We are off to Buckingham Palace! Finally!

In July we will be heading to London. My husband and I have been there twice but this will be a first time for our children. While we are there we will see Westminster Abbey and plan to go to the Tower of London, Harrods, Hamleys Toy store and Hatchards, a very old bookstore in Piccadilly which is supposed to have a royal biographies section that is second to none. We might also check out the Harry Potter studios and have afternoon tea somewhere child friendly. I would love to go to Clarence House but I doubt we will have time.

One part of the trip that I am looking forward to is finally going to see Buckingham Palace. As I mentioned, I have been to London twice and both times I missed out on it. The first time was in August 2003 when my boyfriend (now husband) surprised me with a trip to London and Paris to propose to me. We had three days and chose to make the pilgrimage to Althorp to see the Diana exhibit instead. I'm happy we went because it was beautifully done and I wouldn't have wanted to miss out on it.

The second time was for William and Kate's wedding in April 2011. Yes, I went to London just for the royal wedding! Did not get to see the royal couple or Buckingham Palace as both were previously occupied at the time. I went to Windsor Castle instead and enjoyed it immensely.

This time round I was just going to sign up for the State Rooms but instead decided to make a 'Royal Day' of it and do the Queen's Gallery and Royal Mews too. I've read that Buckingham Palace is in need of repairs and the Queen might need to relocate. Let's hope this happens after our visit. Don't want to miss out on Buckingham Palace again!

© Marilyn Braun 2015


Thank you for enjoying this article. If you use the information for research purposes, a link to credit the work I've put into writing it would be appreciated.

Royal Baby Facts

In honor of the upcoming birth of William and Catherine's first child, some British royal baby facts:

• When William and Catherine's baby is born, he/she will be the first royal baby to bear and use the style and title HRH Prince/Princess since Princess Eugenie's birth in 1990.

• In the unlikely event William and Catherine's baby is born in a royal palace, he/she will be the first royal baby since 1964 to do so. The last baby to be born in a royal palace was Lady Sarah Chatto, daughter of Princess Margaret, who was born at Kensington Palace on May 1, 1964. Prior to her birth Prince Edward was born at Buckingham Palace on March 10, 1964.

• A royal baby boom occurred in 1964 when four royal ladies were pregnant at the same time. Princess Alexandra was pregnant with her son James Ogilvy, the Queen with Prince Edward, the Duchess of Kent with Lady Helen Taylor and Princess Margaret with Lady Sarah Chatto.

• Princess Anne's son, Peter Phillips, was the first grandchild of a sovereign to be born a commoner in more than 500 years. He and his sister, Zara, are the Queen's only untitled grandchildren.

• Peter Phillips is the first grandson of a British sovereign to be born in hospital.

• Prince William is the first direct heir to the throne to be born in hospital

• After attending the birth of his first child, Peter in 1977, Mark Phillips remarked: "It is not every ones cup of tea". After the birth of his daughter Zara in 1981 he commented: "Yes, I was present at the birth but I wouldn't recommend it to other fathers."

• Contrary to some reports, should Prince William attend the birth of his child, he will not be the first royal father to do so. Other fathers who have attended the birth of their children include Prince Albert, (Consort of Queen Victoria), Prince Albert Edward attended the birth of his first son Prince Albert Victor, Prince George, Duke of Kent attended the birth of his son Prince Edward (the present Duke), as well as Mark Philips, Prince Andrew, Prince Charles and Prince Edward.

• Amongst the baby gifts Charles and Diana received for Prince William was a book of nursery rhymes, containing fourteen well-known characters, entirely in lace. The book was made by a team of lace makers at Beer in Devon and took 10,000 man-hours to create.  

• Queen Victoria was insistent on being present at the births of her grandchildren

• Queen Victoria disliked and disapproved of breastfeeding. When she discovered her daughter Princess Alice did so, she had one of the cows at the Royal Dairy named 'Alice'.

• In 1948, one of the cakes for Prince Charles' christening was made by the students of the National Bakery School. It weighed 130lbs and was 36 inches high.

• Lord Nicholas Windsor, third child of the Duke and Duchess of Kent, was the first royal baby to be born in hospital. He was born at University College Hospital on July 25, 1970.

• Princess Beatrice's date of birth 8/8/88 is considered to be extremely lucky in the Chinese calendar.

• Since the 1970s, it has become the norm for royal babies to be born in hospital. Previous royal babies have been born in more illustrious surroundings. To name a few: Balmoral Castle, the Sandringham Estate, Windsor Castle, Buckingham Palace, Marlborough House, Kensington Palace, Clarence House and St. James's Palace. 

• King Olav of Norway was born on the Sandringham estate

• Princess Eugenie of York, daughter of Prince Andrew, Duke of York, was the first royal baby to have a public christening. This occurred during morning service at St. Mary Magdalene, Sandringham, in December 1990.

• Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, was born on a dining room table

• Princess Alexandra, first cousin of the Queen was born on Christmas day in 1936, the year of the abdication crisis. Her grandmother Queen Mary remarked that her birth was 'The nicest thing to have happened this year.'

• Princess Alexandra's son, James Ogilvy was born on February 29th, 1964.

• In 1960, Prince Andrew was the first royal baby born to a reigning British sovereign since Queen Victoria gave birth to Princess Beatrice in 1857.

• In 1930, Princess Margaret was the first royal baby - so close in the line of succession - to be born in Scotland since Charles I in 1600. At the time of her birth she was 4th in line to the throne. Between Charles I and Princess Margaret other royal babies born in Scotland include Queen Victoria Eugenie of Spain in 1887 and her brother Prince Maurice in 1891, both born at Balmoral Castle. However they were not as close in line as Princess Margaret!

• When Princess Margaret was born in 1930, her birth registration was delayed so that her birth certificate would not be numbered 13.

• When Baby Cambridge is born, it will mark the second time in history where 3 direct heirs to the throne have been born while the sovereign is alive. The first time occurred during the reign of Queen Victoria when her son, The Prince of Wales (later King Edward VII), and grandson, the Duke of York (later King George V) marked the birth of the future King Edward VIII in 1894.

© Marilyn Braun 2013



Thank you for enjoying this article. If you use the information for research purposes, a link to credit the work I've put into writing it would be appreciated.

How long have you been out here for?

'How long have you been out here for?' A reporter asked, as she shoved a microphone into the face of a woman wearing a union jack hat with a homemade banner attached to the railings. Clearly enjoying the attention the woman smiled, giving the same answer she probably gave to all reporters who came by. 

Other reporters and camera crews were doing similar things to anyone with a creatively decorated sign or tent. Cameras were set up on scaffolds surrounding the Victoria memorial. Those that weren't were in the green media studios set up to cover the event outside Buckingham Palace. Groups of people stood behind those studios, waving signs and cheering to get on TV. Occasionally the crowd would be rewarded with a smile and a wave from the on-air personality.

Just off to the side of these studios, behind gates, stood huge satellite dishes and news caravans that hummed. Walking along Constitution Hill, Green Park, a peaceful retreat from the hoopla. Shaded, cool and quiet it didn't seem as though it was in the same area. Walking back towards Buckingham Palace, it was warm outside and I wished I'd left my coat back at the hotel. Except that it could, and did, turn cool at times.

There was an enormous amount of people, though not as many as there would be this time tomorrow. Nothing was happening. Maybe they were here for the same reason I was. Not to stake a claim on the pavement but to observe, take pictures and like me, savor the moment of just being there.

© Marilyn Braun 2011

Thank you for enjoying this article. If you use the information for research purposes, a link to credit the work I've put into writing it would be appreciated.

Whatever you do, don't go to sleep!

'What ever you do, DON'T go to sleep!'

My husband's warning came into my head as I started to doze off in the hotel room. Just five more minutes I thought to myself. It was 10AM London time, 5AM back home. I had barely slept on the flight. No wonder I was tired. At least I had survived the underground. Mainly thanks to the kindness of strangers, something I would rely on many times through this trip.

But I hadn't come to London to sleep. I sat up, grabbed my cell phone and camera and headed out the door. My hotel was near enough to Buckingham Palace, about a 15 minute walk. I didn't need a map to find it. I only needed to look down the road to see the royal standard flapping in the wind.

As I walked along the sidewalk, multiple souvenir shops caught my eye. William and Kate on every conceivable item imaginable. There were knockoffs of Kate's ring, knockoff commemorative coins, hats, magnets, and condoms. Yes, condoms - holy buzz killer!

Heading further along I found a tea shop selling William and Kate tea bags, then the Buckingham Palace shop. Utopia for those searching for the tasteful items. The store was small and crowded and I hugged my purse close to my body lest I knock over something tastefully expensive.  I made a mental note to come back when it was less crowded.

A few blocks down the road I finally arrived at Buckingham Palace. The Queen's Royal Standard on the flagpole. Beyond the imposing black gates an immaculate gravel forecourt. And there was the famous balcony. By this time the next day, the newly married William and Kate would share a kiss for the world to see.

By the looks of it, I wasn't the only one imagining the same thing.

© Marilyn Braun 2011

Thank you for enjoying this article. If you use the information for research purposes, a link to credit the work I've put into writing it would be appreciated.

The Royal Report for Sunday March 20th, 2011 - Royal Focus: Buckingham Palace

One of the most famous landmarks in the world, Buckingham Palace is the Queen's official London residence. Did you know that the palace has 775 rooms? Or that it has its own cinema, post office and chapel? Come behind the gates and learn more about Buckingham palace on this episode.

You can listen to the episode here:

Royal Focus: Buckingham Palace

Publications mentioned

Hello! Canada Weekly No 210 21 March 2011

Website mentioned

The Official site for The Royal Wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton

From My Royal Collection

Buckingham Palace The Palace And Its Royal Residents In Photgraphs

Resources used to research this episode

The Official Website of the British Monarchy - Royal Residences - Buckingham Palace

The Royal Encyclopedia

Buckingham Palace: The Place and the People

Inside Buckingham Palace/the Private World of the Royal Family

Crown and Country: A Personal Guide to Royal London

Tune in live to the next episode of The Royal Report on Sunday March 27, 2011 at 9:00PM EST (North America)

The topic will be: With the well documented marital history of the House of Windsor, does Prince William and Kate Middleton's marriage stand a chance of being successful?

© Marilyn Braun 2011

The Royal Report for Sunday December 7th, 2008 - A Review of Royal Residence Websites

On this episode I reviewed the various websites for the Royal Residences.

You can listen to the episode here.

Publications mentioned

William & Harry The People's Princes by Ingrid Seward

Websites mentioned

World of Royalty
The Royal Collection
The Official Site for the British Monarchy
Althorp
Harewood House
The Royal Channel on YouTube

Royal Residence Websites

The Royal Residences - Official Site Link
Historic Royal Palaces
Sandringham Estate
Balmoral Castle

Tune in to the next Royal Report on Sunday December 14th, 2008 9:00PM EST (North America) The topic will be: 2008 - Royal Year in Review

© Marilyn Braun 2008