Diamonds are the Queen’s best friend

By Patricia Treble - Tuesday, July 17, 2012 at 11:35 AM - 0 Comments

Bethany Clarke/Getty Images

When Royal Collection curators planned this summer’s exhibit at Buckingham Palace, the theme wasn’t difficult to nail down. “Well, in this Diamond Jubilee year, it seemed entirely fitting to focus on diamonds,” says curator Caroline de Guitaut. “They have a sense of longevity that is mirrored by the length of the Queen’s reign.”

The once-in-a-lifetime display contains 10,000 diamonds encrusted on tiaras, brooches, boxes and swords. Some are simple, well, at least by regal standards—the flawless two-stone, 158-carat brooch last worn by Elizabeth II in June at St. Paul’s Cathedral, for example—while others are dazzling confections, such as Victoria’s tiny crown, which has nearly 1,200 diamonds.

Most of the jewellery in the exhibit belongs to the Queen, rather than the Crown. Her personal collection, some of which dates back to the Georgian era, is so massive—buoyed by centuries of empire, conquest and wealth—that things she’s worn for decades didn’t make the cut.

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New photos from the royal wedding

By macleans.ca - Saturday, April 30, 2011 at 1:57 PM - 0 Comments

Click on a thumbnail to enter gallery

The royal wedding route

By macleans.ca - Friday, April 29, 2011 at 5:02 AM - 0 Comments

As is customary, the bride and groom will travel separately to the wedding service. First to arrive is William and his best man, brother Harry, who will leave Clarence House in a royal Bentley. Kate, who stayed overnight at the posh Goring Hotel, will travel to Westminster Abbey with her father in a Rolls-Royce Phantom VI.

Westminster Abbey
The royal nuptials took place in this 11th-century abbey—the coronation site since 1066—and the home of many modern royal weddings, including those of William’s grandparents and great-grandparents. On a sadder note, it was also the location for the funerals of William’s mother in 1997 and that of the Queen Mother in 2002.

Parliament Square
Across from the abbey, this is the first place the newlyweds passed in their carriage. The square is a familiar tourist draw: it’s just outside the Houses of Parliament, and it features imposing statues of important figures in British history, such as former PM Winston Churchill.

Whitehall
The road that runs from Parliament Square to the southern end of Trafalgar Square

Cenotaph
Britain’s national war memorial, the Cenotaph is also a familiar spot for royals: every Remembrance Sunday, the Queen and other members of the royal family gather to honour fallen servicemen.

Banqueting House
Next is the only surviving part of the old palace of Whitehall, which was largely destroyed by fire in 1698; it has a spectacular ceiling painted by Peter Paul Rubens. More grimly, King Charles I was executed on a scaffold located outside the Inigo Jones-designed building in 1649.

Horse Guards Building and Parade
This imposing building is guarded by mounted troopers of the Household Cavalry. Only members of the royal family, or those with special ivory passes, can pass beneath the building’s central arch, as William and Kate did on their big day. Each June, the large parade ground is the scene of the annual military parade and march known as Trooping the Colour that also marks the official birthday of the Queen.

Trafalgar Square
Royal wedding watchers caught the spectacle on big screens here. Named to commemorate the Battle of Trafalgar during the Napoleonic Wars, it’s now a popular draw for visitors to the city, particularly for the National Gallery, and, in December, the glowing Christmas tree and New Year’s celebrations.

The Mall
Pronounced “mal,” this was the longest road of the royal wedding procession. A red tarmac gives the illusion of a royal red carpet; it connects Buckingham Palace with Admiralty Arch. In the past, it’s been filled with crowds celebrating royal events such as Queen Elizabeth II’s Golden Jubilee in 2002.

St. James’s Palace
The official residence of kings and queens for three centuries, it also served as the gilded backdrop for William and Kate’s official engagement photos.

Clarence House
The London residence of Prince Charles and the duchess of Cornwall, as well as William and his best man, Prince Harry. It was previously the home of the Queen Mum.

Buckingham Palace
The newlyweds passed through the palace gates to enter the London residence and administrative HQ of the British monarchy. There, the Queen hosted a champagne reception for 650 guests. In the evening, some 300 friends gathered for a dinner and dance with the newlyweds.

Is that the royal "presume?"

By Aaron Wherry - Tuesday, October 13, 2009 at 9:27 PM - 33 Comments

Somewhat disconcertingly, Buckingham Palace seems somewhat less than certain who Canada’s head of state is.

“I know this comes on the back of what might have been said recently in the press, and obviously we’re not getting involved in anything that was said,” said palace press officer Nick Loughran. He then added, a bit hesitantly: “In terms of her official title, I presume the Queen is head of state in Canada.”

Newsmakers: Remodelling

By Michael Friscolanti - Thursday, August 6, 2009 at 12:00 PM - 0 Comments

The change begins
The promise of “change” propelled Barack Obama into the White House, and if nothing else, the new U.S. President has managed to change one thing: the location of the couch. On Feb. 2, just before an Oval Office meeting about the economic recovery plan, Vermont Gov. Jim Douglas helped Obama slide a sofa to another part of the room. A fresh perspective never hurts.

Royal mess
Maybe Obama has good reason not to trust the hired help. At Buckingham Palace, a hapless footman ruined an expensive new carpet when he accidentally spilled a trolley of tea and coffee. The clumsy servant was on duty in the Picture Gallery, a 50-m-long room that—to the chagrin of the royals—had been re-carpeted just two days earlier. Continue…