You must act quickly, and order Robert Golden's newest book,
Connaught A Royal Family Album
because it is absolutely terrific. Golden, who writes a monthly column for Majesty Magazine, specializes in junior branches of the royal family, and has cultivated friendships and contacts among the descendants of these families.
The amazing photographs in this book were provided by Lady Saltoun, who offered Golden unfettered access to Lady Patricia Ramsay's photographs, Charlotte Zeepvat, Robin Piguet, and, as a matter of transparency, Marlene Eilers Koenig. That would be me - and I provided about a dozen photographs. I also gave genealogical information to publisher Ted Rosvall, for the descendants of the Duke of Connaught. (Mr. Rosvall was the publisher of my books,
Queen Victoria's Descendants and
Queen Victoria's Descendants: A Companion Edition.)
This book also stands out because Ted Rosvall, as the publisher, has taken the time to make sure the layout looks professional. The manuscript was checked by a professional editor before the book went to press, thus, avoiding a plethora of typos, misspellings, and inaccuracies.
A selection of the photos will be familiar to many as they were published in previous books or are in our postcard collections. Other photographs are from private collections or royal archives offer new glimpses into the lives of the Duke and Duchess of Connaught, their three children, Margaret, Arthur, and Patricia, and their families.
One of my favorite photos is on page 93 showing the Duke and Duchess of Connaught with Princess Patricia and the family dog, Don, taken in Victoria, British Columbia, in 1915. It is a formal, yet informal photograph of the family. The Duke, crossing one leg over the other, looks dapper, while his wife, Louise Margaret, dressed simply, shows her age, and, her declining health.
Another photo, on page 107, was the Duke of Connaught's 1925 Christmas card -- a photo of the Duke with his daughter, Lady Patricia, and several grandchildren: Sandy Ramsay, Princess Ingrid and two of her brothers, Princes Bertil and Carl Johan.
The book also includes an updated genealogy of the Duke of Connaught's descendants.
Connaught A Royal Family Album is Bobby Golden's fourth book published by Rosvall, and it is a triumph.
http://royalbooks.se/
