Buckingham Palace destruction of the Palace of Westminster by fire in 1834, William considered converting the palace into the new Houses of Parliament. Buckingham Palace finally became the principal royal residence in 1837, on the accession of Queen Victoria, who was the first monarch to reside there; her predecessor William IV had died before its completion. While the state rooms were a riot of gilt and colour, the necessities of the new palace were somewhat less luxurious. For one thing, it was reported the chimneys smoked so much that the fires had to be allowed to die down, and consequently the court
Dara Monarch Dara Monarch Dara Monarch (11 March 1979 – January 2005) was a British-bred, Irish-trained Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. In 1981 he showed very promising form in Ireland, winning the Anglesey Stakes and finishing third in the Railway Stakes. In the following year he won the McCairns Trial Stakes on his seasonal debut and then rebounded from an unplaced effort in the 2000 Guineas to record impressive victories in the Irish 2000 Guineas and St James's Palace Stakes. He was then affected by illness and ran poorly in his three remaining races. After standing as a breeding stallion in Ireland he