NB! · Monarchies · Nature · Humour

During his visit to Saint Helena, Prince Edward conversed with Jonathan, a 191-year-old tortoise who was acquainted with King George IV and Elizabeth II and has lived on the island since the 1880s

Art · Monarchies · Museums · Saint Petersburg

Imperial Parade of the Finland Regiment of the Life Guards, Boris Kustodiev, 1906

Imperial Parade of the Finland Regiment of the Life Guards, Boris Kustodiev, 1906. Hermitage collection. The painting was commissioned by the Finland Regiment of the Life Guards on the occasion of Nicholas II's visit to the regiment and the presentation to it of its colonel-in-chief, the

Faith · The East · Monarchies · Nature · Ethnography

When a giraffe was presented to Zhu Di (1360-1424), the third emperor of the Ming dynasty, during the voyages of his subject Zheng He around the world, the court was delighted, for everyone took the animal for a qilin or kirin, the mythical beast, one of…

NB! · Cinema · Monarchies · Observations · Humour

The makers of The Crown have, of course, flattered Charles rather a lot

NB! · Art · Monarchies · Humour

Oliver Cromwell in a Horned Hat, with a Bespectacled Owl on His Shoulder

Short red jacket with silver braiding, metal buttons and fur trim on a mannequin in a museum display case.

Coming Up · Monarchies · Moscow · Museums · Education

Item from the Tsarskoye Selo Museum at the “Becoming a Romanov” exhibition in Tsaritsyno

A Hussar Officer's Mentik of the Life Guards Hussar Regiment, Made for Grand Duke Alexander Nikolayevich When He Was Two Months Old. From the collection of the Tsarskoye Selo State Museum Reserve; on view at Tsaritsyno, in the exhibition "Becoming a Romanov. Upbringing and Education in the

Nicholas II on horseback holds an icon before ranks of soldiers, with an officer in a green uniform mounted nearby.

NB! · Archive · Faith · Monarchies

Nicholas II blesses soldiers of the 37th Division with an icon before their departure for the Russo-Japanese War front

Nicholas II blesses soldiers departing for the front of the Russo-Japanese War with the icon of the Saviour Not Made by Hands. Farewell to the 37th Division

Page 456 of an old French book with a tally of sums in roubles for 1796 and a total of 88,820,000.

Monarchies · Mores · People

A million roubles in the time of Catherine II equals roughly a billion modern roubles

Some Interesting Calculations Showing That in 34 Years Catherine II Spent More Than 88 Million Roubles on Her Favourites. Of course, it is impossible to say exactly how much this would be in present-day roubles, but judging by purchasing power, the cost of a basket of provisions and, say,

NB! · Monarchies · Society · Reportage

People listen to the Prime Minister of Denmark proclaiming, from the balcony of Christiansborg Palace, Frederik as King of Denmark, Greenland and the Faroe Islands

People listen to the Prime Minister of Denmark proclaiming, from the balcony of Christiansborg Palace, Frederik as King of Denmark, Greenland and the Faroe Islands. The phrase “Long live King Frederik the Tenth!” is pronounced three times.

NB! · Art · Monarchies · Museums

The Most Beautiful: The Russian Imperial Crown and the Imperial Crown of Austria

NB! · Archive · Monarchies

King Frederik X of Denmark with His Grandfather, King Frederik IX of Denmark

Architecture · Art · Monarchies · Observations

Statue of Robert the Bruce near the Bannockburn battlefield in Scotland with an unusual plinth

The floating statue of Robert the Bruce in Scotland. Not magic, but reality. A quite peerless pedestal, on which, in snowy weather, the horse appears to be quite detached from the ground. Bravo, the Scots! The monument stands by the site of the landmark Battle of Bannockburn. Bravo, the Scots,