John Ezard News Today

John Ezard meets with JRR Tolkien at his home, walking him through the Oxford locations that he loves while hearing the author's own views about his successful fantasy novels.

The late Queen Mother was known as the most extravagant of modern royals, with a large household at Royal Lodge complete with liveried flunkeys and an overdraft of £4 million at Coutts.

In today’s newsletter: Ahead of King Charles’s coronation, here’s everything you never knew about his life waiting for power

Everything you need to know about man who became heir to British throne 71 years ago

Like her daughter Her Majesty the Queen, the Queen Mother had an extensive jewellery collection which she showed off when she attended royal engagements and parties. Her engagement ring and wedding ring were also seen on her finger, but there is a little-known story behind the former. Born Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon, the Queen Mother got engaged

Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon, as the Queen Mother was formerly known, died on March 20, 2002, which is 20 years ago today. Nearly 80 years before this, she married King George VI on April 26, 1923 in Westminster Abbey. Prince Albert, Duke of York, as the King was then known, became engaged to Elizabeth earlier that

After reportedly three rejections, Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon finally agreed to Prince Albert’s wedding proposal and the two were married soon after. The couple’s ceremony was lower key than those of previous future monarchs – mainly because nobody knew Albert’s older brother would soon abdicate and he would have to accede to the throne. However, Prince Albert

Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon agreed to marry Prince Albert – who would later become King George VI after his brother abdicated the throne – in January 1923. But Albert, or Bertie to his family, had asked for Elizabeth’s hand in marriage twice before then. The Queen Mother refused Albert twice because she reportedly had misgivings about

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Vorderman, who claims to have an IQ of 154, graduated from Sidney Sussex College – part of the University of Cambridge – with a masters degree in Engineering.  She dreamed of being a pilot but after her mother Edwina made her apply to an advert looking for a “woman with good mathematical skills”, her life changed forever. The casting call was for Countdown, which launched the 21-year-old’s TV career in 1982.  Despite her success, Vorderman was “never involved” in any form of “...