Overview

Here is a royal book with a difference. It is a family saga showing the monarchy from the death of Queen Victoria to the present day. But rather than just an account of the reign of the five 20th-century monarchs, this is a study of their dynasty; of both its major and minor members. The entire royal family is vividly portrayed - with its triumphs and its heartbreaks, its brilliance and its mediocrity, its strengths and its vulnerabilities. The main theme explores the way in which, in over eighty years, the royal family has adapted to changing times in order not only to survive but to enhance its position in national and international life. It is an account of a royal house in the state of continuous transition; of a family deeply concerned with making itself relevant to contemporary life while retaining its essential element of mystique. Many other interesting themes also emerge: the education and upbringing of the royal children, the reconciling of public obligations with private inclinations, the constitutional position of the monarch, the frustrations of heirs-apparent, the varied and often onerous duties of family members, the composition of the royal households, the relationship with the press, the contrasting atmosphere of the different reigns, the marriages, the divorces, and the sometimes disastrous love affairs. Theo Aronson in writing this book has received an exceptional degree of cooperation from the Palace. He has been granted audiences with members of four generations of the royal family: the late Princess Alice, Countess of Athlone, the Queen Mother, Princess Margaret and the Prince of Wales. He has also had help from members of the various royal households - secretaries, comptrollers, press secretaries, equerries and ladies-in-waiting. The late C. P. Snow has described Theo Aronson's writing as 'bright with intelligence and human wisdom... very highly recommended'.

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9781910198087

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Reviews

Theo Aronson is my favorite author on the British royal family. He is informative and interesting. Recommended. Susan Snodgrass - Reviewer I was especially fond of how each family member tried to balance their lives between the crown and its accompanying regalia and living as a normal person, and stories about the quirkier, the more outside-the-box family members, like Queen Alexandra, Prince George (Duke of Kent), and, naturally, Princess Margaret. Kristine Fisher - Reviewer Extremely informative, well researched and well written... stands out in its genre. Sarah Kenny - reviewerThe late C. P. Snow described Theo Aronson's writing as 'bright with intelligence and human wisdom... very highly recommended'.

Theo Aronson is my favorite author on the British royal family. He is informative and interesting. Recommended. Susan Snodgrass - Reviewer

Theo Aronson is my favorite author on the British royal family. He is informative and interesting. Recommended. Susan Snodgrass - Reviewer I was especially fond of how each family member tried to balance their lives between the crown and its accompanying regalia and living as a normal person, and stories about the quirkier, the more outside-the-box family members, like Queen Alexandra, Prince George (Duke of Kent), and, naturally, Princess Margaret. Kristine Fisher - Reviewer Extremely informative, well researched and well written... stands out in its genre. Sarah Kenny - reviewer Very well written, lots of interesting information. Janet Perry - reviewerThe late C. P. Snow described Theo Aronson's writing as 'bright with intelligence and human wisdom... very highly recommended'.

Author Information

Theo Aronson is the author of over twenty works of royal historical biography, published in eleven languages. Among the widely read are Grandmama of Europe, The King in Love, and Napoleon and Josephine. In the course of researching and writing these books he has interviewed major and minor members of Britain's royal family and members of the royal households, as well as various officials, servants, friends and others whose lives are in some way connected with the monarchy.

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