News about Edward VII

THE Derby is an iconic race. The most prestigious, the richest, and the undisputed British Classic that is steeped with a history of famous world-class winners. This is the Flat race in the country that transcends outside of the racing bubble. A Classic for all to enjoy and probably the Flat racing equivalent of the Grand National. So to see this year's renewal unfortunately fall apart at the seams is hard to watch. From the Guineas onwards, May centres around the trials for Derby day. For a few weeks the racing calendar clearly paves the way. Beaten horses in the Guineas that look capable of stepping up in trip, then into trials at Chester, Lingfield and York, with the Derrinstown in Ireland a useful pointer in between.

On a hot evening in June 2006, Helen Molesworth stood by the auctioneer's rostrum, scarcely able to believe what she was hearing as prices soared ever higher. Princess Margaret's jewellery was being sold to a crowd of bidders, each anxious to possess a precious gem whose lustre was enhanced by a little bit of royalty.

They were well known for their philanthropy, a fascination with science, architecture and modern technology and patronage of the arts. In the early years of their marriage, Queen Victoria and Prince Albert (left) were also keen artists, etching their children, pets and literary scenes, at Windsor Castle and Claremont, where they had a retreat from the bustle of court. Now it has emerged that they were strong feminists, patronising a number of emerging female artists throughout their reign. Sculptors Mary Thornycroft, Susan Durant and Henrietta Montalaba and painters Helen Cordelia Angell and Elizabeth Butler (right, and top inset) all benefited from their support. Their work is being displayed in a forthcoming exhibition Now You See Us: Women Artists in Britain 1520 - 1920, which examines work by female artists from the Tudor Court until the First World War.

James Purdey & Sons specialise in high-end bespoke sporting shotguns and rifles (left, Prince Charles holding a Purdey & Sons shotgun in 1973). The business received its first royal warrant in 1868 from the Prince of Wales, who later became King Edward VII. The Nash (top right, Arthur Nash in his workshop in 1999) family has been making broomsticks, besom brooms and pea sticks for around 300 years. Their longstanding commitment to the trade was recognised when they gained the Queen's seal of approval in 1999. As royal broomsquire, Bradley Nash supplied the Queen's household with around 120 besoms per year from his workshop in the village of Tadley in Hampshire. Nash's brooms have also appeared in films such as Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire and the firm appeared on Blue Peter in 1992. Turnbull & Asser have been supplying illustrious men, both real and fictional, with bespoke shirts since 1885. Among the many garments the company has crafted, Turnbull & Asser created the shirt worn by His Majesty at his Coronation in 2023 (bottom, right, Charles at the firm's factory in 2013). Founded in 1676, Lock & Co (inset) is the oldest hat shop in the world - indeed they are responsible for the original design of the bowler hat.

It's a ceremony that will long be remembered - in this country and around the world. Tomorrow brings the first anniversary of the Coronation of King Charles at Westminster Abbey, the 40th reigning sovereign to be crowned there. Millions tuned in at home and abroad to watch a ceremony with roots that can be traced back to William the Conqueror. As we reflect on this momentous occasion one year later, we revisit 15 unforgettable moments from a day of true history...

The pair became friends at St Andrew's University (left) - with the early days of their romance recently dramatised in the final season of The Crown - and that connection blossomed into romance. Prince William proposed to Kate Middleton in October 2010 and the couple now share three children George, Charlotte and Louis (inset).

It was one of the feel-good moments of the decade - the union of Prince William, handsome heir to the throne, and elegant commoner Catherine Middleton on April 29, 2011. Even the British weather agreed, with the clouds parting has the new husband and wife emerged from Westminster Abbey to greet the public - and found themselves bathed in golden spring sunshine. Many of us still have fond memories of those moments. And today, on the anniversary of the Waleses' wedding, we hope to jog a few of those with this A-Z of a glorious occasion.

Buckingham Palace today revealed King Charles will return to public-facing duties after being diagnosed with cancer. In January the King, 75, was admitted to hospital to undergo 'routine treatment' for an enlarged prostate. Doctors, however, discovered an unspecified form of cancer. Buckingham Palace confirmed it was not prostate cancer. It is not the first time the King, 75, has taken a blow to his health and has often joked about his physical decline. Here, MailOnline details Charles' known health issues over the years.

As train lunches go, it takes some beating. Starting with a mound of caviar, the menu moves through trout, lamb, chicken and partridge, asparagus and cheese soufflé, before finishing with a few serious puddings. It certainly beats a Greggs sausage roll. But this was no ordinary lunch, rather a feast served for Edward VII aboard a train from Paris to Cherbourg on May 4, 1903. And one of ten royal menus about to be auctioned off at Drouot Auctioneers in Paris. They range from a dinner for Queen Victoria at Balmoral in October 1885, right up to the ­dinner served after the wedding of the Prince and Princess of Wales in 2011. And they make fascinating reading, an insight into over a century's worth of royal eating.

Few jewellery collections could rival that of Queen Elizabeth II. The late monarch, who would have celebrated her 98th birthday tomorrow, possessed an astonishing depth and variety of pieces gathered over the years through purchases, gifts and inheritance. She frequently lent items to Catherine, the Princess of Wales , for special occasions, another sign of the strong bond between the while the Queen was still alive. Since Elizabeth's death, Kate has continued to honour the monarch by wearing some of her most cherished treasures.

Consultant paediatrician Sam Lingam (pictured), 78, sanctioned 299 different prescriptions for powerful anti-cancer and HIV drugs after he agreed to act as a go-between for a pharmaceutical company and London 's King Edwards VII private hospital. Over the course of 15 months, Russian-born Lingam, of Potters Bar, Hertfordshire, pocketed £40 every time he signed off potentially lethal prescriptions for people he had never met. The 78-year-old, who arrived in the UK as a refugee in 1970 before working at London's Great Ormond Street Hospital, believed the medication was destined for impoverished patients in Africa, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, however many went to First World nations including Canada and Australia. The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) eventually launched a criminal investigation into the racket following complaints about Lingam who ran the Medical Express clinic in Harley Street.

Buckingham Palace has been the official residence of the monarch since 1837. It is the go-to place on great ceremonial occasions, when crowds fill the length of the Mall to see the King - or Queen - on the famous balcony. On special occasions there are fly-pasts above it and so this great edifice in the centre of London has come to represent stability at the centre of national life. As for those who live inside it the story is rather different, however. It is by no means the favourite home of the Kings and Queens who have occupied it.

When Camilla Parker Bowles married Prince Charles , 19 years ago today, the Duchess of Cornwall was given access to one of the most important and exclusive jewellery collections in the world. The past 18 months have seen her wearing a number of the late Queen Elizabeth's favourite pieces. The Queen Consort received wedding presents in her own right, including some outstanding jewels from the Saudi Royal Family , and a plethora of personal pieces from her husband, many with sentimental meaning. Some, indeed, had once belonged to her great-grandmother, Alice Keppel, a  mistress to Edward VII, King Charles's great-great-grandfather - pieces which King Charles has enjoyed finding and buying for his wife since the early days of their rekindled relationship.

Brothers William and Harry's on-going feuds are by no means the first close family feud to cast a pall over the Royal Family. Because Queen Victoria was furious with her eldest son, Bertie - the future Edward VII, for his wayward philandering, this was nothing to the fury reserved for her own mother, the Duchess of Kent. Princess Victoria of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld, the widow of late Prince Edward, Duke of Kent, fourth son of George III, became a Mother from Hell, determining every waking moment of her daughter's life in an effort to suppress the slightest hint of liberty.

Catherine, William, and the children are also safe in the sanctuary of their Norfolk home, looking forward to a slowing period of rest and recuperation. The flurry of media has passed, and it will now take time for a family to concentrate on Catherine's recuperation. William's constant presence on her side, a vital component of her princess's return to full health, is just as important as her physical appearance. How reassuring - and how different from the tale of another Princess of Wales - and another life-threatening disease.

The royals like their friends to be wealthy. And there were few people more wealthy than Earl Farquhar, who gave a princess the equivalent of £5 million to make her happy. Farquhar was so loaded he was convinced that he was not the king but two kings, not one king, but two - and caused the third to be eternally grateful. He was eagerly welcomed into the innermost royal circle as a result of his appointment as Lord Steward of the Household, effectively the first dignitary of the royal court. Why? Lord Farqhuar was a second-day King Midas, bringing gold out of dust. Nothing captures a royal more than someone who can make money out of nothing.

She is a figure from another world to many. But this royal wielded a great deal on the Queen, taking her to London's great sights and exhibitions as a child. The Queen said it was impossible to imagine the world without her presence on March 24.

The manipulation of royal photos is nothing new. Official photos have been altered all the way back in the decades, to flatter the sitter, of course. Queen Victoria begged glamorous London photographer William Kilburn to photograph her and her five youngest children in January 1852. The children posed on either side of her mother's Day portrait, but unlike Kate, the resulting photograph showed Victoria sitting with her eyes closed. She had a fright and was unamused.

EPHRAIM HARDCASTLE: The death of Queen Elizabeth sent the royal postage bill skyrocket to £1.2 million, an increase of £100,000. All sympathy letters, cards, and gifts must be returned. The Coronation and two ill royals have put the postal budget into question, with Prince and Princess Michael's response to those who mourned after the son-in-law's death. The Royal Household may have regretted the decision to pay for stamps back in 2001. It was free postage before that, until Edward VII's order. Producer Sam McAlister, who was left alone in Buckingham Palace's waiting room, behaved like a teen in Prince Andrew's disquieting newsnight interview. 'I was left with my cellphone,' she trills. I started with photos of my legs, and when I realised that no one was going to take me to the Tower, I got excited, with pictures of a side table, furniture, and, of course, selfies, which is not-so-classy stuff.' I wish I had nicked something. I'm a real nick-things person.' Gillian Anderson, who promotes Emily Maitlis' role in upcoming film Scoop, recalls a chance meeting with the authentic Emily at a charity function during a break from filming. Laughs at Gillian's comments: 'I was not prepared at all and was very dishevelled.' With a short white skirt and tanned legs, she looked like Emily Maitlis, who seems to be a movie actress. I looked like her great-aunt!'

Your Majesty, never mistress; it will only end in tears. Every British monarch over the past 400 years should have received this single piece of advice, but no one of them would have listened. These kings and princes were the rock stars of their day - women flocked and bowed before them, and they could choose whoever they liked. And as many as they wanted. Admittedly murder, blackmail, grand larceny, and kidnapping were all part of bedding these royal mistresses, but their Majesties never shrank above it.

Josiah Wedgwood, a British potter and entrepreneur, promoted his chinaware through celebrities, including royalty. Wedgwood made a cream-colored tea set for King George III's wife, Queen Charlotte, in 1765, which resulted in his appointment as Potter To Her Majesty. He began marketing his creamware as Queen's Ware, implying its quality and aspirational attributes. Wedgwood capitalised and began advertising in London newspapers, naming specific items for particular members of the nobility, such as his Duchess of Devonshire flowerpots. Lillie Langtry, a Channel Islands-born actress, starts a new celebrity endorsement. 'The Jersey Lily' was well-known for her stage appearances and her controversies, including one with Edward VII and then Prince of Wales. In 1882, advertising veteran Thomas J. Barratt recruited Pears Soap to promote Pears Soap. Here's not only was her image used, but she also included her signature and endorsement: 'Since using Pears Soap for the hands and complexion, I have rejected all others.'

Scientists from Reading University analyzed the average rainfall in England dating back to 1836 to find the British monarchs with the longest reigns. King Charles appears at the top of the list, according to the researchers, although Queen Victoria's reign was the driest. 'Although we can still expect to have some dry periods, the general trend under King Charles is likely to be toward us getting more rain,' said professor Ed Hawkins, who supervised the study.

Today, Queen Camilla (pictured) was caught on camera taking a selfie with a fellow Cheltenham festival attender (pictured). The royal, 76, attended a newly styled Wednesday (previously Ladies Day) without his husband King Charles, who is undergoing cancer treatment. A video of the event shows a woman speaking and talking to her, though she says she is not sure. The woman takes out a cellphone and the two ladies wait for her to snap before Camilla walks away, with one hand on the Queen's coat.

In the nearly 700 years since Prince of Wales' name was established, there have been only ten princesses of Wales. Some people were promised to their destiny as early as two years old, and only a few people were married for love. Some people saw bloody battles and equally brutal political machinations back home, and for several, tragedy was never far away. They were certainly adornments, but they were also significant figures in their own right. Here, royal historian CHRISTOPHER WILSON assigns a score to the princesses based on their contributions to royal history.