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Daily Mail
05-05-2025
- General
- Daily Mail
The real reason two royals were not on the Palace balcony on VE Day - while the King and Queen looked happy and glorious writes CHRISTOPHER WILSON
They stood triumphant on the Buckingham Palace balcony, victors in the long battle that had decimated Europe. The King and Queen, together with Princess Elizabeth and Princess Margaret - a family drawn even closer by the conflict - looked happy and glorious. But other family members could not share their jubilation that day. One of their number had been booted unceremoniously out of the country at the outbreak of war, and another had been deported and kept under house arrest. Queen Victoria Eugenie of Spain was British through and through. The last grand-daughter of Queen Victoria, she was born at Balmoral and spent her teenage years growing up in Kensington Palace. Her teenage marriage to Spain's King Alfonso, alas, had been a tragic mistake and she'd returned to London after bearing him seven children. One day in the summer of 1939 she was visited by the Foreign Secretary, Anthony Eden, and told to leave the country. There wasn't a thing her close royal relations could do to save her, he said. The Oxford-educated Prince Paul, the Regent of Yugoslavia, was the brother-in-law of the Duke of Kent. At his Belgrade wedding King George VI, then the Duke of York, had been his best man. Yet when war was declared, Prince Paul was labelled a 'traitor' by premier Winston Churchill and bundled off with his family to a run-down house in Africa. So bleak were his surroundings he contemplated suicide. When VE Day came, these two royals were not on the Palace balcony, nor even in Britain. Without any real justification they'd been exiled so that politicians, and even the Royal Family, could save face. Their royal status was gone for ever. Queen Victoria Eugenie - known always as Queen Ena - was engaged at 18 to the Spanish King Alfonso, two years her senior, after a whirlwind romance. She struggled to learn her husband's language and had to face public disapproval back home for her decision to convert to Roman Catholicism. To start with, the marriage was a success, and Ena bore her husband seven children. Tragically for her she carried the 'royal' strain of haemophilia, inherited through her grandmother Queen Victoria, which affected the children's health. This eventually led to a breach between her and King Alfonso and she returned to live in Britain. In the weeks leading up to the outbreak of war in 1939, she received a visit from the Foreign Secretary, Anthony Eden, who said he could not guarantee her safety should hostilities break out. That wasn't true at all - Eden simply didn't trust her. He thought that Ena might pass secrets back to her estranged husband - secrets gathered at the many high-society parties she attended in London in the pre-war era. She must pack her bags and leave. 'She was torn with conflicting emotions,' wrote her biographer Gerard Noel. 'She would miss her friends, her visits to Balmoral where she'd spent her childhood, and all the calm pleasures of English life. 'Most of all she would miss her mother' - Princess Beatrice, now living at Kensington Palace, aged 82, was no longer in good health. Desperate to find somewhere safe to live, Ena ended up as the house guest of a childhood friend, Mary Latta, daughter of a Scottish shipping magnate who'd married the Lausanne-based Marquis of Cramayel. There in neutral Switzerland she sat out the war, writing imploring letters to Queen Mary, mother of the King, in the hope one day of being forgiven for a sin she hadn't committed. She never came home. After peace was declared she expected to return to London but was warned she'd be heavily taxed. Her house near Kensington Palace had been firebombed and so she abandoned it and, with the help of an inheritance, moved back to Switzerland. In August 1939, just before her ignominious flight from London, King George had written to her: 'I hope you will not be away long and that perhaps a visit to Balmoral will still be possible.' But she never saw her childhood home again. Prince Paul of Yugoslavia was an out-and-out Anglophile. He wore Savile Row suits and spoke with a cut-glass English accent. Sent to Oxford University at the age of 18, he became an 'honorary Englishman', and was best friends with the Duke of Kent, brother of King Edward VIII and King George VI. George was his best man when Paul married the sister of Kent's wife, Princess Marina in Belgrade, and was always a welcome guest at Buckingham Palace. When Paul's cousin King Alexander of Yugoslavia was assassinated in Marseille in 1934, he became Regent - effectively, the country's king. As Hitler rose to power, the prince determinedly steered his country on a neutral course, favouring the Allied cause but recognising that with Yugoslavia's limited military power it was vulnerable to invasion should war break out. Winston Churchill with George VI. The prime minister expected Prince Paul to be the first to fall on his sword if war was declared and labelled the prince 'a traitor and a war criminal' That did not suit the bellicose Winston Churchill, who ignored the threat and expected Paul to be the first to fall on his sword if war was declared. He labelled the prince 'a traitor and a war criminal' which, historians agree, he most certainly was not. A clandestine British-inspired coup in March 1941 saw Paul ousted from power - though strategically this was an own-goal for Britain, because German and Italian forces invaded the country anyway, just days later. For the remainder of the war Prince Paul was kept, with his family, under house arrest by the British in Kenya in the former home of the recently-murdered Lord Erroll, of 'White Mischief' fame. In Britain, information leaked to newspapers by government officials suggested he was a Nazi sympathiser. He wasn't, but it drove him to contemplate suicide. Paul's nephew Peter was pronounced king of Yugoslavia in his place, and historians believe that, his Regent duties completed, he would have returned to London and the royal circle. Instead, he spent VE Day in South Africa, where he'd been forwarded by the British, and it wasn't until 1949 that he was permitted to return to Europe. Stung and angry by the way he'd been treated - he'd even been made to pay British income tax while under house arrest - he chose to spend his remaining days in France and Italy. There can be no doubt that, though he was sovereign of Great Britain and a powerful figure in the land, King George VI had no say in the decision to banish his beloved family members. 'At all times he adhered to the rule that he must serve his country,' wrote the historian Kenneth Rose, 'and if his politicians decreed that family members were a threat to the state, no matter his own feelings, he must take their advice.
Yahoo
22-04-2025
- Yahoo
Elegant mansions, cave art, and sandy beaches: seven reasons why you should visit Santander
While British holidaymakers have long flocked to Barcelona, Madrid, or Seville for their Spanish city break, wise local tourists have another favourite: Santander, the capital of Cantabria. In this elegant coastal city on the Bay of Biscay, they spend mornings enjoying the bustle of the market, lazy afternoons on the beach and evenings on the terraces of pincho bars indulging in Basque-style tapas washed down with glasses of albariño. What's more, British tourists can reach Santander on a direct ferry – it docks in the city centre – from Portsmouth or Plymouth, which gives the potential added bonus of dolphin sightings in the Bay of Biscay. Although Santander is often considered the gateway to the rest of northern Spain, here are seven reasons why you should linger for longer. Santander's most famous stretch of sand, El Sardinero (named after the large quantities of sardines that used to be found in the bay), is actually two beaches, separated by the Jardines de Piquío – a tranquil palm tree-lined pleasure garden created in the 1920s. Both beaches are broad, sun-drenched expanses of fine sand. Santander was a popular summer spot for nobility in the 19th century, when Spanish high society turned the area into a summer retreat and the first beach was benchmarked as their bathing ground, while the second was preserved for commoners. Today, both beaches can be enjoyed by everyone and an evening stroll along the promenade as the sun goes down is a pre-dinner delight not to be missed. Built as the summer house of King Alfonso XIII and Queen Victoria Eugenie (the daughter of Queen Victoria's youngest child Beatrice), the Palacio de la Magdalena is a fusion of French and English architecture perched on a headland with sweeping sea views – Queen Victoria Eugenie felt it reminded her of childhood summers at Osborne House on the Isle of Wight. The palace is no longer used by the royal family and part of the building is now a small museum showcasing the opulent interiors. Even without the museum visit, it's worth a walk up here to wander through the eucalyptus and pine trees that fill the surrounding parkland and enjoy some of the best panoramas in the city. Just behind Santander's grand town hall, the bustling Mercado de la Esperanza has been supplying the city with fresh fish and vegetables since 1904. The ground floor brims with the morning's catch; stalls heave with gleaming anchovies, plump prawns and langoustines and slabs of tuna. Upstairs stalls stock local cheeses, meats, and Cantabrian delicacies, such as sobaos pasiegos, a butter cake, and orujo de Liébana, a strong grape-pomace brandy with a grappa-like kick that's known as the local 'firewater'. People-watching is best done early in the morning (the market opens at 8am), when local chefs and home cooks examine the catch of the day and exchange gossip. Alternatively, pop in later in the morning to purchase a picnic lunch to eat on the beach – the market closes at 2pm. On Thursdays and Fridays you can also visit in the early evening between 5pm and 7.30pm. The market is closed on Sundays. While the Palacio de la Magdalena is the building most people associate with Santander, the striking Centro Botín, designed by prize-winning architect Renzo Piano, is surely vying for that spot. Adjacent to the ferry port, its location means it's one of the first things you see when you arrive. Jutting out of the waterfront like two giant wedges of nata de Cantabria cheese, the building appears to float above the bay, with glass and ceramic tiles reflecting the shifting light. Inside, exhibitions range from Spanish masters to international contemporary artists, while outside, the surrounding Pereda Gardens offer shaded benches and green spaces where locals gather to read, chat, or simply enjoy the sea breeze. Beyond the exhibitions, the centre hosts regular film screenings, live performances, and creative workshops, making it a cultural hub for the city. The Cave of Altamira, a half-hour drive outside the city, contains some of the world's most extraordinary prehistoric art and is easy to visit while staying in Santander. You don't need to hire a car as you can get the Alsa bus from Santander to Santillana del Mar – a medieval village with cobbled streets – from where it's a half-hour walk. Although the original cave is now closed to protect its fragile paintings – which date from the Upper Palaeolithic period – the accurate replica at the nearby museum Altamira National Museum and Research Centre allows visitors to marvel at the vivid depictions of bison, deer, and horses, created more than 14,000 years ago. The museum is an excellent introduction to the prehistoric communities that once thrived in Cantabria, with interactive exhibits explaining the techniques used to create the paintings. The surrounding landscape gives a sense of the wilderness these early artists would have known. Santander's old town is smaller than those of Spain's larger cities, partly due to a fire in 1941 that destroyed almost 400 buildings. However, it still packs a punch when it comes to food. Tapas bars serve up pinchos – small, tasty bites skewered on to slices of bread – alongside local favourites such as rabas (lightly battered squid) and boquerones fritos, battered and fried anchovies. For a sweet treat, try sobao pasiego, a traditional Cantabrian pastry that resembles a sponge cake. The narrow streets around Plaza Porticada and Calle del Medio are the best places to start a pincho crawl, hopping from bar to bar sampling house specialities and washing them down with a glass of vermouth or cider. The Cabo Mayor Lighthouse is located in the most northeasterly point of Santander, where the Cantabrian Sea crashes against rugged cliffs. Built in 1839, it has guided sailors with its powerful beam for nearly two centuries and is the most important lighthouse in Cantabria. When the beam became fully automated in 2001, parts of the lighthouse and surrounding buildings were turned into an arts centre, in which historic maritime charts and faded photographs recount the lighthouse's long service. It's worth the walk up the winding path to watch the waves carve the coastline, and pick up one of the cliff paths to continue enjoying the panoramic views along the Mataleñas Path. To start planning your Santander city break, visit
The Guardian
19-04-2025
- The Guardian
Elegant mansions, cave art, and sandy beaches: seven reasons why you should visit Santander
While British holidaymakers have long flocked to Barcelona, Madrid, or Seville for their Spanish city break, wise local tourists have another favourite: Santander, the capital of Cantabria. In this elegant coastal city on the Bay of Biscay, they spend mornings enjoying the bustle of the market, lazy afternoons on the beach and evenings on the terraces of pincho bars indulging in Basque-style tapas washed down with glasses of albariño. What's more, British tourists can reach Santander on a direct ferry – it docks in the city centre – from Portsmouth or Plymouth, which gives the potential added bonus of dolphin sightings in the Bay of Biscay. Although Santander is often considered the gateway to the rest of northern Spain, here are seven reasons why you should linger for longer. Santander's most famous stretch of sand, El Sardinero (named after the large quantities of sardines that used to be found in the bay), is actually two beaches, separated by the Jardines de Piquío – a tranquil palm tree-lined pleasure garden created in the 1920s. Both beaches are broad, sun-drenched expanses of fine sand. Santander was a popular summer spot for nobility in the 19th century, when Spanish high society turned the area into a summer retreat and the first beach was benchmarked as their bathing ground, while the second was preserved for commoners. Today, both beaches can be enjoyed by everyone and an evening stroll along the promenade as the sun goes down is a pre-dinner delight not to be missed. Built as the summer house of King Alfonso XIII and Queen Victoria Eugenie (the daughter of Queen Victoria's youngest child Beatrice), the Palacio de la Magdalena is a fusion of French and English architecture perched on a headland with sweeping sea views – Queen Victoria Eugenie felt it reminded her of childhood summers at Osborne House on the Isle of Wight. The palace is no longer used by the royal family and part of the building is now a small museum showcasing the opulent interiors. Even without the museum visit, it's worth a walk up here to wander through the eucalyptus and pine trees that fill the surrounding parkland and enjoy some of the best panoramas in the city. Just behind Santander's grand town hall, the bustling Mercado de la Esperanza has been supplying the city with fresh fish and vegetables since 1904. The ground floor brims with the morning's catch; stalls heave with gleaming anchovies, plump prawns and langoustines and slabs of tuna. Upstairs stalls stock local cheeses, meats, and Cantabrian delicacies, such as sobaos pasiegos, a butter cake, and orujo de Liébana, a strong grape-pomace brandy with a grappa-like kick that's known as the local 'firewater'. People-watching is best done early in the morning (the market opens at 8am), when local chefs and home cooks examine the catch of the day and exchange gossip. Alternatively, pop in later in the morning to purchase a picnic lunch to eat on the beach – the market closes at 2pm. On Thursdays and Fridays you can also visit in the early evening between 5pm and 7.30pm. The market is closed on Sundays. While the Palacio de la Magdalena is the building most people associate with Santander, the striking Centro Botín, designed by prize-winning architect Renzo Piano, is surely vying for that spot. Adjacent to the ferry port, its location means it's one of the first things you see when you arrive. Jutting out of the waterfront like two giant wedges of nata de Cantabria cheese, the building appears to float above the bay, with glass and ceramic tiles reflecting the shifting light. Inside, exhibitions range from Spanish masters to international contemporary artists, while outside, the surrounding Pereda Gardens offer shaded benches and green spaces where locals gather to read, chat, or simply enjoy the sea breeze. Beyond the exhibitions, the centre hosts regular film screenings, live performances, and creative workshops, making it a cultural hub for the city. The Cave of Altamira, a half-hour drive outside the city, contains some of the world's most extraordinary prehistoric art and is easy to visit while staying in Santander. You don't need to hire a car as you can get the Alsa bus from Santander to Santillana del Mar – a medieval village with cobbled streets – from where it's a half-hour walk. Although the original cave is now closed to protect its fragile paintings – which date from the Upper Palaeolithic period – the accurate replica at the nearby museum Altamira National Museum and Research Centre allows visitors to marvel at the vivid depictions of bison, deer, and horses, created more than 14,000 years ago. The museum is an excellent introduction to the prehistoric communities that once thrived in Cantabria, with interactive exhibits explaining the techniques used to create the paintings. The surrounding landscape gives a sense of the wilderness these early artists would have known. Santander's old town is smaller than those of Spain's larger cities, partly due to a fire in 1941 that destroyed almost 400 buildings. However, it still packs a punch when it comes to food. Tapas bars serve up pinchos – small, tasty bites skewered on to slices of bread – alongside local favourites such as rabas (lightly battered squid) and boquerones fritos, battered and fried anchovies. For a sweet treat, try sobao pasiego, a traditional Cantabrian pastry that resembles a sponge cake. The narrow streets around Plaza Porticada and Calle del Medio are the best places to start a pincho crawl, hopping from bar to bar sampling house specialities and washing them down with a glass of vermouth or cider. The Cabo Mayor Lighthouse is located in the most northeasterly point of Santander, where the Cantabrian Sea crashes against rugged cliffs. Built in 1839, it has guided sailors with its powerful beam for nearly two centuries and is the most important lighthouse in Cantabria. When the beam became fully automated in 2001, parts of the lighthouse and surrounding buildings were turned into an arts centre, in which historic maritime charts and faded photographs recount the lighthouse's long service. It's worth the walk up the winding path to watch the waves carve the coastline, and pick up one of the cliff paths to continue enjoying the panoramic views along the Mataleñas Path. To start planning your Santander city break, visit
