Breaking News: Rarely-seen Monaco royals and the reappearance of a royal tiara…Read More

You may have recognised the aquamarine and diamond tiara worn by Queen Camilla to a reception for members of the Diplomatic Corps at Buckingham Palace? The stunning headpiece was worn by Duchess Sophie to two royal weddings – in 2013 at the wedding of Sweden’s Princess Madeleine, and in 2012 at the Hereditary Grand Duke Guillaume of Luxembourg’s nuptials.

Before we go into the royal pictures of the week, it’s time for some royal history.

On this day in royal history, 24 November 1221, The Battle of the Indus was fought between Shah Jalal ad-Din Mingburnu of the Khwarezmian Empire, and Genghis Khan, also called Chinggis, of the Mongol Empire.

It was a critical battle for the Mongol khan, as victory would mean the completion of his conquest of Central Asia.

For context, both the Mongol and Khwarezmian Empires rose to prominence at similar times and seemed poised to co-exist peacefully. This peace was shattered when Jalal ad-Din’s father, Muhammad II, executed a senior Mongol emissary

Quick to deliver retribution, Genghis invaded, and both sides battled. The tide soon turned in favour of Genghis.

Muhammad II fled and died in exile, leaving his son Jalal ad-Din to step up to try and save his failing empire.

Jalal ad-Din quickly mobilised his forces and was able to defeat a Mongol general at the Battle of Parwan using expert strategy.

Unfortunately for Jalal, a large portion of his victorious army deserted after arguing over the spoils of battle. He knew he had little hope of defeating the Mongols, so began to retreat to India.

The Mongols caught up with Jalal ad-Din’s army, and the two forces faced off at dawn. Jalal ad-Din was an extremely capable strategist, and held his own against Genghis until the Mongol army began to break their flank.

Soon it was clear the battle was lost but the brave Jalal ad-Din continued fighting, breaking through the Mongol lines, breaking through them and riding his horse off a 30 foot cliff. Miraculously, he survived and Genghis spared his life.

He called his own sons to watch his rival and said: “Fortunate should be the father of such a son.” While Jalal ad-Din’s sons were killed and his possessions seized, he managed to gather up some of the army and establish a state in India.

Quite the tub-thumping tale! And if you love a spot of history, then don’t forget to read this month’s The Royal Archive, where I look at more royals who fought in wars.

It was a busy day of celebration for the royal family of Monaco as Princess Gabriella and Prince Jacques of Monaco smartened up to join parents Princess Charlene and Prince Albert for the Monaco National Day celebrations on Tuesday.

The royal couple changed into evening attire for a gala evening at Grimaldi Forum later in the day as part of the celebrations.

There was a real royal presence at the University of London on Wednesday when the Queen was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Literature – and in a delightful royal twist, the bestower was none other than sister-in-law Princess Anne.

Camilla became the seventh member of the royal family to receive an honorary doctorate. You can watch the video of Anne awarding Camilla here.

As part of his ongoing work for the homeless initiative Homewards, the Prince of Wales visited a centre in Newport to learn about their approach to preventing women’s homelessness in the city.

Duchess Sophie got hands on during a visit to the Fight for Sight Laboratory at University College on Monday. Sophie is the Global Ambassador for the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness.

Princess Hitachi of Japan

It was an unusual overlap of worlds as Japan’s Princess Hitachi listened to a speech given by former US secretary of state Hillary Clinton during the awards ceremony for Japan’s biggest arts award, the 35th Praemium Imperiale.

Prince Harry

Prince Harry made some new friends on Monday in Vancouver, Canada when he got chatting to some elementary school students as part of a program for the Invictus Games 2025. The program aims to bring the Invictus Games into schools as Harry said the games had a “profound impact” on him.

Queen Mathilde

Prince Harry wasn’t the only royal to visit a school this week as Queen Mathilde of Belgium read to children in a primary school in Ghent on Tuesday, looking glamorous in a matching suit and slingback heels.

The reading is part of a wider initiative called Read-Aloud Week which highlights the importance and pleasure of reading aloud.