Kings and queens

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Aethelflaed.

5 things you should know about Æthelflæd, Lady of the Mercians . This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

An illustration of James Scott, 1st Duke of Monmouth, fleeing from battle after attempting to unseat his Catholic uncle, King James II and VII, from the thrones of England, Scotland and Ireland (Photo by De Luan/Alamy Stock Photo)

The Monmouth Rebellion of 1685: your guide to the a duke’s failed bid to overthrow his uncle, James II and VI

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Henry III of England.

David Carpenter on Henry III “He was not a great king but he was respected as a most Christian one” . This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

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Pod David Carpenter WL

The fall and rise of Henry III . This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Elizabeth is borne from Westminster Abbey in a gold coach first used for the state opening of parliament by George III in 1762. (Getty Images)

Becoming Queen: Elizabeth II’s coronation

Composite image of depictions of Queen Cleopatra

The face of Cleopatra: what did she look like, and was she really so beautiful?

Prince Charles, aged 4, driving a toy car in the grounds of Balmoral Castle in Aberdeenshire, Scotland

King Charles III A life in pictures

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General History

Download your free Kings and Queen of Britain poster

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HEX_Voices_Michael Wood

Michael Wood on the coronation of Charles III "The symbolism of the royal promise still means something today" . This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

What makes a good coronation? Tracy Borman answers

General History

What makes a good coronation?

Queen Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz

The real story of Bridgerton’s Queen Charlotte: from glittering courts to tragic decline

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A view of Queen Elizabeth II’s coronation ceremony from the rafters of Westminster Abbey, 2 June 1953 (Photo by Central Press/Getty Images)

Staging a coronation: 5 dos (and 5 don’ts) for crowning a new monarch . This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

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Low angle view of the Westminster Abbey

Why are British monarchs traditionally crowned in Westminster Abbey? . This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

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Charles III, whose coronation on 6 May “will be significant for the kind of king that emerges”, says Alice Hunt (Photo by Hannah McKay / POOL / AFP via Getty Images)

Coronations The soft power of royal pomp and pageantry . This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Queen Victoria receives the sacrament as part of her five-hour coronation service, in a 19th-century painting by Charles Robert Leslie (Photo by The History Collection / Alamy Stock Photo)

Extravagance, crowds and blunders: the coronation of Queen Victoria