Out of Colditz: My Father the POW and the Nazi Who Controlled His Fate by David Lascelles

 

David Lascelles is the 8th Earl of Harewood.   He is the grandson of the late Princess Mary, Princess Royal, who married Henry Lascelles, 6th Earl of Harewood, in 1922.

During the Second World War, Lord Harewood's father, George, 7th Earl of Harewood (1923-2011), was a POW held by the Germans at Colditz with other prominent POWs.

From Amazon:

"The astonishing true story of the high-profile hostages in Colditz Castle and the Nazi general who spared their lives, from David Lascelles, the son of one of the prisoners, George, Earl of Harewood

The nephew of the King. The son of the Viceroy of India. Churchill's nephew. Held captive at the notorious Colditz prisoner of war camp, they were the Prominente: scions of the British establishment, and pawns in the hands of Nazi leaders.

As a German defeat loomed, the SS head of the POW camps Gottlob Berger made a pivotal decision: he would disobey direct orders and spare their lives. "Please remember what I have done for you when the war ends," he asked. This Nazi overseer, who would later be convicted of war crimes, held their future in his hands.

Eighty years later, David Lascelles―who would never have been born if his father had been executed―retraces the Prominentes' extraordinary journey and wonders who Gottlob Berger was and what motivated his fateful decision: compassion? Remorse? Or self-interest?"

The UK edition (Profile) was published earlier this month.  The US edition (St. Martin's Press)  will be available in January 2027.

https://amzn.to/3VZYzal  (US)

https://link.amazon/B0fIR5jcH (UK)

I look forward to early 2027 when I can order the book.    I do have other books ready to read.

https://royalmusingsblogspotcom.blogspot.com/2022/02/princess-mary-weds-her-viscount.html

https://royalmusingsblogspotcom.blogspot.com/2021/02/princess-mary-marries-lord-lascelles.html 

https://royalmusingsblogspotcom.blogspot.com/2019/09/lord-harewood-marries-miss-stein.html

https://royalmusingsblogspotcom.blogspot.com/2019/06/george-vis-nephew-german-captive.html   

https://royalmusingsblogspotcom.blogspot.com/2014/06/lord-lascelles-captured.html  

https://royalmusingsblogspotcom.blogspot.com/2013/03/princess-marys-son-george-is-baptized.html 

https://royalmusingsblogspotcom.blogspot.com/2011/07/george-henry-hubert-lascelles-7th-earl.html

https://royalmusingsblogspotcom.blogspot.com/2011/07/what-may-have-led-to-estrangement.html 

Folkets Konge by Trond Norén Isaksen

 

Trond Norén Isaksen is the historian to go to when you want to know about the Norwegian Royal Family.  He has been on speed dial since King Harald V's death on August 28th, doing TV and print interviews in Norway and other countries.

Folkets Konge is a photobiography of the King.

He was able to do a quick update before hitting the submit button to his publisher.   The book will be available in Norwegian bookstores on September 25th.   This is Trond's eighth book.

From his Facebook page:

"King Harald was one of the most photographed people in Norwegian history, and many publications have been filled with the same well-known photos of the late King. But for the past 2 1/2 years I have been digging through archives both at home and abroad in search of the photos we have not seen. 322 unpublished or rare images have been collected from sources ranging from the dusty basements of Norwegian and Swedish agencies to American presidential libraries and the private albums of King Baudouin of the Belgians.

But this is not merely a picture book; it is also the first full biography of King Harald. We meet the little prince who grew up as a refugee, the young yachtsman, the crown prince who fought for the love of his life, the heir who was kept on a tight leash by King Olav, the evironmental pioneer who already in the 1980s warned about climate change, the husband, father and grandfather, and not least the king who with warmth and dignity was at his people’s side throughout dark times and great changes.

This book is for everyone who wants to remember King Harald and get to know him better."

Several people asked Trond if the book would be available in English.  His repeated response, which I love: 

That is not for the author to decide, but if a foreign-language publisher is interested in purchasing the translation rights and willing to cover the cost of translating, illustrating, printing, distributing, and marketing it, they should feel free to contact me."

I do not know if Norwegian bookstores sell outside the country, especially outside Scandinavia.   You can contact a bookstore and ask.

The publisher is Aschehoug. Their email is epost@aschehoug.no

Here are two Norwegian bookshops.   Trond recommended Norli.no, but the website shows a 403 Forbidden error when you click the link.

Trond has included more information on how to order the book through Norli.

"The bookshop Norli Bokhuset in Tromsø has agreed to ship it abroad. Orders can be sent to their email address Bokhuset.tromso@norli.no and must include name, address, mobile phone number and email address. The bookstore will then send customers a payment link, and it is possible to pay by card or by the Norwegian payment app Vipps."

https://www.ark.no/produkt/folkets-konge-9788203454493  

https://www.bokklubben.no/biografier-kongelige/folkets-konge-trond-noren-isaksen/produkt.do?produktId=230228478&srsltid=AfmBOor7ZTpd9CObiMFHDdO5R9oNK2Iz1ErCGQtmpRSGJZMtBBPtVY08

Swan Song: Diana My Sister by Charles Spencer

 

On August 18th, the Daily Mail reported that the Earl Spencer has written a book about his late sister, Diana, Princess of Wales.    The former wife of King Charles III and the mother of his two sons, William and Harry, was killed in a car crash in Paris.  The crash was caused by the car's driver, Henri Paul, who was three times over the legal drinking limit.

The Amazon blurb: 

Beautiful. Beloved. Hunted. The extraordinary life and death of Diana, as told by her brother, Charles – available to pre-order now.

‘When asked, ‘What was it like, growing up with Diana?’, my first thought is always, But I don’t know what it was like not to grow up with her…’

In September 1997, Charles Spencer stood in Westminster Abbey before a watching world and shared his grief at losing his beloved sister, Diana. Now, nearly thirty years later, he tells the astonishing story of his life with Diana and the tragic week of her death.

In childhood, Charles and Diana, the youngest Spencers, were inseparable – secretly calling one another Duch and Carlos. As each other’s closest confidantes, they roamed the family estate, endured extremely challenging boarding schools, survived terrifying nannies and helped each other through the agony of their parents’ divorce.

Yet everything changed when Diana married the Prince of Wales, now King Charles III, and overnight became a global icon. Charles saw his older sister serve the world’s marginalized and relish being mother to her treasured sons.

But, pursued by a barbaric press as her royal marriage crumbled, she was left desperately alone. Charles always tried to be there for Diana – until that black night in August, 1997.

In Swan Song, Charles Spencer provides the most intimate, loving and honest portrait yet of his sister."

The book will be published by Penguin in the United Kingdom and in the United States on September 22. 

https://link.amazon/B0fOzjsxN (UK)

https://amzn.to/4zrjqTi (US)

If you order a copy of the book through my links, I will earn a few pennies toward an Amazon gift card ... so I can buy more books.  

An Interview with Philip Ziegler 1982

Embed from Getty Images 

  I interviewed biographer Philip Ziegler in August 1982.  I was 28 years old.  This was published in the original Royal Book News newsletter - July-August 1982 (vol 2 issue 6).  I used a typewriter.  Yeah, a TYPEWRITER.  No Computers, no cell phones.  

Philip Sandeman Ziegler (December 24, 1929 – 22 February 22, 2023)

https://amzn.to/4gjvBc4  (US)

https://link.amazon/B0bUQufUV (UK)

https://amzn.to/3U6gDyL

https://link.amazon/B0aGC6h7P

https://amzn.to/45xEw4Y

https://link.amazon/B07P83TfY

Books about Belvoir Castle

 

https://amzn.to/4gdQI1c  US

https://amzn.to/4eVltps  UK

https://amzn.to/4eJGkgs  (US)

https://amzn.to/3RgR5hl  (UK)

https://amzn.to/4wtsrct  US

https://amzn.to/4vN9Xng UK

https://royalmusingsblogspotcom.blogspot.com/2026/07/belvoir-castle-june-11-2026.html

Need something to read?

 

Sally Bedell Smith is a superb historian-cum-biographer.  Her newest book is George VI and Elizabeth, which is meticulously researched.  The late Queen Elizabeth II  granted Bedell Smith access to her parents' diaries and correspondence and the papers of friends and family

This access allowed Bedell Smith to write a truly authoritative book about the lives of Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon and Prince Albert, Duke of York, who married in 1923.  Theirs was the "The Marriage That Saved the Monarchy,"  the book's understated subtitle.

It was this marriage of a king who overcame his insecurities, supported by the confident woman he loved, the mother of his two beloved daughters, Princess Elizabeth and Princess Margaret.  The Duke of York emerged from the ashes of his brother's abdication to lead the nation and the Empire throughout the Second World War.  

King George VI and Queen Elizabeth breathed new life into the British monarchy.  George's reign would not be long, however, as "heavy cigarette smoking" was responsible for the lung cancer that ended his life on February 6, 1952.   George Vu was only 56 years old when he died.  He was succeeded by his elder daughter, Elizabeth.

This dual biography is a monumental achievement that will provide insight and guidance to future historians.  

George VI and Elizabeth was published in the US by Random House.   The UK publisher is Michael Joseph.

https://amzn.to/4d6Eun8

https://amzn.to/3VZQiRQ

   

Acclaimed royal biographer Hugo Vickers was in his pram when his parents watched Queen Elizabeth II's Coronation in June 1953.    He would later study the Coronation in "great detail," and his research led to the publication of his book, Coronation in 2013.

This book, Coronation The Crowning of Elizabeth II, is an updated edition of the 2013 version.

Hugo divided into three sections: Accession, Preparation, and Coronation Day,  Hugo's research and insight are impeccable.   Yes, there are footnotes with superb sources.

Coronation The Crowning of Elizabeth II was published in a paperback edition by Dovecote Press.

https://amzn.to/3PZVb9V

Amazon (US) does not have the 2023 edition but you can order the original book.

https://amzn.to/3Q0AjPU

Here is the link for Dovecote Press.  You can contact the company for postage costs outside the UK.  

https://www.dovecotepress.com/authors/hugo-vickers/

I recommend adding this gem of a book to your royal book collections.

Lady Pamela Hicks' Books

 

https://amzn.to/3Q2G5ne  (US)

https://amzn.to/49KxGeL  (UK)

https://amzn.to/4epai9k  (US)

https://amzn.to/4fvjUjR  (UK)

https://amzn.to/3RT1aRB  (US)

https://amzn.to/4uYWNmE  (UK)

https://royalbooknews.blogspot.com/2024/10/lady-pamela-by-india-hicks.html

https://royalbooknews.blogspot.com/2013/02/daughter-if-empire-life-as-mountbatten.html

https://royalbooknews.blogspot.com/2010/10/lady-pamela-hicks-to-write-memoirs.html