Royal Splendor

Built on the site of a Benedictine abbey, Audley End House was at one time the home of the first Earl of Suffolk. The original house, with the two large courtyards, was reputed to be comparable to Hampton Court in its splendor and magnitude. Although much of the building was demolished due to the lack of resources of subsequent earls, it remains one of the most impressive Jacobean mansions in England. The palatial interiors of the state rooms which remain are particularly magnificent. These include the alcove room, saloon and drawing room, and the exquisite state bed to be found in the Neville Room is still hung with the original embroidered drapes. The house also has a large collection of stuffed birds.
In the rolling parkland grounds are several elegant outbuildings, some of which were designed by Robert Adam. Amongst these are an icehouse, a circular temple and the Springwood Column. A miniature railway runs in the grounds and over the river Cam.
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Clara Ward, Princess de Caraman Chimay, was the epitome of wealth, beauty, and excess. She conquered Europe and was hailed as one of Gilded Age's most lasting figures. Some called her “poor little rich girl,” others criticized her for the many scandals she was embroiled. Towards the end of her life, she defied convention and lived according to her own rules. Here are some facts about Clara Ward, Princess de Caraman Chimay.

She was born on June 17, 1873 into a wealthy family in Detroit, Michigan. Her father was shipbuilder and manufacturer Captain Eber Brock Ward, who was known as the “first of the iron kings” and “steamship king of the Great Lakes”.  Making enormous fortune in lumbering, silver mining, and iron and steel manufacturing, he was the richest man in Michigan at the time as well as the state’s first millionaire. On the one hand, her mother, Catherine Lyon, was the niece of Senator Benjamin Wade.

Captain Ward died of brain hemorrhage before Clara turned two and the fami…

Read: Queen Elizabeth II during World War II

Despite being told to send off her daughters to Canada, Queen Elizabeth remained adamant that her children shall remain in Britain. At an early age, Princess Elizabeth displayed her courage and showed her dedication to her service to the nation right when the nation needed her the most.




1943. Princesses Elizabeth and Margaret starring in a Windsor Castle wartime production of the pantomime Aladdin. Princess Elizabeth played Principal Boy while Princess Margaret played Princess of China. Image: 

1944. Princess Elizabeth joins her parents during their visit to HMS King George V. Image: Imperial War Museum.

1944. Princess Elizabeth joins King George VI and Queen Elizabeth during their farewell visit before the battleship left to join Britain's East Indies Fleet. The twin and quadruple 14 inch gun turrets can be seen in the background. Source: Imperial War Museum


1944. The Queen and Princess Elizabeth talk to a camouflaged sniper during a tour …

From September 1939 until 1945, Great Britain was plunged in World War II. Many of London's children were sent away to the countryside for their safety. London and the suburbs were heavily bombed by German Luftwaffe, thus, many of the children were sent away to the countryside. The place was no longer safe for everyone, more so for the Royal Family. It was suggested that Princesses Elizabeth and Margaret  be evacuated to Canada, but Queen Elizabeth rejected the idea. "The children won't go without me. I won't leave without the King. And the King will never leave," she said. While they never left the British soil, they lived for most of the war years (1940-45) at Windsor Castle. Here, they staged pantomimes at Christmas to help the Queen's Wool Fund, which bought yarn to knit into military garments.
A 14-year-old Elizabeth made her first radio broadcast during the BBC's Children's Hour, calling out other children who were evacuated from the cities to …

1. Prince William prefers his steak medium rare for he wants it “quite alive”, he confessed at a charity event the previous year. Roast chicken is also a top favorite of his!

2. No Royal family member is ever allowed to eat shellfish as it poses a high risk of food poisoning.
3. The Queen has a penchant for chocolate and her favorite dessert of all time is chocolate biscuit cake, revealed Her Majesty’s former personal chef Darren McGrady.

4. Prince Charles loves organic stuff, and, interestingly, some of his favorite edibles are fresh produce that can be found in his own garden.
5. Prince Philip “lives to eat”, McGrady said in a previous interview, adding that the prince “loves to cook on the grill”.

6. Diana, Princess of Wales, does not have a sweet tooth, said former Royal chef Carolyn Robb. She would eat almost anything, but would usually skip the desserts.
7. The Royals are prohibited from drinking tap water each time they travel abroad.
8. The Queen observes the no-starch rule …

Prince John, the youngest of the six children of George Frederick, Prince of Wales (later King George V) and his wife, Princess Mary of Teck (later Queen Mary), was born on July 12, 1905 in the family's home on the Sandringham Estate,York Cottage. About four years later, it was found that he was suffering from epilepsy, after falling on the floor in a fit. 

As a child, he may have been a little stubborn. George once confided to U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt that all his children were obedient “except John”.

Princess Alexander of Teck described John as "very quaint and one evening when Uncle George returned from stalking he bent over Aunt May and kissed her, and they heard Johnny soliloquize, 'She kissed Papa, ugly old man!'"

John was four when he suffered from his first seizure and was diagnosed with epilepsy. He was now described as "winsome" and "painfully slow." Initially, the Royal family had high hopes about his condition since his …