Book News
Book News Week 33
*contains affiliate links* Book News Week 33 – 10 August – 16 August 2026 In Haste with Aloha: Letters and Diaries of Queen Emma, 1881–1885 Paperback – 11 August 2026 (UK)
must read
Letizia of Spain
The Asturias Fleur-de-Lis Tiara
One of the newest tiaras in the Spanish royal collections is the Asturias Fleur-de-Lis Tiara, also known as the Ansorena tiara. This pearl and diamond tiara was made by Ansorena in 2009. Queen Letizia wore elements of the tiara before debuting the entire tiara at Queen Margrethe II of Denmark’s 75th birthday celebrations in 2015. [read more]
Book News
Book News Week 32
*contains affiliate links* Book News Week 32 – 3 August – 9 August 2026 Eleanor: A 200-Mile Walk in Search of England’s Lost Queen Paperback – 6 August 2026 (UK)
Japan
Setsuko, Princess Chichibu – “An average, ordinary girl” (Part one)
Setsuko Matsudaira was born on 9 September 1909 as the daughter of Tsuneo Matsudaira and Nobuko Nabeshima. The future Princess was born in Walton-on-Thames, England, as her father was an attaché to the Japanese embassy in London. Setsuko’s family was closely related to several prestigious families in Japan, but she was officially considered a commoner. [read more]
Royal Jewels
Queen Maud’s Diamond Tiara
Queen Maud’s Diamond Tiara was brought into the Norwegian royal family by Princess Maud of Wales. Princess Maud married the future King Haakon VII of Norway in 1896. The diamond tiara was a wedding present for the future Queen of Norway. The tiara’s base is a diamond bandeau, with a level of diamond floral elements. [read more]
Alice of the United Kingdom
Book Review: The Lives and Deaths of the Princesses of Hesse by Frances Welch
*contains affiliate links* The Princesses of Hesse were the five daughters of Princess Alice of the United Kingdom, a daughter of Queen Victoria, and Louis IV, Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rhine: Victoria, Elizabeth, Irene, Alix and Marie. Following the deaths of young Marie and their mother Alice of diphtheria in 1878, Queen Victoria [read more]