Q: Victoria - Aberdeen
Is Hampton Court Palace still used by the Royal Family? Who was the last Royal to live there?
Hampton Court Palace is now an unoccupied royal palace and, as such, it is run by Historic Royal Palaces (a self-financing charitable trust). Hampton Court Palace is still used today on occasion for State events and for various charity or private functions, although mostly the Palace is open to visitors to enjoy the historic buildings and gardens.
George II was the last Sovereign to reside at Hampton Court; he went to stay at the Palace every summer. His final visit with the Court was in 1737. When George III came to the throne in 1760, he showed little interest in the palace, preferring Windsor Castle. When, in 1770, there was a fire in the outbuildings at Hampton Court, he was reported to say that he 'should not have been sorry if it had burnt down'. Queen Victoria declared the Palace open to the public in 1838.
After George III had decided not to live at the palace himself, furniture was gradually removed from the State Apartments and the outlying areas of the palace were divided up for grace-and-favour residents granted rent-free accommodation 'by the Grace and Favour of the Sovereign'. These were allocated not to courtiers but to those who had given great service to the Crown or country or, more often than not, their dependants. Royalty, members of the aristocracy, military heroes, diplomats, scientists, explorers and politicians all resided in the palace over a period of some 250 years. Among these residents were Lady Baden-Powell, the widow of the founder of the Scouts; Her Imperial Highness the Grand Duchess Xenia Alexandra, daughter of Alexander III, Emperor of Russia; landscape gardener Lancelot 'Capability' Brown (1716-83); and Michael Faraday (1791-1867), the scientist.
Although no monarch after King George II formally lived in the palace, many other members of the Royal Family continued to reside at Hampton Court. In their capacity as rangers of the royal parks, the Duke of Gloucester, the Duke of Kent, and the Duke of Clarence (later King William IV) were allocated residences. Other royal residents included William V of Orange, Gustav IV of Sweden and Princess Frederica of Hanover. The palace also had a strong tie with Indian royalty. Most significantly of all was the association with princesses Bamba, Sophia and Catherine, daughters of the Maharaja Duleep Singh.
Today only a small number of apartments are occupied, usually by those involved with the running of the Palace, including the housekeeper. Several other large apartments are granted to craft organisations connected with historic buildings and their conservation.
For more information on Hampton Court Palace, visit the web site of Historic Royal Palaces.
Q: Alison Jupp - Kent, England
Queen Mary was Princess May of Teck before she married George V. Please can you tell me where Teck is and were they blood related?
Queen Mary's father was Prince Franz of Teck, son of Duke Alexander of Württemberg, a state in southwestern Germany. The Württemberg court was in Stuttgart. Prince Franz, however, grew up in Vienna, where he was an Austrian Army officer in the Imperial Gendarmerie Guard.
Under the patronage of the Emperor and Empress of Austria, he was made a Serene Highness in 1863 and given the title of Prince of Teck, a subsidiary name of the Württemberg royal house. Kirchheim-unter-Teck is a town 15 miles south east Stuttgart, part of Württemberg since 1381. In 1871 Prince Franz was made Duke of Teck.
Queen Mary and King George V were distant blood relations. Queen Mary's mother was Princess Mary Adelaide, a daughter of Adolphus, Duke of Cambridge and son of George III, making Queen Mary George III's great-granddaughter. George V was a great-great-grandson of George III and Queen Charlotte.
Q: Stephen Oliphant - Guernsey
Do The Queen's titles include: Duke of Lancaster; Earl of Leicester; Lord of Man; Duke of Normandy?
The Queen is by long custom toasted as The Queen, Duke of Lancaster in Lancashire. The history of this custom goes back to the separation of the Duchy from the Crowns other titles and lands which was subsequently enacted by Parliament. Today there continues to be a separate Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, who is a member of the government. The masculine title is used even for The Queen as a result of a charter of 1362 which conferred the dukedom on John, Earl of Lancaster [John of Gaunt] and his heirs male of his body lawfully begotten for ever. This means that the title could not have descended past Henry VI and could never have been taken by any Queen of England. In spite of the legal position, however, all Sovereigns from (and including) King George V have approved the use of the toast to the Sovereign as Duke of Lancaster.
The Sovereign does not hold the title Earl of Leicester. This title resides with the Coke family of Holkham Hall in Norfolk.
The title Lord of Man has been held by the British Sovereign since the eighteenth century this title has been held by the British Sovereign. On the Isle of Man the loyal toast is The Queen, Lord of Man.
England acquired the Isle of Man from the Scots by treaty or force majeure on the part of Edward I. The English kings handed over the kingship of the Isle of Man, subject to tribute, to great lords of their own. From 1406 the Stanley family (later the Earls of Derby) remained Kings of Man and later Lords of Man for over 300 years. The succession then passed to the Dukes of Atholl. Eventually the island was such a stronghold of smugglers that in 1765 the UK government stepped in and bought the lordship back for the Crown. Thus George III became Lord of Man.
The Sovereign has the title Duke of Normandy in the Channel Islands. This dates back to the Norman Conquest of 1066 in which William I, Duke of Normandy, came to the throne of England. By 1205, in the reign of King John, England had lost most of its French lands, including Normandy. The Channel Islands, part of the lost Duchy, remained a self-governing possession of the English Crown. While the islands today retain autonomy in government, they owe allegiance to The Queen in her role as Duke of Normandy, and toast her as such.
Q: O. H. - Maldon, Essex
I have an interest in ceremonial uniforms and regalia. Although not specifically under this category, could you tell me if, and under what circumstances, Royal footmen would wear wigs as part of their livery? Many thanks.
The male domestic staff in the royal palaces wear a uniform which dates from 1967. It no longer includes the wearing of wigs on any occasions. However, Royal Mews coachmen and postilions do wear a wig on Full State occasions, with either a tricorn hat (coachmen) or a cap (postilions).
Q: Annabel - Penrith, Cumbria
Do companies that hold a Royal Warrant still have the rights to post the Warrant after the person is deceased, like The Queen Mother?
A Royal Warrant is cancelled five years after the Grantor's death. During this period the wording may be changed to "By Appointment to the late....". Royal Warrants granted by Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother will therefore expire in 2007.
For more information on Royal Warrants, visit the web site of the Royal Warrant Holders Association.
> Next page
|