#second Duke of Buckingham

[moonbreezes]

him as George Villiers posing in front of a portrait of George’s son (another) George Villiers made me feel kinda giddy ngl

*edit because in all of this excitement I forgot to add credits*

Portrait George Villiers (1628–1687), 2nd Duke of Buckingham, Governor of the Charterhouse from 1670 by Robert Wignall

[isabelleneville]

Lady Mary Fitzroy née Howard, Duchess of Richmond and Somerset as portrayed by Viola Prettejohn

Mary was the daughter of Thomas Howard, Duke of Norfolk and Elizabeth Stafford. Through her mother, she was the granddaughter of Edward The Duke of Buckingham who fell from grace in 1521 as part of an unveiled plot to kill the King and overthrow him. Mary's paternal great-grandmother was Katherine Woodville making her a distant cousin to the King whose grandmother Elizabeth Woodville was the sister of. Through her father Thomas, she was the first cousin of Anne Boleyn and Kathryn Howard, second and fifth wives of Henry VIII, making her a second cousin to Anne's daughter Elizabeth the future Elizabeth I. Mary was the wife of Henry Fitzroy, the only acknowledged child of Henry VIII outside of his marriages. Through her marriage, she became the Duchess of Richmond and Somerset and the daughter-in-law of the King. In July 1536 her husband died. Mary did not marry a second time, however, it is claimed that after Kathryn Howard's execution, her elder brother Henry, Earl of Surrey suggested that she should seduce the King with the aim to become his sixth consort which she vehemently opposed and did not go along with. Later, the King approved a possible marriage to Thomas Seymour, the brother of his late wife Jane and the uncle of Edward, The Prince of Wales; this was strongly opposed by herself and her brother Henry, the Earl of Surrey (her proposed groom later married the King's widow). Her brother Henry was to be known as the last victim of her once father-in-law's reign. Mary survived Henry VIII's reign and lived into the reign of Mary I, her once sister-in-law.

(BBC’s Wolf Hall: The Mirror and the Light)

[theroyalsandi]

STATE VISIT BY THE EMPEROR AND EMPRESS OF JAPAN Tuesday 25th - Thursday 27th June 2024

Their Majesties The Emperor and Empress of Japan will pay a State Visit to the United Kingdom as guests of His Majesty The King from Tuesday 25th to Thursday 27th June 2024.

Their Majesties The King and Queen will host the State Visit at Buckingham Palace.

STATE VISIT PROGRAMME:

SATURDAY 22nd JUNE • The Emperor and Empress of Japan will arrive privately in the United Kingdom on the afternoon of Saturday 22nd June at Stansted Airport. • Their Majesties will be greeted by His Excellency Mr Hajime Hayashi, Ambassador of Japan. The Viscount Brookeborough KG, Lord-in-Waiting, will greet Their Majesties on behalf of The King.

SUNDAY 23rd JUNE AND MONDAY 24TH JUNE • Before the State Visit formally commences, the Emperor will conduct a private programme of engagements, including a visit to Japan House and the Thames Barrier.

TUESDAY 25th JUNE • His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales will greet the Emperor and Empress of Japan, at their hotel, on behalf of The King on Tuesday morning. • His Royal Highness will travel with the Emperor and Empress to Horse Guards Parade, where Their Majesties will receive a Ceremonial Welcome. • The King and Queen will formally welcome the Emperor and Empress at the Royal Pavilion on Horse Guards Parade. Presentations will be made, the Guard of Honour will give a Royal Salute and the Japanese National Anthem will be played. • The King and Queen will formally welcome the Emperor and Empress at the Royal Pavilion on Horse Guards Parade. Presentations will be made, the Guard of Honour will give a Royal Salute and the Japanese National Anthem will be played. • The Emperor, accompanied by The King, will then inspect the Guard of Honour, formed of the 1st Battalion Welsh Guards with the Band of the Welsh Guards. Afterwards, the Emperor and Empress will join The King and Queen, and The Prince of Wales, in a carriage procession along The Mall to Buckingham Palace, where they will be met by a second Guard of Honour formed of the 1st Battalion Welsh Guards. • Following a lunch at Buckingham Palace, given by The King, His Majesty will invite the Emperor and Empress to view a special exhibition in the Picture Gallery of items from the Royal Collection relating to Japan. • In the afternoon, the Emperor and Empress will visit Westminster Abbey, where the Emperor will lay a wreath at the Grave of the Unknown Warrior. Their Majesties will take a tour of the Abbey, accompanied by the Dean of Westminster. • In the evening, The King, accompanied by The Queen and Members of the Royal Family, will give a State Banquet at Buckingham Palace for The Emperor and Empress of Japan. Speeches will be made by The King and the Emperor at the beginning of the banquet.

WEDNESDAY 26th JUNE • The Emperor will visit The Francis Crick Institute, the UK's flagship biomedical research centre. The Institute supports an innovative UK-Japan research partnership which covers a range of public health issues, including cancer, vaccines, and the role of genetics in infectious diseases. • That evening, The Emperor of Japan, joined by Their Royal Highnesses The Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh, will attend a Banquet at the Guildhall given by the Lord Mayor and City of London Corporation. The Lord Mayor and The Emperor will both make speeches at the end of the banquet.

THURSDAY 27th JUNE • The Emperor and Empress of Japan will formally bid farewell to The King and Queen at Buckingham Palace on the morning of the final day of the official State Visit programme. • The Emperor and Empress will travel to Young V&A, part of the V&A family of museums dedicated to the power of creativity around the world, where the museum's Japan: Myths to Manga exhibition is currently on display. • The Emperor will privately visit St. George's Chapel, Windsor Castle, to lay a wreath on the tomb of Queen Elizabeth II, in the King George VI Chapel. The Garter Banners of the current members of the Order of the Garter, including the banner belonging to • His Majesty's father, Emperor Emeritus Akihito, are displayed in the Quire of St. George's Chapel. • Later that afternoon, His Majesty the Emperor will tour the historic Temperate House at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. The Millennium Seed Bank, coordinated by Kew is the world's largest collection of over 2.4 billion wild plant seeds spanning 97 countries, preserving Japanese and international biodiversity. Bronze Bonsai sculptures by artist Marc Quinn are currently displayed in the Temperate House, surrounded by a display of Bonsai trees from Kew's collection.

FRIDAY 28th JUNE • On their final day in the UK, The Emperor and Empress of Japan will visit Oxford for a private programme of engagements including a visit to the colleges where Their Majesties studied. • At the conclusion of the visit, The Lord Chamberlain will bid farewell to the Emperor and Empress on behalf of The King, before they depart from RAF Brize Norton.

[camisoledadparis]

THIS DAY IN GAY HISTOR

based on: The White Crane Institute's 'Gay Wisdom', Gay Birthdays, Gay For Today, Famous GLBT, glbt-Gay Encylopedia, Today in Gay History, Wikipedia, and more … January 6

1367 – Richard II of England (d.1400), born Prince Richard of Bordeaux was the second, but only surviving child, of Edward, Prince of Wales (also known as the Black Prince and the eldest son and heir of King Edward III) and his wife, in Bordeaux, Gascony, where the Black Prince was serving at the time. At the age of four, Richard became second in line to the throne upon the death of his elder brother, Edward of Angouleme, and heir apparent when his father, the Black Prince, died five years later (1376). Richard was dubbed a Knight of the Garter by his grandfather only months before the old king died on June 21, 1377. With the death of Edward III, Richard ascended the throne as King Richard II at the young age of ten.

Richard was deemed fit to govern and a series of councils were set up to conduct business in the king's name for the next three years. When the first of these councils met, not only was John of Gaunt, Richard's powreful uncle left out, but also the king's other remaining uncles, Edmund of Langley and Thomas of Woodstock, the Earls of Cambridge and Buckingham respectively. But although John of Gaunt had no official title in Richard's government, he was to remain a leading and influential political figure for nearly the entire reign, though he and the king would not be without their differences.

The young Richard managed to weather a number of crises, including the Peasant's Revolt at the ripe old age of 14. During the following years, the king gradually came of age and moved closer to reaching his majority reign. It was also during this period that he began to come under the influence of a small group of courtiers that were to greedily consume all of his attentions. This group consisted of three primary figures: Sir Simon Burley, the king's tutor since he was a young child; Michael de la Pole, the king's chancellor and Earl of Suffolk after 1385; and Robert de Vere, Earl of Oxford, whom Richard would ultimately upgrade to Marquis and, soon after, Duke of Ireland.

Richard's close friendship to DeVere was disagreeable to the political establishment. This displeasure was exacerbated by the earl's elevation to the new title of Duke of Ireland in 1386. The chronicler Thomas Walsingham suggested the relationship between the king and DeVere was of a homosexual nature, possibly due to a resentment Walsingham had toward the king.

On top of this, it was also wondered whether Richard was a homosexual since he never bore any children. When thinking of the reign of Richard II, it is difficult not to compare it with that of his great-grandfather, Edward II (another supposed homosexual). Like Edward, Richard had difficulty making decisions for himself and came to be dependent on a small group of favorites for advice, usually bad advice, to run the realm.

This reliance on favorites turned the nobility against him, and he was eventually deposed by Henry IV, and died in captivity in 1400.

1412 – Joan Of Arc, Roman Catholic Saint and national heroine of France (this is a legendary date) (d.1431); Joan wore men's clothing between her departure from Vaucouleurs and her abjuration at Rouen. This raised theological questions in her own era and raised other questions in the twentieth century. The technical reason for her execution was a biblical clothing law. The nullification trial reversed the conviction in part because the condemnation proceeding had failed to consider the doctrinal exceptions to that stricture.

Doctrinally speaking, she was safe to disguise herself as a page during a journey through enemy territory and she was safe to wear armor during battle. The Chronique de la Pucelle states that it deterred molestation while she was camped in the field. Clergy who testified at her rehabilitation trial affirmed that she continued to wear male clothing in prison to deter molestation and rape. Preservation of chastity was another justifiable reason for cross-dressing: her apparel would have slowed an assailant, and men would be less likely to think of her as a sex object in any case.

She referred the court to the Poitiers inquiry when questioned on the matter during her condemnation trial. The Poitiers record no longer survives but circumstances indicate the Poitiers clerics approved her practice. In other words, she had a mission to do a man's work so it was fitting that she dress the part. She also kept her hair cut short through her military campaigns and while in prison. Her supporters, such as the theologian Jean Gerson, defended her hairstyle, as did Inquisitor Brehal during the Rehabilitation trial.

Because Joan wore men's clothes and armor, scholars have speculated about her gender identity and sexuality. Did Joan wear male apparel because she was transgendered? Or did she do so in order to be taken seriously by the men whose support she needed to carry out the orders given by her visions? Was Joan a lesbian or bisexual, if those English terms may be applicable to a French woman living almost six hundred years ago? What relationship did her gender expression have with her sexuality? What about Joan's emphasis throughout her life on her virginity?

It is difficult adequately to address these personal issues based on the historical evidence that we now possess. It is clear, however, that Joan's cross-dressing was a significant part of her life, and that as a cross-dressed warrior and military leader she was venerated by French royalty, soldiery, and peasantry alike.

1854 – English fictional detective, born; What!? Sherlock Holmes? Why include the famous, hawk-nosed detective, a figment of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's fertile imagination? Why? Because almost no one realizes that Sherlock Holmes, whom his creator almost named "Sherinford," was Gay.

He was, of course, the first consulting detective, a vocation he followed for 23 years. In January 1881, he was looking for someone to share his new digs at 221B Baker Street, and there being no personal ads in the Village Voice or The Advocate (remember those?) in those days, a friend introduced him to Dr. John H. Watson.

Before agreeing to share the flat, the two men, immediately attracted to one another, listed their respective character deficiencies. Holmes admitted to smoking a smelly pipe, although he didn't mention that he was a frequent user of cocaine. Watson owned up to a peculiar habit of leaving his bed at odd hours of the night.

"I have another set of vices," he admitted, but, then, so did Sherlock. The two became friends and roommates for the rest of their lives. For the sordid details of the famous marriage of true minds that followed, read Rex Stout's astonishing "Watson Was Woman," in which the famous creator of Nero Wolfe (himself hardly a paragon of butch studliness) reveals that Watson and Holmes were the most extraordinary Gay team in sleuthing history.

In 1971, The Traveller's Companion, Inc., an affiliate of Olympia Press, published a book based on the assumption that Holmes and Watson were lovers: The Sexual Adventures of Sherlock Holmes. Claiming to be from a newly-discovered secret cache of John Watson's papers, the book retells, very erotically, some of the original stories. It is hard-core gay porn at its best!

1961 – Bill Hayes is an American non-fiction writer and photographer. He has written four books – Sleep Demons, Five Quarts, The Anatomist, and Insomniac City – and has produced one book of photography, How New York Breaks Your Heart. His freelance writing has appeared in a number of periodicals, most notably The New York Times.

Hayes was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, the fifth of six children, five of them girls. He remains close with his sisters. His mother Jean was an artist; his father John a military man who had lost an eye as a paratrooper in the Korean War. When Bill was three, the family moved to Spokane, Washington, where his father bought a Coca-Cola bottling plant. His mother opened an art school, where Hayes learned to develop and print film. Hayes was close with his maternal grandmother, Helen, from the age of eleven until he left home for college. In high school, Hayes was drawn to the writing of Joan Didion. Hayes attended Santa Clara University in California.

Hayes knew he was gay at a young age, though he had relationships with women in high school and college. He came out at age 24, and considers his orientation to be a core part of his identity.

Hayes' father never accepted him as a gay man and did not maintain a relationship with him, but when John Hayes developed dementia, he came to believe Bill was an old Army friend, and spoke with him warmly. Bill's mother also suffered with dementia until her death in 2011.

Hayes lived in San Francisco for many years, where he worked at the San Francisco AIDS Foundation. His partner of sixteen years was HIV-positive. In 2009, Hayes moved to New York City, where he had a relationship with neurologist and writer Oliver Sacks, until the latter's death in 2015. Hayes' experiences in New York and his six-year relationship with Sacks are the subject of his book Insomniac City.

Hayes has described his adult life as "colored by death" – the deaths he dealt with in his AIDS Foundation work, the sudden death of his longtime partner in San Francisco, and later the death of his partner Oliver Sacks.

1965 – Bjørn Lomborg is a Danish author and adjunct professor at the Copenhagen Business School as well as President of the Copenhagen Consensus Center. He is former director of the Danish government's Environmental Assessment Institute (EAI) in Copenhagen. He became internationally known for his best-selling and controversial book, The Skeptical Environmentalist (2001), in which he argues that many of the costly measures and actions adopted by scientists and policy makers to meet the challenges of global warming will ultimately have minimal impact on the world’s rising temperature.

Lomborg spent a year as an undergraduate at the University of Georgia, earned an M.A. degree in political science at the University of Aarhus in 1991, and a Ph.D. degree in political science at the University of Copenhagen in 1994.

Lomborg is gay and a vegetarian. As a public figure he has been a participant in information campaigns in Denmark about homosexuality, and states that "Being a public gay is to my view a civic responsibility. It's important to show that the width of the gay world cannot be described by a tired stereotype, but goes from leather gays on parade-wagons to suit-and-tie yuppies on the direction floor, as well as everything in between".

1968 – Today is the birthday of the Hungarian politician Gábor Szetey. Szetey is the former Secretary of State for Human Resources, a role he held since July 2006. He is a member of the Hungarian Socialist Party.

Szetey publicly declared that he was gay at the opening night of Budapest's Gay and Lesbian Film Festival, on July 6, 2007. He is the first LGBT member of government in Hungary, and the second politician to come out, after Klára Ungár. Szetey's coming out came at the end of a speech on equality and tolerance:

"When we can be proud of being Hungarian, Romanian, Jewish, Catholic, Gay or Straight... If we can be proud of our differences, we will be proud of our similarities. I believe in God. And I believe that all men and women have the right to love and be loved. Everywhere. Love has no party preference. Neither does happiness or choosing a partner. So: I am Szetey Gábor . I am European, and Hungarian. I believe in God, love, freedom, and equality. I am the Human Resources Secretary of State of the Government of the Republic of Hungary. Economist and HR director. Partner, friend, sometimes rival. And I am Gay."

!n the audience was Klára Dobrev, the wife of Prime Minister Ferenc Gyurcsány, as well as four other members of the Hungarian cabinet. The Prime Minister supported Szetey on his blog and called for public debate about same-sex relationships in Hungary. Hungary currently recognises same-sex registered partnerships. After the coming out of Mr. Szetey, the Parliament adopted the Registered Civil Union Act, which came into force 1 January 2009.

In a subsequent interview, Szetey declared:

"There is a small but vocal group of right-wing extremists which is intent on offending everyone... According to a survey, 51 percent of the respondents thought my speech was courageous and that it would improve the situation for homosexuals. It's strange that the conservatives, who attach such great importance to neighboring states giving their Hungarian minorities equal rights, couldn't care less about equal rights in their own country."

1976 – Today's the birthday of child actor Danny Pintauro. Pintauro played Jonathan Bower, son of Angela Bower in the series 'Who's the Boss' from 1984 till 1992. He was born as Daniel John Pintauro in Milltown, New Yersey, USA. Pintauro studied English and drama at Stanford University.

Pintauro first appeared on the television soap opera As the World Turns as the original Paul Ryan and in the film Cujo, but he came to prominence on the television series Who's the Boss?. After the conclusion of that series, he was less frequently cast. Pintauro went on to act in stage productions like The Velocity of Gary and Mommie Queerest. He also worked as a Tupperware sales representative and as of 2013, he was managing a restaurant in Las Vegas.

In 1997, in an interview with the National Enquirer tabloid, Pintauro declared that he is gay.

Pintauro (R) with husband Wil Tabares

In April 2013 he was engaged to his boyfriend, Wil Tabares, and they married in April 2014.

In 2015, Pintauro revealed in an interview with Oprah Winfrey that he has been HIV positive since 2003. He also disclosed that he had previously been addicted to methamphetamine.

2015 – Florida recognizes same-sex marriages.

[world-of-wales]

─ •✧ WILLIAM'S YEAR IN REVIEW : 𝐉𝐔𝐍𝐄 ✧• ─

𝟐 𝐉𝐔𝐍𝐄 : A personal tweet by William was released offering condolences on the passing of Bob Burrow.

𝟒 𝐉𝐔𝐍𝐄 : William held an Investiture.

𝟓 𝐉𝐔𝐍𝐄 : The Prince of Wales, The King & The Queen attended the National Commemorative Event to mark the Eightieth Anniversary of the D-Day Landings. They were received by His Majesty's Lord-Lieutenant of Hampshire (Mr. Nigel Atkinson), Prime Minister (the Rt. Hon. Rishi Sunak) and Defence Services Secretary (Major General Eldon Millar). Later, they met Veterans of D-Day and their families.

𝟔 𝐉𝐔𝐍𝐄 : William was received Deputy Head of Mission, British Embassy in Paris (Mr. Theophilus Rycroft) in Normandy, France for D-Day Commemorations. He attended the Canadian Ceremony of Remembrance to commemorate their role in the D-Day Landings at Juno Beach Centre. Afterwards, he met veterans at Arromanches. Finally, The Prince of Wales attended the International Commemorative Ceremony at Omaha Beach.

𝟕 𝐉𝐔𝐍𝐄 : William and Catherine marked the 80th Anniversary of D-Day Landings. The Earl of Chester attended the Wedding Ceremony of the Duke of Westminster & Miss Olivia Henson.

𝟏𝟎 𝐉𝐔𝐍𝐄 : He visited the England Men's European Football Championship Team at St. George's Park.

𝟏𝟏 𝐉𝐔𝐍𝐄 : Kensington Palace released a photograph of William on route to Cardiff. He was received by His Majesty's Lord-Lieutenant of South Glamorgan (Mrs. Morfudd Meredith) as he met representatives of the United Kingdom and Australian seaweed industry at Cardiff Metropolitan University. He subsequently visited the Zero2Five Food Industry Centre.

𝟏𝟑 𝐉𝐔𝐍𝐄 : The Prince of Wales visited the Secret Intelligence Service.

𝟏𝟒 𝐉𝐔𝐍𝐄 : William attended the Senior Colonels' Conference at Clarence House as Colonel of the Welsh Guards.

𝟏𝟓 𝐉𝐔𝐍𝐄 : William took part in The King's Birthday Parade on Horse Guards Parade. Later, he appeared on the Balcony along with Catherine and their children for the RAF fly-past.

𝟏𝟔 𝐉𝐔𝐍𝐄 : A photograph of William with George, Charlotte and Louis (taken by Catherine) was released to mark Father's Day. Additionally, a photograph from 1985 of William with King Charles was released by Kensington Palace accompanied by a personal tweet from Wills.

𝟏𝟕 𝐉𝐔𝐍𝐄 : William attended a Chapter of the Most Noble Order of the Garter in the Throne Room at Windsor Castle. Afterwards, he was present at the Luncheon Party for the Companions of the Garter. Subsequently, he attended the Order of the Garter Installation Service at St George's Chapel.

𝟏𝟖 𝐉𝐔𝐍𝐄 : He held a Meeting at Windsor Castle

𝟏𝟗 𝐉𝐔𝐍𝐄 : William attended the second day of the Ascot Races and presented trophies for the Prince of Wales Stakes.

𝟐𝟎 𝐉𝐔𝐍𝐄 : Kensington Palace released William's photograph with King Frederick & Princess Josephine of Denmark as he attended the UEFA 2024 Group Game between England and Denmark at Frankfurt Arena.

𝟐𝟏 𝐉𝐔𝐍𝐄 : William celebrated his 42nd Birthday. Buckingham Palace released a Birthday Portrait featuring William with King Charles was released to mark the occasion. Additionally, Kensington Palace released a Birthday Photograph of William with their three children taken by Catherine. He was spotted at Windsor Castle arriving for a Meeting. In the evening, William along with George and Charlotte attended London Night 1 of Taylor's Swift Eras Tour at Wembley Stadium.

𝟐𝟐 𝐉𝐔𝐍𝐄 : William and Catherine marked Windrush Day. Kensington Palace released a photograph with Taylor Swift featuring William, George and Charlotte. A selfie by Taylor Swift was also shared on her socials from the meeting.

𝟐𝟑 𝐉𝐔𝐍𝐄 : William marked World Female Rangers Week.

𝟐𝟒 𝐉𝐔𝐍𝐄 : He chaired a Meeting of The Prince's Council.

𝟐𝟓 𝐉𝐔𝐍𝐄 : William took part in the Japanese State Visit. He welcomed Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako of Japan at their Hotel. He then accompanied the couple to Horse Guards for the Ceremonial Welcome. Afterwards, they viewed an Exhibition of the Royal Collection items relating to Japan and attended the luncheon reception. Finally, The Prince of Wales attended the State Dinner at Buckingham Palace. He also appeared in a video message during the Zero Suicide International Summit.

𝟐𝟔 𝐉𝐔𝐍𝐄 : He attended tthe Groundswell Regenerative Agriculture Festival in Herefordshire. He also visited Yeo Valley Organic at the event. A tweet from William and Catherine was released congratulating England's Qualification in the next stage of the UEFA Euros. An unseen photo of WillCat from 2006 was released by Pat Tigrett.

𝟐𝟕 𝐉𝐔𝐍𝐄 : He attended the Earthshot "Stories of Impact" discussion at their Innovation Camp. Afterwards William attended the Breakthrough Energy Summit as part of the London Climate Action Week.

𝟐𝟗 𝐉𝐔𝐍𝐄 : William and Catherine marked Armed Forces Day.

𝟑𝟎 𝐉𝐔𝐍𝐄 : He released a personal tweet congratulating the Three Lions on their Euros Quarter Final Qualification.

[thewomenofwindsor]

NEW: The King & Queen, the Prince & Princess of Wales, the Duke & Duchess of Edinburgh, the Princess Royal & Sir Tim Laurence & the Duke of Kent will join Second World War veterans on the Queen Victoria Memorial on 5 May to watch a military procession arrive at Buckingham Palace.

---- The King, Patron of the Royal British Legion, and the Queen will host a tea party for veterans and members of the Second World War generation. Their Majesties will be joined by members of the Royal Family, the Prime Minister and guests.

NEW: The Queen will view a new display of ceramic poppies at the Tower of London on Wednesday 7th May.

NEW: The King & Queen, the Prince & Princess of Wales, the Duke & Duchess of Edinburgh, the Princess Royal & Sir Tim Laurence, the Duke & Duchess of Gloucester & the Duke of Kent will attend a service of thanksgiving at Westminster Abbey on 8 May, the 80th anniversary of VE-Day.

--- NEW: The King and Queen will attend a celebratory concert on Horse Guards Parade on Thursday 8th May to conclude the national VE-Day commemorations. It will be broadcast live on BBC One from 8pm.

[sophsicle]

it's so weird reading king/pirate fanfiction as a history student because i keep wondering if the most autocratic of dictators and the biggest, cruelest idiots who have ever ruled monarchies had secret side flings whose love "transcended space and time.” like LOL imagine if tsar nicholas ii had a gay side boo. i wonder if his relationship would more closely resemble jegulus or wolfstar or rosekiller. hard to imagine but i cant help it. nicholas x rasputin my otp!! LMAO this is the type of stuff your writing inspires in me.

k but they literally did tho

like Elizabeth I and Robert Dudley? grew up outlaws, basically loved each other until the day they died but just couldn't be together because of timing and politics (she also fucks around with a pirate for a bit, i love her so much)

King James I / V and his lover the Duke of Buckingham who becomes a second father to James's son Charles, is there for him after his father dies and then is murdered by his political opponents???

Frederick II whose father forces him to watch as his male lover Hans Hermann von Katte is BEHEADED (jesus christ)

Alexander the Great and Hephaestion, childhood friends, who make offerings at the alters of Patroclus and Achilles, and then Hephaestion goes and dies and Alexander is destroyed and follows not too long afterwards basically from a broken heart

William of Orange was definitely also fucking around with his bffs from Holland, I'm pretty sure he builds like an addition to Hampton court for one of them but I'm too lazy to fact check that

ANYWAY i always think if you want to be a writer you should study history, cause there are so many stories right there

[labuenosairesfrancaise]

Nun Appleton House

Hi guys!!

I'm sharing Nun Appleton House. This is the 13th building for my English Collection.

I added aa garden, which is my own creation and not the original of the house.

History of the house: The hall itself is built of reddish-orange brick with ashlar dressings and a Welsh slate roof in three storeys to a rectangular floor plan. It is grade II listed and now stands in some 200 ha. of parkland.

The estate was acquired by The 1st Lord Fairfax of Cameron, a Yorkshireman with a Scottish peerage, following the Dissolution of the Monasteries, from whom it descended to The 3rd Lord Fairfax of Cameron, the well-known English Civil War commander, who built the present hall in the late 1600s.

In his time (1651) the estate was the inspiration for Andrew Marvell's Upon Appleton House, a significant country house poem. Marvell was tutor to Thomas Fairfax's daughter, Mary. After the death of Mary (who had married The 2nd Duke of Buckingham) in 1704 the estate was eventually sold in 1711 to Alderman William Milner of Leeds who carried out many alterations to the house.

His son William was created the 1st Milner Baronet, of Nun Appleton Hall in the County of York, in 1717 and was later Member of Parliament for York. The estate then descended in the Milner family until 1875, when the estate's owner, Sir William Mordaunt Milner, 6th Baronet, was more interested in gambling than looking after it.

By 1877 it had been leased to William Beckett-Denison, a wealthy Leeds banker. After the death of Sir William Milner in Cairo in 1881, his brother Frederick inherited the estate and in 1882 married Adeline, eldest daughter of William Beckett-Denison. After William Beckett's gruesome death in 1890, the Hall and estate were sold to Angus Holden, a sometime M.P. (later created Baron Holden), a woollen manufacturer from Bradford, whose ownership was somewhat brief as he died in 1912.

The hall was now empty and many of the tenanted farms were sold. The estate was put up for auction in 1914 and again in 1917 and eventually acquired by a private company which felled many of the trees but by 1919 had gone into liquidation. It was bought in 1920 by Sir Benjamin Dawson, 1st Baronet, another Bradford textile manufacturer, who was High Sheriff of Yorkshire for 1951–52. During the Second World War the hall was taken over by the London Maternity Hospital.

 When the stable block accidentally burnt down it was afterwards refurbished as a theatre and made available to the local community.

The property was bought from the last occupant, Sir Benjamin's daughter Joan Dawson, for £1.2 million in the 1980s by Humphrey Smith of the Samuel Smith brewing family. The house is now fenced off, empty, unused and deteriorating.

Video below check it out

For more info: https://www.facebook.com/story.php/?story_fbid=928431841986992&id=100044605540042&_rdr

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

This house fits a 50x50 lot (I think if you lose the gaden and terrace it can fit a 50x40 too)

I furnished just the principal rooms, so you get an idea. The rest is unfurnished so you create the interiors to your taste!

Hope you like it.

You will need the usual CC I use:

all Felixandre cc

all The Jim,

SYB

Anachrosims

Regal Sims

King Falcon railing

The Golden Sanctuary

Cliffou

Dndr recolors

Harrie cc

Tuds

Lili's palace cc

Please enjoy, comment if you like it and share pictures with me if you use my creations!

Free to download blueprint: https://www.patreon.com/user?u=75230453

[moonbreezes]

once again I’m thinking about the stipulation that if the York House was to be sold the streets surrounding it have to be named after Buckingham

this particular flavour of “loving oneself” truly ran in this family

[the-wales-5]

"Cambridge 2012"

28th November 2012.

William and his wife were about to embark on the first official visit to their duchy - Cambridge.

Catherine, who felt unwell for the past few hours, was determined to attend these engagements nevertheless.

“Think about it yet” her husband said as he approached her

“I've made up my mind” she replied “It is crucial for us to be there together today. Cambridge is our duchy, people expect to see both of us. Let's go”.

William hid a sigh, helping her to wear her cream coat, and putting his hand on her back.

~~

The cheers of the public escalated as The Duke and Duchess were standing at the balcony of Cambridge Guildhall.

“It's all for you” William said to his wife. Catherine was feeling almost as overwhelmed as on the wedding day at Buckingham Palace balcony; she laughed, and looked at her husband lovingly while remembering their kiss, fully aware that it may never occur in public again, with all those onlookers.

As they met well-wishers later, William was given a baby onesie. The next stops were the Cambridge university and Manor School, where both Catherine and her husband were seen talking with pupils as well as watching a performance and talking with one another.

~

“Are you sure you're alright?” William asked her as soon as they were in the car, ready to drive to yet another destination: “Jimmy's” night shelter.

“Yes, I am absolutely fine” she said but took a long sip of water a second later before closing her eyes.

“Are you sure you can visit two places yet?” Catherine's private secretary asked, showing a little bit of worry just like William earlier.

The duchess sighed with frustration and nodded before following her husband.

“Here's the cooking expert” he said as he looked at his wife walking into the room.

The man who stood in front of Catherine kissed her on the hand and said “Oh my god, you're very beautiful”.

William stood next to his wife, nervous laughter escaping his lips, while his wife's comment was “You're making me blush”.

The only thought on William's mind was “Stay away from her. if beheading was still possible, I’d use that”. Although he tried to get into a professional conversation, it was quite impossible as the shelter’ owner went further with his ‘irritating’ words. This time, he requested for a picture with the Duchess of Cambridge. Catherine laughed as she looked at William, saying “I'm not sure how my husband's gonna feel”.

They said their goodbyes and were on the way to Peterborough City Hospital. William scoffed “Are you kidding me? The audacity of that man had no boundaries”

“Why are you making a scene?” Catherine asked as she rolled her eyes “Nothing happened apart from his silly commentary"

“Was your ‘You're making me blush’ part of that silly commentary too?”

“What is that supposed to mean?” His wife took yet another sip of water that day

“Really, Catherine? Are you asking me this question? You better answer me this: were you serious or just polite?”

“Don't be ridiculous” she scoffed “I know how to behave on those official meetings, William”

“That man we had met definitely didn't know and that is the problem” he said and looked at her face. Initially with a bit of annoyance, then concern “Catherine? Are you alright?”

“Could all of you stop worrying about me?” she asked before leaving the car.

Their last stop was the hospital. By the time it was ending, Catherine felt more and more tired. As she and William were posing for a picture for one of the nurses, Kate put her hand on his back as if she wanted to comfort him that everything was alright with her.

~

Upon arrival at home, Catherine threw up. Her husband was worried after she was in the bathroom for too long.

“Kate, you were tired earlier and now you locked yourself in the bathroom. What is the matter?” He asked, his voice full of anxiety.

“Everything's fine. Don't worry” she replied, trying to calm herself down and hide the paleness of her skin, but it was still visible. As soon as she left the bathroom, William grabbed her hands, saying “We need to call a doctor immediately”

“I have an engagement at my old school the day after tomorrow. I don't want to cancel it just because of nausea. I will be okay” she said and kissed him on the cheek.

~~

In the evening, William and his wife were in the living room together with Lupo. Catherine was resting her head on her husband's shoulder but he seemed to be lost in thoughts. All of a sudden, Kate chuckled a little “Are you now overthinking the situation at the night shelter? For me it was just a funny situation, but you seem worried” she teased.

William looked into her eyes “It was irritating at first, but you are my adorable Kate no matter what” he smiled lovingly and caressed her cheek “I'm anxious about you, Babykins”

“Me? Why? I threw up just one time and I guess it's food poisoning..” she shrugged off.

“You need a checkup. Tomorrow afternoon”

“Listen, if my symptoms remain until December 1st, it will happen. I need to visit St. Andrews school and you know that. It was scheduled in advance” she smiled a little.

“If you will feel unwell, it will be cancelled”

She wanted to say something but William kissed her on the forehead, petted her hair and whispered “Do not argue with me anymore. I don't like our arguments”

“You're the one starting them” Catherine remarked and chuckled before kissing him on the lips. Lupo started barking at that moment and both William and his wife giggled. She said then “I think it's a good moment to take a picture, William”

“A picture? Why?”

“You were annoyed that someone else wanted to take a picture of me, yes?” she teased and put her camera on the table.

~

30th November 2012.

As The Duchess of Cambridge's “food poisoning” symptoms continued, she began to suspect something but did not want to keep her hopes too high. After her husband left for a night shift, she was in the bathroom, waiting impatiently while walking back and forth. After quite a few minutes, she looked at the test, speechless.

Two red lines. Two. Pregnancy.

Her eyes were filled with tears. Happy ones, but there was also a sign of anxiety in them.

She hid the test in her private bedroom drawer, sighing in relief before putting her hand on stomach “Hello.. It's me. Your mummy” she whispered and smiled happily.

~

1st December 2012.

“Are you suffering from food poisoning again?” William asked as soon as he found his wife in the bathroom in the early morning.

“It's not.. food poisoning” she said weakly “I need that checkup. I want to be sure 100%”

William took her up in his arms and looked into her eyes “What do you mean, my wife?”

“I.. I wanted to talk about it in special circumstances, William” she whispered.

He was confused a little bit. Catherine managed to tell him about a bedroom drawer before losing consciousness.

After seeing a positive pregnancy test, William was on the verge of happy tears. He controlled himself though as his fear of Kate's condition was bigger than any happiness.

~

“Your royal highness, you are pregnant” said the doctor who came to Wales after checking on Catherine “Though I must say I am concerned about your constant nausea. It might be a form of morning sickness, but we would have to do some further tests and checkups, at the hospital, to confirm that”

“What do you suspect? Is it dangerous for her or our baby?” William asked

“Definitely a more severe illness. It is called hyperemesis gravidarum” the doctor replied.

~

“We cannot celebrate it properly. I'm sorry” Catherine whispered as she was laying on the hospital bed a few hours later.

“Babykins, listen. Yours and our baby's health matter the most at the moment” William kissed her on the hand.

“You can't even kiss me now” she said weakly

William smiled a little and moved his head closer to her “Why? It's still possible, my wife”

Catherine smiled and soon she was lost in that kiss. She cried with happiness “We will become parents.. I was thinking of that possibility but it still is a shock”

William fixed her hair and then kissed on her small baby bump “It's the truth, Mrs. Wales” he whispered, got happy tears too and gently pressed his lips on hers again.

“I just realised that the picture taken in Wales was our last one without awareness of our baby's existence” Catherine chuckled

He giggled too as he said “The circumstances were so funny though”

Catherine put head on his shoulder “I love you, my William”

“I love you more. I love both of you” he said and stared into her eyes lovingly before looking at her baby bump. Catherine closed her eyes, feeling as peaceful as her condition allowed her to be, but happy like never before as well and excited about the future.

[thepastisalreadywritten]

In words laden with affection and warmth, Prince Philip told the then Princess Elizabeth how he had fallen in love with her 'unreservedly.'

The letter, written in 1946 — a year before their wedding — was among several revealed in Philip Eade's 2011 book Young Prince Philip: His Turbulent Early Life.

The Duke of Edinburgh, who has died aged 99, told the Princess how falling in love with her so 'completely' had made his personal troubles and even those of the world 'seem small and petty.'

He also found it difficult to put his feelings into words, describing in another message after they had spent time together how he felt incapable of 'showing you the gratitude that I feel.'

And he told the Queen Mother in the year of her daughter's wedding to him how 'Lilibet was the only thing in this world, which is absolutely real to me.'

Love letters

Philip served in the Royal Navy during the Second World War and saw active service against German, Italian, and Japanese forces.

The Greek prince's early life was also marked by upheaval — he escaped his home country as a baby by being hidden in a makeshift cot made from an orange box.

So his words were filled with meaning when he told Princess Elizabeth in 1946 how his love for her made all his past struggle — and the horrors the world had just been through — seem trivial by comparison.

He wrote:

'To have been spared in the war and seen victory, to have been given the chance to rest and to re-adjust myself, to have fallen in love completely and unreservedly, makes all one's personal and even the world's troubles seem small and petty.'

Three years earlier, Philip had spent Christmas at Windsor Castle.

Princess Elizabeth was said to be animated in a way 'none of us had ever seen before,' her governess, Marion Crawford, wrote.

Writing to her after seeing her again in July, Philip wrote of the 'simple enjoyment of family pleasures and amusements and the feeling that I am welcome to share them.'

'I am afraid I am not capable of putting all this into the right words and I am certainly incapable of showing you the gratitude that I feel.'

The same year, he apologised for the 'monumental cheek' of turning up to Buckingham Palace uninvited.

'Yet however contrite I feel, there is always a small voice that keeps saying "Nothing ventured, nothing gained,"' he wrote.

'Well did I venture, and I gained a wonderful time.'

And in a letter to the Queen Mother two weeks after his wedding to Princess Elizabeth in November 1947, Philip expressed his vision for their time together.

He said:

'Lilibet is the only thing in this world, which is absolutely real to me, and my ambition is to wield the two of us into a new combined existence that will not only be able to withstand the shocks directed at us but will also have a positive existence for the good... Cherish Lilibet?'

'I wonder if that word is enough to express what is in me. Does one cherish one's sense of humour or one's musical ear or one's eyes?

'I am not sure, but I know that I thank God for them and so, very humbly, I thank God for Lilibet and us.'

Public speeches

The pair's wedding, attended by an array of foreign kings and queens, captured the public imagination in the austere post-war days of November 1947.

The newly-weds were called the Fairy Princess and Prince Charming.

After honeymooning at Broadlands, Hampshire, home of Lord Mountbatten, and at Birkhall on the Balmoral estate in Scotland, Princess Elizabeth and the Duke of Edinburgh stayed at Buckingham Palace until renovation of their new home, nearby Clarence House, was completed in 1949.

And in the years since then, both Philip and the Queen have spoken of each other with affection in public.

In a 1997 toast during the couple's 50th wedding anniversary, he said:

'I think the main lesson that we have learned is that tolerance is the one essential ingredient of any happy marriage.

It may not be quite so important when things are going well, but it is absolutely vital when the going gets difficult.

You can take it from me that the Queen has the quality of tolerance in abundance.'

She said on the same evening that Philip had been her 'strength and stay all these years.'

'I, and his whole family, and this and many other countries, owe him a debt greater than he would ever claim, or we shall ever know,' she added.

In 2002, at her Golden Jubilee Speech, the monarch said of her consort:

'The Duke of Edinburgh has made an invaluable contribution to my life over these past fifty years, as he has to so many charities and organisations with which he has been involved.'

And, during her Diamond Jubilee address to Parliament in 2012, the Queen said to her husband:

'During these years as your Queen, the support of my family has, across the generations, been beyond measure.

Prince Philip is, I believe, well-known for declining compliments of any kind. But throughout he has been a constant strength and guide.'

Private moments

Philip was there for the Queen when her father, King George VI, died in February 1952.

Only six days before her father's death, the then Princess and Philip had embarked on their tour of Australia via Kenya.

According to Eade in his book, Philip said of the days following the King's death that 'there were plenty of people telling me what not to do.'

He added:

'I had to try to support the Queen as best I could without getting in the way. The difficulty was to find things that might be useful.'

And according to an anecdote told by Queen Alexandra of Yugoslavia, Philip is said to have told the Queen when recalling their first meeting in 1934 that — 'you were so shy. I could not get a word out of you.'

Mischievous Philip is also said to have joked to his wife on the day of her coronation in 1953 — when she was wearing the 17th-century St Edward's Crown — 'where did you get that hat.'

Elizabeth II (21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022)

Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh (10 June 1921 – 9 April 2021)

[aimeedaisies]

THE ROYAL FAMILY WILL JOIN THE NATION TO MARK THE 80TH ANNIVERSARY OF VE-DAY

Monday 5th – Thursday 8th May 2025

Their Majesties The King and Queen, together with members of the Royal Family, will attend events commemorating the 80th anniversary of VE Day, marking the end of the Second World War in Europe.

Monday 5th May

Engagement 1:

The King and Queen, together with Members of the Royal Family and the Prime Minister, will join Second World War veterans to watch a military procession arrive at Buckingham Palace.

Their Majesties will be joined by the Prince and Princess of Wales, the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh, the Princess Royal and Sir Tim Laurence, the Duke of Kent and the Prime Minister on the Queen Victoria Memorial, alongside veterans from the Royal British Legion, to observe military units processing down The Mall from Whitehall in honour of those who served during the Second World War.

Once the parade has ended, the Royal Family will return to Buckingham Palace before appearing on the balcony to watch a flypast. Veterans will watch the flypast from the gardens of Buckingham Palace with the Prime Minister and other senior guests.

Engagement 2:

The King and Queen will host a tea party for veterans and members of the Second World War generation at Buckingham Palace.

Their Majesties will welcome around 50 veterans and people who lived through the Second World War – now supported by the Royal British Legion – including British and Commonwealth Armed Forces veterans, WRENs, Special Operations Executives and those who contributed to the war effort on the home front, accompanied by their families and carers.

The Marble Corridor of Buckingham Palace will be decorated in bunting made from fabrics recycled from the royal estates as guests enter for a tea party reception to honour the bravery and service of the Second World War generation.

The Prince and Princess of Wales, the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh, the Princess Royal and Sir Tim Laurence and the Duke of Kent will join Their Majesties and the Prime Minister, meeting veterans during the reception.

Tuesday 6th May

Engagement 3:

The Queen will view a new display of ceramic poppies at the Tower of London.

The Tower of London will mark the 80th anniversary of the end of the Second World War with a display of nearly 30,000 ceramic poppies from the 2014 commemorative art installation, Blood Swept Lands and Seas of Red. The poppies will be presented in a new design inside the inner walls of the tower, resembling a ‘wound’ to reflect the long-lasting sacrifices made during the Second World War.

Her Majesty will view the poppies and meet representatives from the Tower of London, the team behind the installation, schoolchildren and veterans. The Poet Laureate, Simon Armitage, will perform a new poem written to mark the anniversary.

Before departure, the Queen will be joined by a local schoolchild to plant the final poppy to complete the installation.

https://www.hrp.org.uk/tower-of-london/whats-on/tower-remembers-2025/#gs.lagbds

Thursday 8th May

Engagement 4:

The King and Queen, the Prince and Princess of Wales, the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh, the Princess Royal and Sir Tim Laurence, the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester and the Duke of Kent will attend a Service of Thanksgiving at Westminster Abbey on the 80th anniversary of VE-Day.

On arrival, the Royal Family will join the congregation in a national two-minute silence of reflection and remembrance. His Majesty will lay a wreath at the Grave of the Unknown Warrior, followed by the Prince of Wales.

During the Service of Thanksgiving commemorating the sacrifice of the Second World War generation, the Prime Minister will give a reading.

After the service, the King and Queen will have the opportunity to meet veterans in the congregation.

Before departure, Her Majesty will lead other members of the Royal Family in laying flowers at the Innocent Victims’ Memorial outside the abbey’s West Door.

Engagement 5:

The King and Queen will attend a celebratory concert on Horse Guards Parade to conclude the national VE-Day commemorations.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/2025/ve-day-80-a-celebration-to-remember-live-from-horse-guards-parade

Their Majesties will attend a concert, presented by Zoe Ball, with performances to echo the historic celebrations of VE-Day 80 years ago. Thousands of members of the public will have the opportunity to join the audience for the event, which will include performances of music from the era alongside the stories of veterans from the Second World War.

In addition to national UK commemorations, members of the Royal Family will attend events to mark liberation anniversaries, on behalf of His Majesty The King.

The Duke and Duchess of Gloucester will attend the official commemoration of the liberation of Denmark on Sunday 4th May.

The Princess Royal, accompanied by Sir Tim Laurence, will visit the Channel Islands to mark the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Guernsey and Sark from Friday 9th to Saturday 10th May.

[comtessezouboff]

Paintings from Buckingham Palace: part II

A retexture by La Comtesse Zouboff — Original Mesh by @thejim07

Spread among 13 occupied and historic royal residences in the United Kingdom, the collection is owned by King Charles III and overseen by the Royal Collection Trust. The British monarch owns some of the collection in right of the Crown and some as a private individual. It is made up of over one million objects, including 7,000 paintings, over 150,000 works on paper, this including 30,000 watercolours and drawings, and about 450,000 photographs, as well as around 700,000 works of art, including tapestries, furniture, ceramics, textiles, carriages, weapons, armour, jewellery, clocks, musical instruments, tableware, plants, manuscripts, books, and sculptures.

Some of the buildings which house the collection, such as Hampton Court Palace, are open to the public and not lived in by the Royal Family, whilst others, such as Windsor Castle, Kensington Palace and the most remarkable of them, Buckingham Palace are both residences and open to the public.

About 3,000 objects are on loan to museums throughout the world, and many others are lent on a temporary basis to exhibitions.

-------------------------------------------------------

The second part includes paintings displayed in the Ball Supper Room, the Ballroom, the Ballroom Annexe, the Bow Room, the East Gallery, the Grand Entrance and Marble Hall, the Minister's Landing & Staircase, the Vestibule, the Chinese Dining Room and the Balcony Room.

This set contains 57 paintings and tapestries with the original frame swatches, fully recolourable. They are:

Ball Supper Room (BSR):

Portrait of King George III of the United Kingdom (Benjamin West)

Ballroom (BR):

The Story of Jason: The Battle of the Soldiers born of The Serpent's Teeth (the Gobelins)

The Story of Jason: Medea Departs for Athens after Setting Fire to Corinth (the Gobelins)

Ballroom Annexe (BAX):

The Apotheosis of Prince Octavius (Benjamin West)

Bow Room (BWR):

Portrait of Princess Mary Adelaide of Cambridge (William Corden the Younger)

Portrait of Princess Augusta of Cambridge, Grand Duchess of Mecklenburg-Strelitz (Alexander Melville)

Portrait or George, Duke of Cambridge (William Corden the Younger)

Portrait of Frederick William, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz (Franz Xaver Winterhalter)

Portrait of Augusta of Saxe-Weimar, Princess of Prussia, later Queen of Prussia and German Empress (Franz Xaver Winterhalter)

Portrait of Prince Leopold, Later Duke of Albany (Franz Xaver Winterhalter)

Portrait of Ernest, Prince of Hohenlohe-Langeburg (Franz Xaver Winterhalter)

Portrait of Ferdinand of Savoy, Duke of Genoa (Eliseo Sala)

Portrait of Marie Alexandrina of Saxe-Altenburg, Queen Consort of Hanover (Carl Ferdinand Sohn)

Portrait of Leopold, Duke of Brabant, Later Leopold II, King of the Belgians (Nicaise de Keyser)

Portrait of Marie Henriette, Archduchess of Austria and Duchess of Brabant, Later Queen of the Belgians (Nicaise de Keyser)

East Gallery (EG):

Portrait of Leopold I, King of the Belgians (Franz Xaver Winterhalter)

Portrait of Victoria, Queen of England in Coronation Robes (Sir George Hayter)

Portrait of Louis-Philippe d'Orléans, King of the French (Franz Xaver Winterhalter)

Portrait of Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, Consort Queen of England with her Children at Windsor Castle (Benjamin West)

Portrait of Prince Adolphus, later Duke of Cambridge, With Princess Mary and Princess Sophia at Kew (Benjamin West)

The Coronation of Queen Victoria in Westminster Abbey, 28 June, 1838. (Sir George Hayter)

The Christening of Edward, Prince of Wales 25 January, 1842 (Sir George Hayter)

The Marriage of Queen Victoria, 10 February, 1840 (Sir George Hayter)

Portrait of the Royal Family in 1846 (Franz Xaver Winterhalter)

Portrait of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert as King Edward III and Queen Philippa of Hainault at the Ball Costumé of 12 May, 1842 (Sir Edwin Landseer)

Grand Entrance and Marble Hall (GEMH):

Portrait of Edward, Duke of Kent (John Hoppner)

Portrait of Ernest I, Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha (George Dawe)

Portrait of Victoria of Saxe-Coburg-Saafeld, Dowager Duchess of Kent (Franz Xaver Winterhalter)

Portrait of Albert, Prince Consort of the United Kingdom (Franz Xaver Winterhalter)

Portrait of Victoria, Queen Consort of the United Kingdom in State Robes (Franz Xaver Winterhalter)

Portrait of Louise d'Orléans, Consort Queen of the Belgians, with her Son Leopold, Duke of Brabant (Franz Xaver Winterhalter)

Portrait of Feodora of Leiningen, Princess of Hohenlohe-Langeburg, with her Daughter, Princess Adelheid (Sir George Hayter)

Portrait of George, Prince of Wales, Later King George IV (Mather Byles Brown)

Portrait of Victoire of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, Duchess of Nemours (Franz Xaver Winterhalter)

Portrait of Augustus, Duke of Sussex (Domenico Pellegrini)

Portrait of Leopold I, King of the Belgians (William Corden the Younger)

Minister's Landing and Staircase (MLS):

Portrait of George, Prince of Wales in Garther Robes (John Hoppner)

The Loves of the Gods: The Rape of Europa (the Gobelins)

The Loves of the Gods: The Rape of Proserpine (The Gobelins)

Vestibule (VL):

Portrait of Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, the Prince Consort (Unknown Artist from the German School)

Portrait of Princess Alice of the United Kingdom, Later Grand Duchess of Hesse (Franz Xaver Winterhalter)

Portrait of Princess Helena of the United Kingdom, Later Princess Christian of Schleswig-Holstein (Franz Xaver Winterhalter)

Portrait of Princess Louise of the United Kingdom, Later Duchess of Argyll (Franz Xaver Winterhalter)

Portrait of Princess Victoria of the United Kingdom, Later Empress Frederick of Germany (Franz Xaver Winterhalter)

Portrait of Victoria Mary of Teck, Duchess of York (Edward Hughes)

Chinese Dining Room or Pavilion Breakfast Room(CDR):

Set of Four Painted Chinoiserie Wall panels I (Robert Jones)

Set of Four Painted Chinoiserie Wall panels II (Robert Jones)

Set of Four Painted Chinoiserie Wall panels III (Robert Jones)

Set of Four Painted Chinoiserie Wall panels IV (Robert Jones)

Balcony Room or Centre Room (BR):

Chinoiserie Painted Panel I (Robert Jones)

Chinoiserie Painted Panel II (Robert Jones)

Chinoiserie Painted Panel III (Robert Jones)

Chinoiserie Painted Panel IV (Robert Jones)

EXTRAS! (E):

I decided to add the rest of the tapestries from the story of Jason (wich hangs in the Grand Reception Room at Windsor Castle) and (with Jim's permission) added the original mesh for paintings number 2,3,4 & 5 from the Vestibule (seen here and here) wich was never published. These items are:

The Story of Jason: Jason Pledges his Faith to Medea (the Gobelins)

The Story of Jason: Jason Marries Glauce, Daughter of Creon, King of Thebes (the Gobelins)

The Story of Jason: The Capture of the Golden Fleece (the Gobelins)

The Story of Jason: The Poisoning of Glauce and Creon by Medea's Magic Robe (the Gobelins)

Sea Melodies (Herbert James Draper) (made by TheJim07)

-------------------------------------------------------

Found under decor > paintings for:

500§ (BWR: 1,2,3,4,5,6, & 8 |VL: 1)

570§ (VL: 2,3,4 & 5 |E: 5)

1850§ (GEMH: 1 & 3)

2090§ (GEMH: 2,6,7, 9 & 11)

3560§ (GEMH: 4,5 & 10 |BSR: 1 |EG: 1,2,3,4 & 5 |MLS: 1 |BAX: 1)

3900§ (CDR: 1,2,3 & 4 |BR: 1,2,3 & 4 |EG: 10 |VL: 6 |GEMH: 8)

4470§ (MLS: 2 |E: 1)

6520§ (BR 1 & 2| MLS: 3 |EG: 6,7,8 & 9 |BR: 1 & 2 |E: 2,3 & 4)

Retextured from:

"Saint Mary Magdalene" (BWR: 1,2,3,4,5,6, & 8 |VL: 1) found here.

"Sea Melodies" (VL: 2,3,4 & 5 |E: 5)

"The virgin of the Rosary" (GEMH: 1 & 3) found here.

"Length Portrait of Mrs.D" (GEMH: 4,5 & 10 |BSR: 1 |EG: 1,2,3,4 & 5 |MLS: 1 |BAX: 1) found here

"Portrait of Maria Theresa of Austria and her Son, le Grand Dauphin" (CDR: 1,2,3 & 4 |BR: 1,2,3 & 4 |EG: 10 |VL: 6 |GEMH: 8) found here

"Sacrifice to Jupiter" (MLS: 2 |E: 1) found here

"Vulcan's Forge" (BR 1 & 2| MLS: 3 |EG: 6,7,8 & 9 |BR: 1 & 2 |E: 2,3 & 4) found here

(you can just search for "Buckingham Palace" using the catalog search mod to find the entire set much easier!)

Disclaimer!

Some paintings in the previews look blurry but in the game they're very high definition, it's just because I had to add multiple preview pictures in one picture to be able to upload them all! Also sizes shown in previews are not accurate to the objects' actual sizes in most cases.

Drive

(Sims3pack | Package)

(Useful tags below)

@joojconverts @ts3history @ts3historicalccfinds @deniisu-sims @katsujiiccfinds @gifappels-stuff

-------------------------------------------------------

[orionsangel86]

Mary & George

So we finally have the show we have been asking for since 2016 (I went back and checked my old posts to make sure and it was indeed 2016 where the "British King Can't Stop Promoting His Boyfriend" post did the rounds).

How did it fair in reality? Well, its hardly Tumblr friendly fanfiction - though it was certainly raunchy - at least at the start. This show was scandalous, sexy, rather filthy at times (in a good way), and absolutely stunning in terms of its production and costume design for sure. It falls very much in line with the expectations of modern period dramas in a post Game of Thrones world where we have shows like The Great, and movies like The Favourite gracing our screens far more regularly than endless fucking retellings of Henry the Eighth which are so fucking common I have even been in one of them myself (sorry - my bitter hatred for stories about Henry VIII and his bloody wives is difficult to restrain).

So FINALLY getting a show set during the reign of James I and VI of England and Scotland and his love affair with the Duke of Buckingham is definitely a breath of fresh air.

But its definitely not the beautiful queer love story tumblr might have hoped for when we all first saw that post.

Nope. If you're looking for a happy tale of queer love overcoming adversity, stick with Red, White, and Royal Blue. Mary & George is not a love story. Its a story of scheming manipulative people who will do anything to get money and power. It's a story that uses sex as a weapon and a tool for personal gain. There is no fluffy romance to be found here, no sweet queer love story and no happy ever after.

I mean, this IS the British monarchy we're talking about, during an extremely dark and horrific period of our history only a short time before the country was plunged into Civil War and a King lost his head. But you've been warned anyway. All you'll find here is brutality, betrayal and eventual death.

Regardless of that, this show was fucking brilliant. The first three episodes in particular are quick witted and hilarious and refuse to shy away from treating queer sex scenes any differently to straight ones. The full frontal male nudity that crops up was also a pleasant surprise - I'm happy that cinema has generally accepted a more balanced approach to nudity nowadays - also a surprise was the lesbian romance which was probably the only genuine romance in the entire show. It leaves you wondering throughout but by the final few episodes its clear that if any love is "true" in this show, its the love between Mary and Sandie.

I absolutely adored Julianne Moore in this as Mary Villiers, who ruthlessly claws her way into power and money through schemes, seductions, betrayals, murders, and anything else you can think of. But even with all of this, I can't help but root for her. Who doesn't want to root for a scheming lesbian and her lover as they manipulate everyone around them and ensure they always get the better of the horrible men that make up King James' court? In this house we support Womens Wrongs.

As far as George goes, Nicholas Galitzine is brilliant as a beautiful but dim mummy's boy in the first few episodes, throwing tantrums and pouting with perfection. He shines in the later episodes as the arrogant and powerful Duke who believes he is practically untouchable due to his hold over the King, whilst still showing through the vulnerability underneath where that relationship remains precarious. The underlying joke of the show is that everyone wants George, and George wants everyone. He's a slutty slutty man.

You know how tumblr has a tendency to split queer stories into one of two camps - either pure sweet romantic love stories or very bad evil messy queer stories? (a gross simplification but you get what I mean) Well Mary and George falls firmly in the second camp. I enjoyed it for what it was, but I was a bit dissapointed that the general approach and belief of the storytellers here is that George used the King for personal gain, that the King was nothing more than a hedonistic fool who let his favourites manipulate him, and that any actual love between them was shallow and fleeting. Its all extremely cynical.

Especially since we know its not true. the surviving letters we have between King James and George paint a much more romantic picture, one where love was definitely a significant factor in their affair. Yes, historians love to play down queer history as best they can, but I don't believe that George Villiers was quite the manipulative little slut this show makes him out to be.

And yeah, sure, we can laugh and dismiss any true history involved. Its just a story after all? It was a bloody good story and one I enjoyed, but was it a fair portrayal of the actual men involved? Probably not - then again, the actual men involved weren't very nice anyway, and the show glossed over a lot of King James' more infamous sins. His obsession with witches and demons leading to the horrifying witch trials throughout the country were completely left out. There was also no mention of the famous King James Bible - the one that heavily emphasised any passages alluding to homosexuality being a sin which is used so frequently even today by religious zealots to persecute gay men. The Sodomy laws during King James' reign were enforced with such brutality that they brought us the slur "f*gg*t" (which I'm not explaining here). Yet the show displays acts of sodomy as such a normal part of court life that you'd almost think it wasn't totally punishable by death.

I shouldn't complain. Especially not about the lack of homophobia. Its a great show. You should watch it. But take it with a pinch of salt. The true story of James and George was probably one with a lot more secrecy involved, a lot more sneaking about in the night (after all, why build a secret passage between their bedrooms if they weren't trying to hide it?) and therefore a lot more hypocrisy on the part of the King.

There are some very touching scenes between King James and George, and I feel the show attempted to portray the relationship between them as complex and multilayered, but I'm not sure it succeeds as well as I would have hoped. But perhaps I am just a silly tumblr romantic who likes her queer love stories to actually include genuine love within them, and I always hoped that any story about King James and George would focus on how that love grew over time. Because whilst George obviously went along with things initially for personal gain, I think the evidence we have at least gives an indication that he did love the King, and the King clearly loved George, and I am interested in a story about how they navigated that love at a period of time where it did need to be kept secret, even if it was a fairly open secret, where things such as the King James Bible and the Witch Trials would have affected them, and where George's rise to power would have caused so much conflict and anger within the court.

But regardless of all that, I still loved the show. Its still worth the watch. The gays deserve more messy sexy dramas where they get to be ruthless and powerful and slutty and murderous. Its excellent viewing for all.

Ultimately though, I may have came for the gay duke and his love affair with the King, but I stayed for the lesbians. The lesbians were awesome.

#JusticeForSandie

[charlotte-of-wales]

NEWS —

The King & Queen, the Prince & Princess of Wales, the Duke & Duchess of Edinburgh, the Princess Royal & Sir Tim Laurence & the Duke of Kent will join Second World War veterans on the Queen Victoria Memorial on 5 May to watch a military procession arrive at Buckingham Palace.

They will also attend a service of thanksgiving at Westminster Abbey on 8 May, the 80th anniversary of VE-Day.

[whencyclopedia]

Charles I of England

Charles I of England (r. 1625-1649) was a Stuart king who, like his father James I of England (r. 1603-1625), viewed himself as a monarch with absolute power and a divine right to rule. His lack of compromise with Parliament led to the English Civil Wars (1642-51), his execution, and the abolition of the monarchy in 1649.

King Charles grew tired of wrangles with Parliament over money and so decided to do without that institution for eleven years. Then between 1640 and 1642, Charles was obliged to call Parliament to raise cash for his campaigns against a Scottish army, which had occupied northern England, and a full-blown rebellion in Ireland, both fuelled by religious differences and the king’s high-handed policies. Parliament attempted to guarantee its own future, and when the king broke his promises of reform, war broke out. The English Civil War was largely fought between ‘Roundheads’ (Parliamentarians) and ‘Cavaliers’ (Royalists) in over 600 battles and sieges in England alone. Ultimately, the professional New Model Army won the day for Parliament and Charles I was tried and found guilty of treason to his own people and government. The king was executed on 30 January 1649. Oliver Cromwell (1599-1658) ruled the ‘commonwealth’ republic as Lord Protector, but his death was soon followed by the restoration of the monarchy in 1660. The new king was Charles’ son, Charles II of England (r. 1660–1685).

Family & Early Life

Charles was born on 19 November 1600 in Dunfermline Palace, Scotland. His father was James I of England (who was also James VI of Scotland, r. 1567-1625), and his mother was Anne of Denmark (l. 1574-1619), the daughter of Frederick II of Denmark and Norway (r. 1559-1588). Charles’ grandmother was Mary, Queen of Scots (r. 1542-1567). James I was of the royal Stuart line, and he had unified the thrones of Scotland and England after Elizabeth I of England (r. 1558-1603) left no heir. Charles was the second son of King James, but his elder brother Henry died of typhoid fever in 1612 and so he became the heir apparent. Charles’ elder sister Elizabeth (b. 1596) married the King of Bohemia, and her grandson would rule England as George I of England (r. 1714-1727), the first of the Hanoverian Dynasty.

Charles did not enjoy robust health as a child, he was shy - perhaps because of his stammer, and he always came second-best when compared to his more favoured brother Henry. Reaching maturity, Charles spent a lot of time with King James’ hated courtier George Villiers, the Duke of Buckingham. The duke was seen as a talentless social upstart who had enjoyed a meteoric rise only thanks to the king’s infatuation with him.

In 1624 it was arranged for Charles to marry Henrietta Maria (1609-1669), the young sister of Louis XIII of France (1610-1643). The French royal obviously did not mind the small stature of her betrothed - a mere 1.6 metres tall (5ft 4 in) or his reputation for being rather stubborn, dull-witted, and a complete stranger to a sense of humour. The couple went on to have nine children, the two eldest sons being Charles (b. 1630) and James (b. 1633), both of whom would one day become king.

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