Latest news with #CrownJewels
Daily Mail
5 days ago
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE Where are Ireland's Crown Jewels? New Mail podcast delves into one of history's greatest unsolved mysteries
Podcast All episodes Play on Apple Spotify On the latest episode of the Mail's Queens, Kings & Dastardly Things podcast, historian Kate Williams and Royal biographer Robert Hardman investigate one of Ireland's greatest unsolved mysteries. In 1907, Ireland was part of the British Empire and followed the customs of the British monarchy. One such custom was the use of Crown Jewels, important ceremonial treasures, to bestow Knighthoods upon members of the Irish aristocracy. Ireland's Crown Jewels were kept safe in Dublin Castle by The Order of St Patrick on behalf of Edward VII, the King of Britain at the time. The collection comprised a diamond pendant and badge, five gold collars, and nearly 400 precious stones. The Order of St Patrick's jewels, as they are known, have an estimated value today of nearly $20 million. Despite the castle being under constant surveillance, the treasures went missing on July 6, sending Edward VII into a fury and creating an Empire-wide manhunt. Even though financial rewards were offered for information on their whereabouts, the Crown Jewels remain missing to this day. Search for 'Queens, Kings, and Dastardly Things' now, wherever you get your podcasts. New episodes are released every Thursday. The Vanishing of the Irish Crown Jewels Edward VII was scheduled to visit Ireland in July 1907 to bestow a knighthood upon Lord Castletown. The jewels would have been used in the ceremony. Historian Kate Williams told the podcast how the jewels were kept secure for the upcoming Royal visit. 'They were kept very carefully', Williams said. 'A man called Sir Arthur Vickers, The Ulster King of Arms oversees them. They are held at Bedford Tower in Dublin Castle. 'They seem very secure – they're in a strong room, alongside Ireland's Sword of State. There are only seven keys to get into the tower and two keys to enter the strong room. Everyone thinks the security is foolproof.' Williams then explained how the theft was discovered and the accusations surrounding the character of Sir Arthur Vickers, the treasure's protector. 'The jewels are found to be missing on July 6 – they haven't been seen since the 11th of June. 'Vickers was accused of being careless. Many people began to claim that he had given them access to the tower and that there were various security lapses. 'On one occasion, Vickers had gotten drunk, and a young man had taken the keys to the safe. He then stole the jewels and sent them back to Vickers by post as a joke.' The heist was carried out completely undetected. Due to the King's public anger and huge media speculation, a strange cast of characters began offering to help locate the stolen treasure. 'Psychics say they know where they are, and people begin hunting fruitlessly around graveyards. 'Arthur Conan Doyle, the Sherlock Holmes author, offers to help. He's a distant cousin of Vickers.' The police launched a nationwide investigation to find the jewels. A reward of £1000 was offered for information, worth around £80,000 today. The authorities' prime suspect was Francis Richard Shackleton, the brother of famous Antarctic explorer Ernest Shackleton. Williams told the podcast why suspicions centered around him. 'Apparently, he was in great financial difficulty', the historian said. 'As Dublin Herald of Arms, he had gotten hold of a key to the safe and had made a copy. The problem for the police was, he had a good alibi. 'He wasn't actually in the country at the time of the robbery.' Shackleton later defrauded an aristocrat, Lord Ronald Gower, of his fortune in 1910 and was sentenced to fifteen months' hard labour for the crime. One theory states that the reason why the heist was never solved was that Shackleton, a known homosexual at a time when it was illegal, had used Dublin Castle for liaisons with high-profile figures in Irish society. Further investigations into his character were abandoned because pursuing that line of inquiry could have implicated members of the aristocracy in illegal sex acts at a time when British rule over Ireland was fiercely challenged. The mystery of the jewels of St Patrick's remains unsolved.
The Independent
01-06-2025
- Business
- The Independent
The best tourist attraction in London revealed
The Tower of London has been revealed as the most popular tourist attraction in the capital. Research conducted by Travelodge, which surveyed 13,500 people, placed the historic castle top of the list, followed by Covent Garden and Buckingham Palace. The Tower of London attracts more than three million visitors every year, with tourists eager to see the Crown Jewels, meet the Yeomen Warders and the tower's ravens. A number of museums also featured in the top 20, including the Natural History Museum, the British Museum, and the Victoria and Albert Museum. Other notable attractions included Camden Market, Battersea Power Station, and St Paul's Cathedral. The top 20 attractions were: Tower of London Covent Garden Buckingham Palace Natural History Museum Camden Market Big Ben Borough Market The London Eye British Museum Tower Bridge Victoria and Albert Museum Imperial War Museum Battersea Power Station Harry Potter Studio Tour Science Museum Sky Garden Hyde Park Hampton Court Palace St Paul's Cathedral Tate Modern Tower of London and Buckingham Palace, but it's also great to see people rate newer attractions such as Battersea Power Station and Sky Garden too.'
Daily Mail
29-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE The Crown Jewels Heist: New Mail podcast tells the story of 'one of the greatest crimes of all time'
On the latest episode of the Mail's 'Queens, Kings and Dastardly Things' podcast, royal biographer Robert Hardman and historian Kate Williams discuss the figure of Colonel Blood and his audacious plot to steal the Crown Jewels. The episode is the first in a three-part mini-series that tells the stories of crooks who have attempted to steal priceless treasures from the British monarchy. The most prized objects in the possession of the Royal family are the Crown Jewels, which are now on permanent display at the Tower of London. The treasures are a collection of ceremonial regalia used in the coronations of new Kings and Queens. The collection comprises such objects as St. Edward's Crown, headwear made of 5 pounds of solid gold, and The Sovereign's Sceptre, a golden rod topped with The Great Star of Africa, the largest clear-cut diamond in the world. They are estimated to be worth anywhere between £3-5 billion, although the jewels' precise value is nearly impossible to calculate, due to their historical and cultural significance. Much of the collection was created after 1660, with the restoration of the British monarchy and the death of Thomas Cromwell. Cromwell sold or destroyed much of the original Crown Jewels, believing them a vulgar display of wealth which conflicted with his fanatical religious beliefs. A decade after the new jewels were debuted for the coronation of Charles II in 1661, a dastardly thief known to history as Colonel Blood hatched a daring plot to steal them. Colonel Blood and The Crown Jewels Heist Born in Ireland in 1618, Thomas Blood was a soldier and aristocrat who fought alongside the monarchists during the English Civil War. Noticing the tide of war change, Blood switched sides to Cromwell's roundheads and was greatly rewarded for his change in allegiance. Podcast co-host Robert Hardman described Blood's early adulthood: 'Blood called himself a colonel although there is no proof he was one. 'He jumped ship to Cromwell during the civil war and was rewarded with thousands of acres of land in Ireland. 'With the restoration of the monarchy, Blood lost his lands and decided to become a full-time rebel. He was part of a plot to seize power in Ireland. 'The plot failed, and all the ringleaders were sent to prison. Some however escaped and top of the list of wanted men was Thomas Blood. 'Over the next few years, everyone was looking for him – but no one knew where he was. He became a sort of Scarlett Pimpernel figure and developed something of a legend around him.' In 1671, Blood remerged in London, posing as a vicar called Dr Aleph with an actress, pretending to be his wife, on his arm. He befriended a man called Talbot Edwards, who was the 77-year-old guardian of the Crown Jewels. 'Aleph and Edwards grew close', Hardman explained. 'They start discussing a possible marriage between Edward's unmarried daughter and Aleph's unmarried nephew. 'On May 9, 1671, Aleph visits Edwards with this nephew and asks to take a look at the Crown Jewels. Edwards accepts – and it is revealed that Aleph is the leader of an armed gang of robbers. 'They whack Edwards, the poor old warden, over the head with a mallet and proceed to run off with as much as they can.' Historian Williams added: 'One of the gang members sticks a Golden Orb down his breeches, and Blood grabs St. Edwards Crown and smashes it – trying to squash it in half.' Running away slowly with the Crown Jewels hidden beneath his clothes, Blood was tackled and apprehended by Talbot's son. His secret identity revealed in prison, Blood requests a personal audience with the King and somehow convinces the monarch to pardon him and return his lands in Ireland to him. Historians speculate that because of Blood's legend, seen by the peasantry as an Irish freedom fighter, it was politically expedient to forgive his crimes. Heralded as the ultimate rouge until his death in 1680, historian Williams told the podcast an anecdote to show how widespread his infamy had become. 'There comes this view that Blood can cheat all things', Williams said. 'When he dies, people exhume the body to check he's dead – due to how many rumors there were about him. 'He could cheat most things – but he couldn't cheat death.' To hear more stories like this one, search for ' Queens, Kings, and Dastardly Things' now, wherever you get your podcasts. New episodes are released every Thursday.
Daily Mirror
25-05-2025
- Daily Mirror
European city crowned the most walkable in the world just 2 hours from UK
This German city has been named the most walkable in the world, with many of its main attractions including a jewel-filled palace, a unique surf spot and Gothic church easily accessible on foot A study has named the world's most walkable city and it's only a short flight from the UK. The top-rated destination packed with bike and walking paths even managed to beat out beloved holiday hotspots like Paris and Milan. Less than a two-hour plane ride from London is the most walkable city in the world: Munich. The study from Compare the Market ranked 53 locations on how good they are for being car-free and listed the Bavarian city as number one. There were many factors used to assess each of the 53 cities, including the total distance of all bike trails and walking trails and the cost and efficiency of public transport. Each city was also given an overall safety score and public transportation score. Additionally, average monthly rainfall factored into the final walkability assessment. According to the researchers, 86% of Munich's population live within 1km of a car-free space. The city has 1,468,623 kilometres (912,560 miles) worth of bike trails - the second highest of anywhere in the world, according to Compare the Market. The findings also reveal that despite Munich's public transport being the third most expensive, it scores the fourth highest for safety. The city also tied for second highest destination for people living within a kilometre of healthcare and education facilities. The Bavarian city is a great destination for tourists to get around on foot with many of its main attractions located within walking distance. Munich's historic main square, Marienplatz, is one of many must-visit attractions, overlooked by a clocktower. If you time your visit for one of the two performances a day, you will be able to see the mechanical characters in the Rathaus-Glockenspiel clock enacting scenes from the city's history. Marienplatz is just a five-minute walk to Frauenkirche, a restored Gothic Catholic church. The church is known for its ominous 'Devil's Footprint', a large hollowed footprint set within one of the church's floor tiles. Less than a ten-minute walk from Frauenkirche is the Residenz Munch - a historic palace which houses the Bavarian Crown Jewels. The Residenz also served as Munich's seat of government until 1918. Those wishing to enjoy the natural beauty of the city - still on foot - can head to the city's largest park: the English Garden. The park spans 375 hectares and one of its most notable features is the Eisbach wave, where visitors can see locals attempting to surf the river. Of course, no mention of the Oktoberfest capital would be complete without mention of its incredible beer gardens and halls. After a long day of strolling, travellers can head to the 16th-century Hofbräuhaus München - one of the most well-known beer halls in the world - to enjoy a drink and traditional Bavarian fare. Nine out of the top ten most walkable cities in the Compare the Market study are in Europe. The only non-European city that cracked the top ten list was Tokyo, which made it into sixth place. On the other end of the scale, Manila, the capital of the Philippines, was ranked as the least walkable city in the world. Top 5 most walkable cities worldwide Munich, Germany Milan, Italy Warsaw, Poland Helsinki, Finland Paris, France
Mint
16-05-2025
- Business
- Mint
King Charles' net worth: British monarch now as rich as Rishi Sunak and Akshata Murty; wealth rises by ₹341 crore
King Charles' personal wealth has risen by £30 million ( ₹ 341 crore) over the past year, reaching a net worth of £640 million ( ₹ 7,278 crore). This makes him as rich as former UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and his wife Akshata Murty, according to The Sunday Times Rich List. King Charles is now ranked joint 238th among the 350 richest people in the UK, climbing 20 places from last year. Most of his wealth comes from an investment portfolio inherited from his mother, Queen Elizabeth II. His private estates, Sandringham and Balmoral, are also part of this wealth. The British monarch used to receive £23 million ( ₹ 261 crore) yearly from the Duchy of Cornwall while he was the Prince of Wales. It helped fund his family and official duties. This estimate only includes his personal wealth. It excludes the Crown Estate, Duchy of Lancaster and Crown Jewels. The late Queen's wealth was £370 million ( ₹ 4,207 crore) in 2022, making Charles £270 million ( ₹ 3,070 crore) richer than her in 2025. Meanwhile, Sunak and Murty's wealth dropped by £11 million ( ₹ 125 crore). Murty still owns shares in Infosys. Rishi Sunak, meanwhile, has taken up a role at Stanford and joined a speaker's bureau. The 2025 Rich List shows the biggest drop in UK billionaires in the list's 37-year history. It includes people with wealth from land, properties, companies and art. Indian-origin people rule the list of the richest people in the UK. Billionaire Gopi Hinduja and family remain the richest in the UK in 2025 with a net worth of £35.304 billion ( ₹ 4 lakh crore). They remain on top even after a fall of £1.892 billion ( ₹ 21,500 crore) from last year. Their wealth comes mainly from the Hinduja Group. David and Simon Reuben, born in Bombay (now Mumbai), jumped to second place with £26.873 billion ( ₹ 3 lakh crore). They belong to a Baghdadi Jewish family and moved to London in the 1950s. Sir Leonard Blavatnik, known for his investments in music and media, slipped to third place with £25.725 billion ( ₹ 2.92 lakh crore). Lakshmi Mittal, the Indian-origin steel magnate, held eighth place with £15.444 billion ( ₹ 1.75 lakh crore).
