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This book is available on both sides of the Pond
On the night of September 25, 1829, the jewels of the Princess of Orange disappeared from her palace in Brussels. Suspicion quickly fell on her husband, Prince Willem of Orange, a Waterloo veteran known to be deeply in debt. But when the police failed to find any witnesses or leads, the investigation ground to a halt.
In 1831, Anna Pavlovna’s jewels surfaced in New York in the hands of a former Napoleonic deserter named Constant Polari. Dutch officials scrambled to reclaim the jewels and extradite Polari, hoping a public trial would clear their prince’s name. But President Andrew Jackson’s customs collector preferred to confiscate the jewels, sell them, and pocket his share of the proceeds. When Polari’s lover dug up a buried portion of the gems and sailed for Europe, it triggered a race across the Atlantic, a kidnapping from Bellevue prison, and a sensational trial with a last-minute twist.
True crime meets royal history in this long-forgotten caper that pitted the old world’s diplomacy against the new world’s self-determinism. Drawing on previously neglected case documents and sources in five languages, the tale of Anna Pavlovna’s stolen jewels unfolds against a backdrop of war, revolution, corruption, and betrayal.
The book will be published in the US on June 30, 2026. The price will be $39.95.
The UK publication date is April 30, 2026.
The publisher is Pen & Sword History.https://girlinthetiara.com/
Jenni Wiltz is a superb and sassy royal historian. She runs the blog The Girl in the Tiara.
Grand Duchess Anna Pavlovna of Russia (1795–1865) was the eighth child of Emperor Paul I of Russia and his wife, Princess Sophie Dorothea of Württemberg, who became Empress Marie Feodorovna of Russia. In February 1816, she married the Prince of Orange, the future King Willem II of the Netherlands.
Paul - Anna - Willem III - Wilhelmina - Juliana - Beatrix - Willem-Alexander - Catharina-Amalia.
I look forward to reading Jenni's book.
Maria Pavlovna 1890-1958
Grand Duchess of Russia, Princess of Sweden, Duchess of Södermanland, Princess Putiatine [In English]
152 pages, 419 illustrations, more than a hundred from the private albums of the Imperial Family. Also: an illustrated genealogical section of the ancestors and descendants of "Marie", composed by Ted Rosvall.To read more and to order copies, go to
https://www.royalbooks.se/products/maria-pavlovna
The Daily Mail's gossip columnist, Richard Eden, has revealed the name of Queen Elizabeth II's official biographer.
King Charles II has selected Anna Keay as his mother's official biographer, according to Eden, who learned the writer's name at the launch party for Robert Hardman's Elizabeth II: In Private. In Public. The Inside Story, held at the iconic Hatchards bookstore on Piccadilly.
Eden noted that the King "wanted the commission to go to a woman." Charles knows Kealy and trusts her "to do a thorough job." She will have full access to the late queen's private papers.
This has not been confirmed by an official announcement from Buckingham Palace.
Dr. Keay, 51, is the Director of the Landmark Trust, an organization that restores historic buildings. The King is the Trust's patron. She is also a trustee of the Royal Collection Trust.
She earned a degree in history from Magdalene College, Oxford, and a Ph.D from Queen Mary, University of London. Her dissertation, The Ceremonies of Charles II's Court, which inspired her book, The Magnificent Monarch: Charles II and the Ceremonies of Power.
Embed from Getty Images Embed from Getty Images
After working for seven years as Assistant Curator of the Historic Royal Palace, Dr. Keay was hired in 2002 by English Heritage, where she remained for ten years. In 2012, she was named Director of the Landmark Trust.
She is married to Simon Hurley, an architectural historian. They met at English Heritage, where he was Executive Director from 2002 through 2015. He currently serves as the Chair of the National Heritage Lottery Fund. The couple has twin children, Arthur and Maude.
Dr. Keay is a scholarly historian and biographer. Her books include:
The Last Royal Rebel: The Life and Death of James, Duke of Monmouth
Crown Jewels: The Official Illustrated History
The Magnificent Monarch: Charles II and the Ceremonies of Power
Here is the link to the original Daily Mail article.
Hodder & Stoughton will publish Hugo Vickers' Queen Elizabeth: A Personal History on April 9. No US publisher yet.
Fashioning the Crown: A Story of Power, Conflict and Couture by Justine Picardie was published by Faber & Faber in the UK and Pegasus in the United States.
The History Press is the publisher of Victoria Arbiter's new book, Queen Elizabeth II: An Icon of Modern Monarchy. The book was published in the UK in February. History Press will release the book in the US in October 2026.
Caroline de Guitaut is the author of Queen Elizabeth: Fashion and Style, published by the Royal Trust Collection, which is the companion to the forthcoming exhibit, Queen Elizabeth II: Her Life and Style. The exhibition opens at the King's Gallery at Buckingham Palace on April 10th.
The US edition will be released on May 4, 2026.
The Royal Collection is also the publisher of Royal Diamonds: Two Centuries of British Royal Jewels. This book was published in the UK earlier this month.
The American edition will be released on April 21.
Robert Hardman's book, Elizabeth II: In Private. In Public. Her Story will be published in the United States on May 19th. Pegasus is the publisher.
The UK edition was released today, April 9th, by Macmillan.
Grand Duke Dimitri was the son of Grand Duke Paul and Princess Alexandra of Greece and Denmark.
Princess Alexandra died in childbirth after giving birth to Dimitri. Grand Duke Paul was murdered by the Bolsheviks in January 1919.
Amberley Press is the publisher. The book is scheduled for UK release on August 15.
Hanson is the author of The Wandering Princess, a biography of Princess Helene of Orléans, who married the Duke of Aosta.
https://royalbooknews.blogspot.com/2017/12/the-wandering-princess-by-edward-hanson.html
I will earn a few pennies toward Amazon gift cards if you use the links to purchase these books and shop. Thanks
Russell Myers is the Royal Editor for London's Daily Mirror.
"From the relentless media scrutiny and controversies of their 2022 Caribbean Tour to the shock cancer diagnoses of both the Princess of Wales and the King, this captivating biography by acclaimed royal journalist Russell Myers intimately traces the story of William and Catherine’s relationship from their earliest meeting at St Andrews University to the present day.
Drawing on exclusive access to numerous palace insiders, it offers never-before-told context about the biggest stories to have followed the Prince and Princess of Wales in recent years – including the Sussex departure, the forming of the ‘Cambridge way,’ and the death of Queen Elizabeth II – and provides an unprecedented glimpse into their private lives.
Highlighting the couple's resilience and dedication in the face of adversity, William and Catherine present a deeply personal perspective on how the events the Prince and Princess have weathered together will shape their vision for a modern monarchy – as they set out to secure its safe continuation at a time of extreme change and turmoil."
