Rebecca Armitage

1 month ago | abc.net.au | Lucia Stein |Rebecca Armitage

Beneath the surface of Queen Mary of Teck's stoic exterior was a woman with a deep passion for beautiful things. The eldest daughter of two spendthrifts, Mary grew up a princess without the means to buy many of the luxurious items she desired. But that all changed when her scheming second cousin, Queen Victoria, orchestrated Mary's engagement to not one but two of her grandsons, opening doors (and purse-strings) that she had not dared dream of.

1 month ago | abc.net.au | Emily Clark |Rebecca Armitage

Just days before a huge military procession was due to march through London, the British royal family released a cryptic message that seemed to be directed at one of their own. Buckingham Palace told British media outlets that King Charles III hoped "nothing will detract or distract" from ceremonies to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II in Europe. It was an odd message for the palace to seed into the British press.

1 month ago | abc.net.au | Rebecca Armitage

Kathleen "Kick" Kennedy was the closest thing America had to a princess. The fourth of nine children born to the Kennedy political dynasty, her family was synonymous with glamour, wealth, privilege and power. And while the fearsome patriarch of the clan, Joe Kennedy Sr, made his sons the focus of his ambitions, he always considered Kick to be the star of the family. "All my ducks are swans, but Kick was especially special," he once said.

2 months ago | abc.net.au | Riley Stuart |Rebecca Armitage

In a ceremony steeped in tradition, faith and his characteristic humility, the head of the Catholic Church Pope Francis has been laid to rest. The 88-year-old pontiff died earlier this month after suffering a stroke and irreversible heart failure. Dozens of leaders, dignitaries and royals joined an estimated 200,000 mourners in and around St Peter's Square in the Vatican for the funeral mass.

2 months ago | abc.net.au | Siobhan Marin |Rebecca Armitage

The first Jesuit and Latin American pontiff Pope Francis — born Jorge Mario Bergoglio — has died, aged 88. From the moment he stepped onto the Vatican balcony in his fresh white robes on March 13, 2013, Pope Francis established himself as a very different kind of pontiff. "Good evening!" he bellowed to the crowd of 150,000 people packed into St Peter's Square to witness this historic moment.