I discussed the arrival of Lilibet Diana, daughter of Harry and Meghan, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex and the history of royal baby names with Janet Davison at CBC News.
Click here to read “What’s in a royal baby name?” at CBC News
For more about the history of royal parenting, see my book, Raising Royalty: 1000 Years of Royal Parenting
My new feature article in History Extra, the online BBC History Magazine is about the history of debutantes and social season from the first Queen Charlotte’s Ball in 1780 to the last presentation of debutantes to the royal family in 1958. In addition to the fashions, parties and traditions of the social season in the United Kingdom, I also discuss debutante traditions in Canada, the United States and Australia.
My new article in the BBC History Magazine (History Extra) is about Princess Feodora, the little known half sister of Queen Victoria. The two sisters had a warm relationship and corresponded with one another for decades. Princess Feodora was a valuable source of advice and support for Queen Victoria and they discussed a wide variety of topics in their letters including European politics, their favourite books, marriage and motherhood.
In an interview with Janet Davison in this week’s CBC News The Royal Fascinator newsletter, I discussed the two times that Queen Elizabeth II delivered the throne speech in Canada as well as the friendships and rivalries between royal brothers from Queen Victoria’s reign to today.
My new article in the Historica Canada Canadian Encyclopedia is about Royal Tours of Canada from the late eighteenth century to the present day, including early visits by King George III’s sons, the travels of Queen Victoria’s children, the 1939 royal tour by King George VI and Queen Elizabeth (the Queen Mother), and official visits and working visits during the reign of Queen Elizabeth II.
Click here to read my article about Royal Tours of Canada in the Canadian Encyclopedia
Happy Canada Day! My latest article in the Historica Canada Canadian Encyclopedia is about Charles Stanley Monck, 4th Viscount Monck of Ballytrammon, governor general of British North America, captain general and governor of British North America from 1861 to 1867 and governor general of Canada from 1867 to 1868 (born 10 October 1819 in Templemore, County Tipperary, Ireland; died 29 November 1894 in Charleville, Enniskerry, County Wicklow, Ireland). Monck supported Confederation and became the first governor general of the Dominion of Canada.
Click here to read my article about Viscount Monck in the Canadian Encyclopedia
I discussed virtual royal engagements during the COVID-19 pandemic with Janet Davison at CBC News. As traditional royal walkabouts are not possible during the pandemic, members of the royal family are connecting with the public virtually, finding innovative methods to engage with people while maintaining a physical distance.
Queen Elizabeth II’s granddaughter, Princess Beatrice of York, will marry Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi on May 29, 2020 in the Chapel Royal of St. James’s Palace. The Chapel Royal has not been a venue for royal weddings in more than 100 years but was the setting of important historical royal weddings including Queen Victoria and Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha in 1840 and the future King George V and Queen Mary in 1893. I discussed Princess Beatrice with Meghan Collie at Global News.
My new article in the Globe and Mail, “What it takes for British royalty to truly become Canadian” compares Harry and Meghan, Duke and Duchess of Sussex to Queen Victoria’s daughter Princess Louise and son-in-law Lord Lorne, the first royal couple to visit Canada. Even in the nineteenth century, royalty faced different expectations in Canada than they did in the United Kingdom and Louise and Lorne adapted well to Canadian life during Lorne’s five year term as Governor General.
I discussed royal Christmas traditions with Meaghan Wray at Global News including opening presents on Christmas Eve, multiple Christmas trees including nursery trees for royal children, and other traditions that date back to Queen Victoria’s reign.