Thursday 24 November 2016

My latest articles: King Bhumibol & Queen Louise's dream

The December issue of Majesty (Vol. 37, No. 12) is on sale in Britain from today and this month I have contributed two articles: One on the unhappy Queen Louise of Denmark (consort of Frederik VIII) and her dream that one of her sons would one day be King of Norway like her father had been, and one on King Bhumibol of Thailand, who died last month after a reign of seventy years in which he worked closely with the military to restore the monarchy's power and prestige before eventually leaving his kingdom to a military junta and an uncertain future.

Tuesday 1 November 2016

My latest article: The legend of Franz Joseph

November has just begun but the November issue of Majesty (Vol. 37, No. 11) has already been on sale for a week and a half. As this month marks the 100th anniversary of the death of Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria-Hungary, my article in this issue deals with the last but one Habsburg, his final years, his death, his legend and the irony that he remains the most popular Habsburg ruler today although his 68-year-reign was in many ways a failure.