11 h. ago King Henry VIII and Queen Victoria have been immortalised – on chocolate coins

King Henry VIII and Queen Victoria have been immortalised – on a set of chocolate coins.

Politics

38 h. ago Henry VIII and Queen Victoria immortalised on giant chocolate coins

Master chocolatier spent 80 hours crafting chocolate coins featuring King Henry VIII and Queen Victoria

Politics

50 h. ago 200th banking hub opens with chocolate coins marking the event

Visitors to the hub in Billericay in Essex can explore a display of coins made from chocolate.

Politics

8 d. ago Camilla joins youngsters in Queen Victoria’s former sled at Clarence House party

The children also helped decorate a tree and received presents from Santa.

Politics

1 week ago Brits are just realising reason we put up Christmas trees during festive season

Christmas trees are a festive tradition for many Brits, but do you know the reason behind them? The history spans from ancient Pagan customs to Queen Victoria's influence that popularised them in the UK

Politics

2 w. ago Daggers, dervishes, Rego and the world’s most expensive egg – the week in art

The British Museum is infused with Sufi spirit, Henry VIII’s storied Ottoman dagger gets its own show, Rego’s art is renewed and a Fabergé sets a new record – all in your weekly dispatchHenry VIII’s Lost DaggerA curious quest for the Tudor tyrant’s lost, highly phallic dagger in the house where modern gothic began. • Strawberry Hill House, London, until 15 February Continue reading...

Politics

2 w. ago Kate's tiara trick! How Princess of Wales held Queen Victoria's Oriental Circlet in place with a clever twist in her hairdo

Royal fans couldn't get enough of the Princess of Wales 's crafty crown trick last night, as she made a fairytale appearance at the state banquet for the German president.

Politics

2 w. ago TALK OF THE TOWN: V&A is just not ready for Freddie as it turns down Queen frontman's fashion collection

The personal assistant and confidant of Queen frontman Freddie Mercury said he offered London's Victoria & Albert Museum 1,000 items from Freddie's collection to put on display, but was knocked back

Politics

3 w. ago Jewelled golden hare behind picture book Masquerade could sell for £20,000

Artist and author Kit Williams hid a golden hare in 1979 – with clues to its precise location given in his book Masquerade.

Economics

3 w. ago Holbein: Renaissance Master by Elizabeth Goldring review – a magnificent portrait of the artist

The first scholarly biography in more than 100 years of the man who immortalised the Tudor court does not disappointMuch of what we know, or think we know, about the court of Henry VIII comes directly from the paintings of Hans Holbein. There’s the famous portrait of the king himself – puffy, phallic and cruel, looking more like a murderer than a monarch. But there is also ascetic Thomas More, hiding his cruel streak behind fine bones, and sly yet thuggish Thomas Cromwell, with those shifty eyes and the beginnings of a double chin. “Hans the Painter” did the wives too – an appropriately sketchy drawing of Anne Boleyn, a saintly portrait of Jane Seymour who died after giving birth to Henry’s heir, and a pin-up version of Anne of Cleves.It was this last portrait that caused an international incident in 1539 when Holbein was sent by Henry to the Low Countries to check whether Anne was pretty enough to be his next wife. Based on Holbein’s portrait, Henry committed to the marriage i...

Culture

3 w. ago ‘I still get humiliated’: the perils of appearing on a celebrity gameshow

Agents claim it can increase their clients’ profile and show off their human side. Is that your final answer?For Monty Panesar, it was answering that Germany played their home football matches in Athens. For David Lammy, it was saying Henry VIII’s heir was Henry VII. And for actor Amanda Henderson it was responding with the name Sharon to a question about Greta Thunberg.Panesar’s disastrous appearance on Celebrity Mastermind six years ago was used to taunt him this week by Australia’s cricket captain Steve Smith. Continue reading...

Sport

4 w. ago The haunting question that set off alarm bells before the Great Fire of Windsor broke out during Queen Elizabeth and Prince Phillip's wedding anniversary

The blaze began in Queen Victoria 's Private Chapel on the Berkshire residence and spread from there, as Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip 's wedding anniversary celebrations went up in smoke.

Politics