Tea at Trianon: Inside Buckingham Palace

John Wilson Croker on Marie-Antoinette

"We have followed the history of Marie Antoinette with the greatest diligence and scrupulosity. We have lived in those times. We have talked with some of her friends and some of her enemies; we have read, certainly not all, but hundreds of the libels written against her; and we have, in short, examined her life with– if we may be allowed to say so of ourselves– something of the accuracy of contemporaries, the diligence of inquirers, and the impartiality of historians, all combined; and we feel it our duty to declare, in as a solemn a manner as literature admits of, our well-matured opinion that every reproach against the morals of the queen was a gross calumny– that she was, as we have said, one of the purest of human beings."

~from History of the Guillotine by John Wilson Croker, 1844

Edmund Burke on Marie-Antoinette

"It is now sixteen or seventeen years since I saw the queen of France, then dauphiness, at Versailles; and surely there never lighted on this orb, which she hardly seemed to touch, a more delightful vision. I saw her just above the horizon, decorating and cheering the elevated sphere she had just begun to move in, glittering like a morning star full of life and splendor and joy. Oh, what a revolution....Little did I dream that I should have lived to see such disasters fall upon her, in a nation of gallant men, in a nation of men of honor and of cavaliers! I thought ten thousand swords must have leaped from their scabbards, to avenge even a look which threatened her with insult. But the age of chivalry is gone; that of sophisters, economists, and calculators has succeeded...."

~Edmund Burke, October 1790

Monday, April 6, 2020

Inside Buckingham Palace

From Hello!:

Buckingham Palace has served as the monarch's main royal residence since Queen Victoria decided to renovate the previously vacant property in 1837. The former Queen extended the property and added many touches that still stand today, including the famous balcony at the front of the palace where the royal family often gather for Trooping the Colour and to celebrate occasions such as royal weddings. Now, the royal family's official website states that, "As reservicing works continue at Buckingham Palace, thousands of Royal collection items are being removed from The East Wing to allow for essential renovations next spring."

Indeed, within the 775 rooms, including 19 state rooms, 52 royal and guest bedrooms, 92 offices, 78 bathrooms, and 188 bedrooms for the household staff, some are seeing a big change, but whether undergoing a transformation or not, every area of the home the Queen shares with husband Prince Philip is truly jaw-dropping. Take a tour... (Read more.)