I will be offering an online course for seniors about Royal Parenting from Medieval Times to Modern Times for Etobicoke Learning Unlimited in January-March 2024.
Click here for more information and to register.
For more about the history of Royal Parenting, read my book, Raising Royalty: 1000 Years of Royal Parenting (Dundurn Press: 2017)
In January-February 2024, I will be teaching my popular online course about The Romanovs and the Russian Revolution at the University of Toronto School of Continuing Studies.
Click here for more information and to register.
The consequences of the Russian Revolution continue to influence Russia’s politics and society, and indeed the whole world’s. In 2017, Russia quietly marked the 100th anniversary of the turning points: the abdication of Czar Nicholas II and Lenin’s seizure of power for the Bolshevik party. Follow the quick succession of crises: the collapse of the Romanov dynasty, the end of Russia’s participation in the First World War, the emergence of the Provisional Government, and the fateful rise of Lenin and the Soviet Union.
I discussed the recent Canadian tour by Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh, King Charles III’s 75th birthday and the new statue of Queen Elizabeth II in Toronto’s Queen’s Park with Janet Davison at CBC News.
Click here to read this week’s edition of The Royal Fascinator Newsletter at CBC News.
I discussed King Charles III’s upcoming visit to Kenya and his role as a constitutional monarch with Mark Landler at the New York Times.
Click here to read “In Kenya, King Charles Will ‘Walk a Tightrope’ on Britain’s Past” in the New York Times. The article will appear in the print edition on October 31.
I will be delivering an evening lecture (7pm) at North York Central Library in Toronto on Friday October 13 about the history of royal weddings from Victoria and Albert to Harry and Meghan! All are welcome.
I will be teaching an online course about Marie Antoinette and the French Revolution at the University of Toronto School of Continuing Studies on Wednesday evenings in October-November 2023. Click here for more information and to register!
More than 200 years after her execution, Queen Marie Antoinette is still one of the most famous and controversial figures in European history. In late 18th-century France, her reputation influenced debates about the role of women in politics, their families and the arts. Austrian-born, her position at the top of French society fuelled criticism of the monarchy and contributed to the outbreak of the French Revolution in 1789. Her influence on popular culture continues today.
Along with historians Sarah Gristwood and Coryne Hall, I discussed the history of the relationship between the United Kingdom and France, as well the significance of the Palace of Versailles, in an interview with Isabella Jewell at Monocle Radio.
I will be teaching an eight week course on Tuesday afternoons in October-November 2023 at the University of Toronto School of Continuing Studies – Behind the Crown: The Monarchy from Victoria to Charles III. Click here for more information and to register.
The personal lives of royalty are a popular subject for fiction in novels, films and TV series but the real history is more interesting. Each generation of royalty must respond to the challenges of their times to keep the monarchy relevant and engaged with public opinion. Join Carolyn Harris, historian, commentator and author of Raising Royalty: 1000 Years of Royal Parenting for a lively discussion of the history, politics and cultural significance of the monarchy in the UK and Canada.
I will be delivering a lecture on Royalty and Popular Culture: Fact, Fiction and the Crown, examining portrayals of the monarchy in historical films, plays and novels as part of the University Lecture series at the University of Toronto School of Continuing Studies. I will be speaking in Oakville on October 2, Markham on October 5 and Toronto on November 3.
In an extended interview with Katie Boyden at Metro UK, I discussed Queen Elizabeth II’s popularity and how past monarchs were viewed – favourably and unfavourably – by the public, both during their reigns and afterward. Kings and Queens discussed in the interview include Queen Victoria and Richard III.