the horned owl wept, Dogs howled, a hurricane tore down the trees, An ominous raven settled on the chimney, And a chorus of magpies chattered out of tune. And your mother, though she suffered more Than other mothers do, bore

Aristocracy · Art · London · Museums · Observations

Kokoshnik, not Mucha style, in Shannon's 1918 portrait of the Duchess of Rutland

Had a small dispute with ArtUK and National Trust Collections over Sir James Jebusa Shannon's 1918 portrait of Violet Lindsay, Duchess of Rutland (1856-1937). The cause of my displeasure is the description of the work, which states that in this exotic portrait Lady Violet, her hands dramatically

Books · London · Monarchies · People · Pop Culture

Old Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, has opened a book club on Instagram

Old Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, has opened a book club on Instagram. The page already has more than 25,000 followers. The Reading Room of Her Royal Highness, consort of Prince Charles, will be a place for book recommendations to Camilla's taste, talk of literature, meetings with authors

In the Press · Cinema · London · Society · People · Pop Culture

Italian press quotes Rowan Atkinson on political correctness and the Middle Ages

Today the Italian press is chewing over Rowan Atkinson's remark that he is "tired of political correctness, it is like living in the Middle Ages". The Italians are quoting an interview given in honour of the actor's 66th birthday, in which he spoke, among

Monarchies · Observations · Pop Culture

Margrethe II's Van Cleef & Arpels engagement ring compared with that of Elizabeth II

Perhaps my favourite, Queen Margrethe II of Denmark, has the weightiest engagement ring of any European queen of the twentieth century. Similar to the engagement ring of Josephine and of Jacqueline Kennedy in the toi et moi style (“you and me”, French), Margrethe’s ring from the house of Van

NB! · Art · Moscow · Observations · Humour

In the helmet of a figure in Gerard David's 1498 diptych "The Flaying of the Corrupt Judge", after a story from Herodotus' "Histories", yet another Stalinist high-rise appears to be reflected

Architecture · Art · Moscow · Observations · Heritage

The entrance to the Central Economics and Mathematics Institute building on Nakhimovsky Prospekt in Moscow has been fenced off; it is not in use at present

The entrance to the Central Economics and Mathematics Institute building on Nakhimovsky Prospekt in Moscow has been fenced off; it is not in use at present. I took the trouble to walk over specially, to capture a living legend while it is still one. Last year there was talk of

NB! · The East · Art · Monarchies

This painting, presented to George IV, shows Fath Ali Shah hunting in the company of 22 of his sons

The East · Books · Monarchies · Observations · Humour

The legend of Fath Ali Shah and the third edition of the Encyclopaedia Britannica

There is a legend that Fath Ali, Shah of Iran (1772-1834), having received in 1797 the 18-volume edition of the Encyclopaedia Britannica, read it from cover to cover and added to his royal title the words "Most Formidable Lord and Master of the Encyclopaedia Britannica". It

NB! · Observations

Latest