John David Olsen

Tag: Blenheim Palace

  • Churchill and the Order of the Garter

    Churchill and the Order of the Garter

    Winston Churchill was awarded the Garter in 1953.

    This past May, one of the commemorative events for Churchill 2015 was held at the spectacular and resplendent Blenheim Palace. In 1705, Queen Anne presented Blenheim Palace to John Churchill, the 1st Duke of Marlborough, on behalf of a grateful nation. Second World War Prime Minister Winston Churchill’s Great ancestor had led the British and their allies to victory in August 1704 outside of the town of Blenheim in Bavaria. Winston Churchill’s grandfather was the 7th Duke of Marlborough, and when Winston’s mother prematurely went into labour, her son was born in a cloakroom at the Palace.

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  • The Duchess of M

    The Duchess of M

    Blenheim Palace, Woodstock, Oxfordshire

    At present, I’m sitting on the fast train out of Oxford Station heading for London’s Paddington Station. [Insiders tip: On the weekends you can buy a “Cheap Day Single” and upgrade to First Class for ₤5.] It’s late morning and after a lovely breakfast at the Randolph Hotel in Oxford where we’re been for the last several days, I’m heading back to London after an eight day-long immersion into the life of one of the most renowned international statesmen The Rt Hon Sir Winston S Churchill.

    One becomes The Rt Honourable upon appointment as a Privy Councillor to the reigning monarch.

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