On January 25, 1905, at the Premier Mine in Pretoria, South Africa, a 3,106-carat diamond is discovered during a routine inspection by the mine’s superintendent. Weighing 1.33 pounds, and christened the “Cullinan,” it was the largest diamond ever found.
Frederick Wells was 18 feet below the earth’s surface when he spotted a flash of starlight embedded in the wall just above him. His discovery was presented that same afternoon to Sir Thomas Cullinan, who owned the mine. Cullinan then sold the diamond to the Transvaal provincial government, which presented the stone to Britain’s King Edward VII as a birthday gift.
Worried that the diamond might be stolen in transit from Africa to London, Edward arranged to send a phony diamond aboard a steamer ship loaded with detectives as a diversionary tactic. While the decoy slowly made its way from Africa on the ship, the Cullinan was sent to England in a plain box.
Edward entrusted the cutting of the Cullinan to Joseph Asscher, head of the Asscher Diamond Company of Amsterdam. Asscher, who had cut the famous Excelsior Diamond, a 971-carat diamond found in 1893, studied the stone for six months before attempting the cut.
On his first attempt, the steel blade broke, with no effect on the diamond. On the second attempt, the diamond shattered exactly as planned; Asscher then fainted from nervous exhaustion.
The Cullinan was later cut into nine large stones and about 100 smaller ones, valued at millions of dollars all told. The largest stone is called the “Star of Africa I,” or “Cullinan I,” and at 530 carats, it is the largest-cut fine-quality colorless diamond in the world.
The second largest stone, the “Star of Africa II” or “Cullinan II,” is 317 carats. Both of these stones, as well as the “Cullinan III,” are on display in the Tower of London with Britain’s other crown jewels; the Cullinan I is mounted in the British Sovereign’s Royal Scepter, while the Cullinan II sits in the Imperial State Crown.
On August 27, 1979, Lord Louis Mountbatten was assassinated when Irish Republican Army (IRA) terrorists detonated a 50-pound bomb hidden on his uniquely green fishing boat Shadow V.
Mountbatten, a huge war hero, elder statesman, and second cousin of Queen Elizabeth II was spending the day with his family in Donegal Bay off Ireland’s northwest coast when the bomb exploded.
Three others were killed in the attack, including Mountbatten’s 14-year-old grandson, Nicholas. Later that day, an IRA bombing attack on land killed 18 British paratroopers in County Down, Northern Ireland.
The assassination of Mountbatten was the first blow struck against the British royal family by the IRA during its long terrorist campaign to drive the British out of Northern Ireland and unite it with the Republic of Ireland to the south. The attack hardened the hearts of many Brits against the IRA and convinced Margaret Thatcher’s government to take a hard-line stance against the terrorist organization.
Louis Mountbatten, the son of Prince Louis of Battenberg and a great-grandson of Queen Victoria I, entered the Royal Navy in 1913, when he was in his early teens.
He saw service during World War I and at the outbreak of World War II was the commander of the 5th destroyer flotilla. His destroyer, the HMS Kelly, was sunk off Crete early in the war. In 1941, he commanded an aircraft carrier, and in 1942 he was named the chief of combined operations.
From this position, he was appointed supreme Allied commander for Southeast Asia in 1943 and successfully conducted the campaign against Japan that led to the recapture of Burma.
In 1947, he was appointed the last viceroy of India, and he conducted the negotiations that led to independence for India and Pakistan later that year. He held various high naval posts in the 1950s and served as chief of the United Kingdom Defense Staff and chairman of the Chiefs of Staff Committee.
Meanwhile, he was made Viscount Mountbatten of Burma and a first earl. He was the uncle of Philip Mountbatten and introduced Philip to the future Queen Elizabeth. He later encouraged the marriage of the two distant cousins and became godfather and mentor to their first born, Charles, Prince of Wales.
Made governor and then lord lieutenant of the Isle of Wight in his retirement, Lord Mountbatten was a respected and beloved member of the royal family. His assassination on August 27, 1979, was perhaps the most shocking of all horrors inflicted by the IRA against the United Kingdom.
In addition to his grandson Nicholas, 15-year-old boat hand Paul Maxwell was killed in the attack; the Dowager Lady Brabourne, Nicholas’ grandmother, was also fatally injured. Mountbatten’s grandson Timothy–Nicholas’ twin–was injured; as was his daughter, Lady Brabourne; and the twins’ father, Lord Brabourne. Lord Mountbatten was 79.
The IRA immediately claimed responsibility for the attack, saying it detonated the bomb by remote control from the coast. It also took responsibility for the same-day bombing attack against British troops in County Down, which claimed 18 lives.
IRA member Thomas McMahon was later arrested and convicted of preparing and planting the bomb that destroyed Mountbatten’s boat. A near-legend in the IRA, he was a leader of the IRA’s notorious South Armagh Brigade, which killed more than 100 British soldiers. He was one of the first IRA members to be sent to Libya to train with detonators and timing devices and was an expert in explosives.
Authorities believe the Mountbatten assassination was the work of many people, but McMahon was the only individual convicted. One of the suspected bombers (Burns) blew himself up while working on his own bomb. Sentenced to life in prison, he was released in 1998 along with other IRA and Unionist terrorists under a controversial provision of the Good Friday Agreement, Northern Ireland’s peace deal. McMahon claimed he had turned his back on the IRA and was becoming a carpenter.
From ABC and People comes a two-night television event documenting the fascinating lives of the royal family. The Story of the Royals captures the mystique of the monarchy by exploring pivotal moments in the crown’s history up through the marriage of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.
The Story of the Royals, a two-night television event from PEOPLE and Four M Studios, debuts on ABC on Wednesday, Aug. 22, and Thursday, Aug. 23. Get ready for a two-night, four-hour prime-time television event documenting the fascinating lives of the British royal family. Featuring an extraordinary panel of experts and voices, The Story of the Royals – Part One airs WEDNESDAY, AUG. 22 (9:00-11:00 p.m. EDT), and The Story of the Royals – Part Two airs THURSDAY, AUG. 23 (9:00-11:00 p.m. EDT) on The ABC Television Network.
Watch on the ABC app from your smartphone and tablet (iOS and Android), computer on ABC.com and connected devices (Roku, AppleTV and Amazon Fire TV).
The Story of the Royals will explore pivotal moments in the crown's history beginning with a simple question: How exactly did we get here? The multipart series captures the mystique of the monarchy through its many loves, losses, extravagances, challenges and charms. With Prince William and Kate's new royal baby and Prince Harry's recent marriage to Meghan Markle, the Windsors have truly begun to modernize and resemble a 21st-century family. "The Story of the Royals" will illustrate that evolution as well as examine the American obsession behind all things royal.
"The Story of the Royals" brings together an impressive company of friends, former staff members and royal experts to help illustrate this fascinating story (listed alphabetically by first name):
This marks the second time that ABC, PEOPLE and Four M Studios (formerly Time Inc. Productions) will partner on a two-night documentary event about the royal family. In August 2017, they teamed up for "The Story of Diana," which marked the 20th anniversary of Princess Diana's tragic passing at 36 years old. "The Story of Diana" Parts One and Two debuted to impressive ratings, winning the two-hour timeslot over two consecutive nights.
Looking forward to the next royal wedding? Princess Eugenie's (pronunciation:YOO-junnee) wedding to Jack Brooksbank will take place on October 12, 2018.
The Duke of York made the announcement recently on Twitter. He added that the wedding would take place at St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle.
Jack's grandmother had suggested that the couple had hoped to marry in September - but that proved to be impossible. The Queen and Prince Philip traditionally spend the month at Balmoral, in Scotland.
An added complication was the diary of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle after their May wedding. They are expected to go on a tour, with September thought to be a possibility. And with the 2018 Invictus Games, the sports tournament for injured servicemen and women set up by Prince Harry, taking place from 18 to 29 October in Sydney, Australia, diaries are certainly crowded that month. Stayed tuned for more info on the event. and YES Fergie will be treated with a little more respect...
VARIETY: The Royal Wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle is more than likely to be crowned the television event of the weekend.
Broadcast networks set to air the wedding in real time include BBC America, ABC, TLC, PBS, Fox News, and HBO. BBC America, PBS, and CBS will be the first to walk down the aisle, starting their live coverage at 4 a.m. ET. BBC will follow both the wedding program and the carriage procession, with live commentary before and after, while Gayle King and Kevin Frazier will report for CBS and Meredith Vieira for PBS.
A long procession of specials will follow, starting with NBC’s “Today Show” coverage at 4:30 a.m. ET, while ABC’s “Good Morning America” and TLC’s “Royal Wedding Live,” will all air at 5 a.m ET. A royal wedding edition of “Fox and Friends” will start at 6 a.m. ET, and HBO will provide delayed coverage for the sleepers at 7:30 a.m. ET.
Viewers can stream the wedding online via BBC Studios and ITV’s BritBox or through ABC’s platforms at Good Morning America’s website, ABC News’s website and its mobile apps. CBS and NBC will also host live streams via CBSN Live and NBC.com, respectively. READ MORE
The Royal baby has been named Prince Louis Arthur Charles Cambridge in a nod to Prince Charles' beloved great uncle Lord Mountbatten - here's what you need to know
The Duchess of Cambridge gave birth to a son at 11.01am on Monday morning weighing 8lbs 7oz, inside the £5,900-a-stay The Lindo Wing at St Mary's Hospital in London.
After the Queen, other members of the Royal family and the Middleton family were told the good news, the royals' team emailed media organisations with the sex, weight and timing of the birth before tweeting the details.
As the Royal baby name wait goes on, observers will no doubt look into the history books in search for the couple's motivation.
When the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge pick a name for their newborn son, it is likely to be one that carries the weight of history with it; something meaningful; something with precedent.
So while Ethan, Logan and Jaxon were all popular last year, they are unlikely to be bestowed upon the younger brother of Prince George and Princess Charlotte.
