My latest article in Reader’s Digest Canada discusses little known facts about the royal wedding of 1981 including the backup wedding dress for Lady Diana Spencer, the special chair commissioned for one of the wedding guests, and the concerns that both Prince Charles and Lady Diana expressed before the ceremony.
Category Archives: Diana, Princess of Wales
New Interviews about Season 4 of The Crown on Netflix for NBC and Le Figaro
I discussed Season 4 of The Crown on Netflix with NBC News and Le Figaro including the portrayals of the Queen, Margaret Thatcher and Diana, Princess of Wales.
History Interview: How Prince Charles and Lady Diana’s Wedding Became a Global Phenomenon
I discussed the wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer in 1981 with Jessica Pearce Rotondi at History.com, including the menu, guest list and media coverage at the time.
CBC News Interview: Becoming Diana: Emma Corrin on playing the Princess of Wales in Season 4 of The Crown
In an interview with Janet Davison at CBC News, I discussed screen portrayals of Diana, Princess of Wales and the challenges that arise in fictional depictions of Diana’s life for TV and film.
New Canadian Encyclopedia Article: Lady Lansdowne
My latest article in the Canadian Encyclopedia is about Lady Lansdowne,
viceregal consort of Canada from 1883 to 1888 and Lady of the Bedchamber to Queen Alexandra. Lady Lansdowne was an active and popular viceregal consort who became an accomplished figure skater during her time in Canada. Her eldest brother was an ancestor of Diana, Princess of Wales and Lady Lansdowne was therefore a great-great-great-great grand-aunt of Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor, the newborn son of Prince Harry and Meghan, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.
Click here to read my article about Lady Lansdowne in the Canadian Encyclopedia
Today Interview: Royal parenting over the years: From distant and lonely to loving and hands-on
I discussed royal parenting over the past century with Laura T. Coffey from Today. One hundred years ago, King George V’s and Queen Mary’s youngest son Prince John died following an epileptic seizure. While his parents grieved his loss, his daily care had been entrusted almost entirely to his governess Charlotte Bill, and he resided in his own residence, the Wood Farm cottage on the Sandringham Estate. Royal parents are far more involved in the daily care of their children today, a trend that will continue with the arrival of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s baby.
Click here to read Royal parenting over the years: From distant and lonely to loving and hands-on
New York Magazine Interview: Inside the Royal Gossip Machine
Diana, Princess of Wales at the Cannes Film Festival in 1987
Here an excerpt from the interview:
“This isn’t a new game; reporting on royal gossip has been happening for a while, though it’s certainly evolved under different monarchs’ reigns. “It’s varied over time, as there’s a balance between maintaining the mystique of the monarchy and ensuring members of the royal family have a private life to some degree, but also responding to a very strong public interest in royalty and life behind palace doors that has existed for centuries,” royal historian Carolyn Harris, the author of Raising Royalty: 1,000 Years of Royal Parenting, told the Cut.”
Click here to read “Inside the Royal Gossip Machine” in New York Magazine
My BBC History Magazine article: The 8 most famous royal weddings in British history
Charles and Diana, Prince and Princess of Wales on their wedding day in 1981
In honour of the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle this weekend, my feature article in the BBC History Magazine is about the 8 most famous royal weddings in British history. I discuss what each bride wore on her wedding day, guest list complications, wedding cakes and the variety of popular responses to royal weddings over the centuries from Tudor times to today.
Click here to read The 8 Most Famous Royal Weddings in British History
E News Interview: Who Could Walk Meghan Markle Down the Aisle in Place of Her Father, According to a Royal Expert?
Meghan Markle
There have been conflicting reports this week concerning whether Meghan Markle’s father, Thomas Markle, will attend the royal wedding on Saturday May 19 and escort his daughter down the aisle to marry Prince Harry. The latest news indicates that he will be undergoing heart surgery later in the week and be unable to travel to the United Kingdom for the wedding.
I discussed the history of royal weddings with Lindsay Good at E News online. Although the most famous recent royal brides, Catherine Middleton and Lady Diana Spencer were accompanied by their respective fathers on their wedding days, there are numerous royal brides who have been escorted by other relatives including mothers, uncles, brothers and brothers-in-law. As a widow, Queen Victoria escorted at least two of her daughters, Helena and Beatrice, down the aisle when they married.
Click here to read Who Could Walk Meghan Markle Down the Aisle in Place of Her Father, According to a Royal Expert
CBC News Interview: All about the dress
Charles and Diana, The Prince and Princess of Wales, on their wedding day in 1981
I was interviewed by Janet Davison at CBC News for The Royal Fascinator newsletter concerning the history of royal wedding dresses including the voluminous dress and train worn by Lady Diana Spencer in 1981.