We’ve always been curious about how royal families live day-to-day, not just the big ceremonies and public appearances, but what goes on behind the scenes.
From rare snaps of the British and Russian royals on holiday together in the late 1800s, to Princess Grace checking up on palace renovations in Monte Carlo in the 1960s, these photos give us a rare look at royals just being themselves.
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Emperor of Austria and King of Hungary, Croatia and Bohemia (now part of the Czech Republic), Franz Josef l ruled for 68 years during a period of intense upheaval until he died in 1916 at the Schönbrunn Palace near Vienna.
One of the world’s grandest stately homes, he is seen here in his study there, where the plain furnishings and decoration reflect the leader’s austere and serious character.
The small portrait to the left of the desk shows his son, Crown Prince Rudolf, who ended his own life aged 30.
Seated in the lavishly decorated Royal Palace at Mandalay, King Thibaw and Queen Supayalat were the last reigning monarchs of Burma, or Myanmar, as it is known today. On the Queen’s right is her sister, Junior Queen Consort Supayalay.
After ruling for only seven years, they lost control of the region to the colonising British army in 1885 and were forced to abdicate.
The palace was made of teak wood and featured a 79-foot (24m) watchtower, which is still standing.
It’s not often that you see Queen Victoria in such an intimate setting. She is pictured here, knitting needles in hand, with her youngest daughter, Princess Beatrice, who is reading the newspaper out loud to her.
Beatrice was affectionately known as ‘Baby’ and was the Queen’s constant companion in her latter years.
The image was taken after breakfast in the Queen’s Sitting Room, which is packed full of paintings and photographs and various objets d’art.
Another photograph by the highly esteemed Danish photographer Mary Steen shows Queen Victoria hosting a luncheon party in the Gothic-style Oak Room of Windsor Castle for her daughter Princess Beatrice, her husband Prince Henry of Battenberg and their children.
Two Indian servants flank the fireplace above which hangs a portrait of the Queen by Heinrich von Angeli. The Queen was keen to employ Indian servants after she was made Empress of India in 1876.
The British and Russian royal families had strong ties and were close relatives. Here, the last Emperor of Russia, Nicholas II, and his wife, Alexandra, visit Queen Victoria at Balmoral in 1896 with their baby daughter, Olga. Also pictured is the Prince of Wales.
The Czar and Czarina, who was the granddaughter of Queen Victoria, arrived by imperial yacht and stayed two weeks at the Scottish castle, which was reportedly considered as a possible residence for the Romanovs after the Russian Revolution in 2017.
Thinking the estate too remote for the Russian royals, George V is said to have abandoned the idea and his offer of asylum in Britain.
This rare portrait captures the British and Russian royal families together at Osborne House on the Isle of Wight, and illustrates the close relationship between the two families at a moment of stability, soon to be torn apart by war and revolution.
Central to the image are Czar Nicholas II and his first cousin, King Edward VII, the eldest son of Queen Victoria, who grew up at Osborne House and passed away the following year.
He was succeeded by George V, to the far right of the image, who bears a striking resemblance to the Czar. They were first cousins, of course.
When Nicholas II ascended the Russian throne in 1894, he and his new wife, Alexandra, decided to make the Alexander Palace, built by Catherine the Great, to the south of St Petersburg, their principal home.
This archive image shows his eldest daughters, all Grand Duchesses, enjoying a meal on the balcony.
Tragically, within two years of this photograph being taken, the entire Romanov family were executed by Bolshevik soldiers in the basement of a house in Yekaterinburg.
This photograph of King Alfonso XIII and his family was taken at their summer residence, the Royal Palace of La Magdalena in Santander, in the north of Spain.
A granddaughter of Queen Victoria, Victoria Eugenia (or Ena, as she was known), particularly favoured the residence as the architecture and landscape reminded her of England, where she had been brought up.
King Alfonso ruled from 1886 to 1931, supporting the dictatorship of Miguel Primo de Rivera, but was exiled in 1931 and died in Rome in 1941.
Otto von Habsburg (right), heir to the former Austro-Hungarian Empire, carried one of the most storied names in European history until he died in 2011. After the empire’s collapse and the Habsburgs’ exile from Austria in 1919, Otto spent much of his life abroad.
He is pictured here with his siblings at Villa Uribarren in Lequeitio, a grand coastal residence in Spain’s Basque Country.
Overlooking the Bay of Biscay, the villa, with its sweeping terraces and elegant interior, was gifted to the family by loyal supporters after the death of his father, Emperor Charles I, Austria’s last monarch. It became a place of refuge during their years in exile.
When Princess Nagako married Prince Hirohito in 1924, he was the Son of Heaven, the 124th direct descendant of the Sun Goddess.
Theirs was the longest imperial marriage in Japanese history, lasting almost 65 years, before the emperor died in 1989.
The couple are photographed here soon after their marriage at the Crown Prince’s residence, the neo-Baroque Akasaka Palace. It has been likened to Buckingham Palace and which now serves as a state guest house for visiting dignitaries.
The room has beautiful floral motif wallpaper and real birds in an ornate cage to the right of the image.
Now the official residence of Canada’s leader of the Opposition, Stornoway in Ottawa, became home to the Dutch Royal Family in exile in 1941, following the invasion of the Netherlands by the German army in May 1940.
Prince Bernhard, holding Princess Marguerite Francisca, is seen alongside Princess Irene, his wife, Crown Princess Juliana, Queen Wilhelmina (standing) and Princess Beatrix.
It was also briefly home to the former Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, when his father, Pierre Trudeau, lost the election in 1979.
We are used to seeing the Japanese royal family on more formal occasions, but this charming photograph shows Emperor Hirohito’s daughter, Kazuko, cooking the evening meal at the Imperial Villa in the Japanese Alps while her sisters, Atsuko and Takako, look on.
Also known as Shugaku-In, the ancient villa was built in 1659 as a hermitage for the retired Emperor Go-Mizunoo, and comprises three traditional buildings and Japanese gardens with views of the surrounding mountains.
Here we see Queen Juliana and Prince Bernhard of the Netherlands with their four daughters at Soestdijk Palace in the province of Utrecht.
Originally built as a hunting lodge in 1650, the palace was greatly enlarged and embellished under William II. It was the permanent residence of Queen Juliana and Prince Bernhard until they died in 2004.
Former residents include Napoleon Bonaparte and William II of the Netherlands, in recognition of his services at the Battle of Waterloo.
Life changed forever for Hollywood star Grace Kelly the day she married Prince Rainier in April 1956. The just-married Princess Grace is seen here at the window of her Fifth Avenue apartment, preparing for her departure for Monaco.
She's with her French Poodle, Oliver, who will soon join her in Prince’s Palace, Monte Carlo, the official residence of the Grimaldi family for more than 700 years.
After a civil ceremony held inside the Throne Room of the palace with its marble staircase and ornate archways, the couple were married at St Nicholas Cathedral nearby. Guests included Greek business heavyweight Aristotle Onassis and actors Cary Grant and Ava Gardner.
It wasn’t long before their first child, Princess Caroline, was born in January 1957. Then, in March 1958, Albert was born, seen here with his mother at home.
According to reports, the nursery suite for the little royals consisted of a playroom, bedroom, kitchenette and bathroom.
It was on the ground floor of the Prince’s Palace, with views of the gardens and the Mediterranean. It had pale yellow walls, marble floors and white furniture.
King Juan Carlos I of Spain and his wife, Queen Sofía, are seen here in the Zarzuela Palace, just outside Madrid, where they lived from their marriage in May 1962 until, after allegations of financial impropriety, Juan Carlos's move to Abu Dhabi alone in August 2020.
Juan Carlos I reigned from November 1975 until his abdication on 19 June 2014, but found time in 1969 to kick a football around one of the palace's finely decorated rooms. The palace dates from the early 1630s, but was restored in the early 1960s by architect Diego Méndez.
The king is playing with his daughter, Cristina, and Prince Felipe can be seen just behind a toy bicycle. Out of shot is the couple's other daughter, Elena.
King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia of Sweden stare adoringly at their firstborn child, Princess Victoria, on the day of her christening at the Royal Palace in Stockholm in September 1977.
She gained her Crown Princess Title in 1980 when the Succession Act became gender-neutral and was made retroactive.
Rather like Buckingham Palace, the Royal Palace is reserved more for official duties and photographs, while the King and Queen prefer to live in nearby Drottningholm Palace on the island of Lovön.
Prince Rainier and Princess Grace would no doubt have preferred a more aristocratic match for their daughter Princess Caroline (centre). Britain's Prince Charles was reported to be their favoured candidate.
They looked suitably delighted, however, when they announced her engagement to banker Philippe Junot in August 1977 in front of the Royal Palace in Monte Carlo.
The Italian Renaissance-inspired palace would also be the setting for the 21-year-old’s wedding the following June. Princess Grace died in a tragic car accident just over four years later in September 1982, aged 52.
During their trip to the Middle East in 1986, Prince Charles and Princess Diana attended a state reception at the Al Yamamah Palace in Riyadh by King Fahd of Saudi Arabia.
The spectacular residence boasts a thousand rooms, Italian marble floors, gilded doorways and sparkling chandeliers.
Despite the opulent surroundings, all eyes were on the princess, especially since she wore a stunning gown designed by David and Elizabeth Emanuel, who created her wedding dress.
King Juan Carlos invited the then-Prince and Princess of Wales to his summer home, Marivent Palace, on the island of Mallorca several times. They are seen here on the steps of the Italian-inspired palace in 1987 with Prince William and Harry, and the rest of the Spanish royal family.
Former owner, Egyptian engineer, John Saridakis, donated the palace and its gardens, which feature 12 sculptures by Joan Miró, to the island provided it would exhibit his art collection and be open to the public when the royal family are not in residence.
Queen Rania of Jordan's life changed overnight when she married Prince Abdullah, the eldest child of King Hussein and his second wife, Princess Muna, in 1993.
The business graduate did not expect to be queen, as Abdullah was not due to inherit the throne. His father changed his mind in his favour before he died in 1999.
The wedding was a grand affair, but here we see Queen Rania in a more relaxed setting, playing with her children in the Al Barakah palace garden.
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