Victoria Hill

A Passion for History

For many people, the words “passion” and “history” are rarely used together in the same sentence. Personally, there are few things I enjoy more than history, except perhaps combining it with my other passions of writing and travel. Needless to say, the expression of my passion for history is most evident in both my travel patterns and my personal writing endeavors.
   At any given time, I am in the process of researching or writing history or travel-related articles, as well as a bit of historical fiction here and there. I write both for myself and for publication, and have been published in a number of web sites, magazines and scholarly journals. One of these days, I might even finish a book-length project. Some of my favorite subjects include:

• Historical royalty, especially obscure or traditionally underserved topics. For two years I wrote a column that addressed topics ranging from royal peccadilloes to important royal jewelry for Etoile's Unofficial Royalty Site under the pseudonym "The Royal Scribe." I’ve also published articles on subjects like the historic Czech monarchy and the courting of “Fat Mary” of Teck.
• I’m particularly interested in American women who have married into European royalty and aristocracy. I’ve written several in-depth articles on women like Elizabeth “Betsy” Patterson, who married Napoleon Bonaparte’s brother, and Alice Heine, the first American princess of Monaco, for publications like European Royal History Journal and Royalty Digest Quarterly.
• Historic homes and palaces, especially in Britain and Spain, have featured high on my agenda. Some good examples of my writing on this subject can be found in a great web magazine called TimeTravel-Britain, including articles on Kew Palace, Marble Hill House, Hever Castle, Gawthorpe Hall, and many others.
• The Duke and Duchess of Windsor appear frequently in my writing. I've written a number of articles for the Duke and Duchess of Windsor Society Quarterly. I also served as a historical consultant for a BBC Radio play about the Duke and Duchess. Read the sidebar on this page for more on this subject.
• Since marrying a Spaniard, my interest in Spanish history has increased exponentially. One manifestation of this is The Unofficial Spanish Royal Family Pages, a section of Etoile's Unofficial Royalty Site that I researched and wrote. I’ve also published articles on historic Spanish sites like The Alcázar of Segovia.

Read more about all my writing