Sunday, May 30, 2021

Remember When William and Kate A Royal 10 Years

 





The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge celebrated their tenth anniversary on April 29.    To commemorate this milestone, Historic Newspapers published Remember When William and Kate A Royal 10 Years.  This volume provides reproduces articles from the Daily Mirror from their wedding day through official tours, the births of their three children, George, Charlotte, and Louis, and other major events in their lives, culminated with the tour of the UK last December.

This is the perfect gift for Cambridge fans or people interested in royal history.  I am sure some of my readers will be eager to order a copy.

Click the link and you can order a personalized copy of  Remember When  William and Kate A Royal 10 Years starting at $79.00/£44.99.

https://www.historic-newspapers.com/gifts/historical-newspaper-books/william-and-kate-book/

https://www.historic-newspapers.co.uk/gifts/historical-newspaper-books/william-and-kate-book/

Monday, May 24, 2021

New books from Rosvall Royal Books including My Dear Mama

 


This is Awesome news although I have known about several of these books in the works (including Diana Mandache's My Dear Mama, which, I know, will be a major success.


https://www.royalbooks.se/artikel/22/welcome-to-rosvall-royal-books-and-to-royalty-digest-quarterly.html

Sunday, May 9, 2021

Becoming Queen Mary by Kori Roff-Lawrence

 


Will someone please find a publisher for Kori Roff-Lawrence's Becoming Queen Mary, which is available solely through Amazon.   This is the first volume in a trilogy about Queen Mary's life. 

I am serious.  This book needs a wider market.  It needs to be read and appreciated for the depth and breadth of research into Mary's life.  

Okay, in case you do not know who Queen Mary was (1867-1953), she was born HSH Princess May of Teck, the only daughter, and eldest child of HRH Princess Mary Adelaide of Cambridge and HRH The Duke of Teck, a morganatic scion of the German house of Württemberg.   Mary Adelaide, the People's Princess, was Queen Victoria's first cousin.

The elderly queen was fond of May and championed her as a bride for her grandson, Prince Albert Victor, Duke of Clarence and Avondale, second in line to the throne after his father, the Prince of Wales. Unfortunately, for May,  Albert Victor succumbed to pneumonia in January 1892, a month before their wedding.

Albert Victor's younger brother, Prince George, Duke of York, needed a bride so why not May.  They were married in July 1893.   

Roff-Lawrence's research goes beyond the traditional biographies and histories.  She also included newspaper and magazine coverage of the young May's life.

This is a well-written and composed biography that needs more exposure because it is that good.

[In full transparency, I must add that I did read this book before publication, proofreading and making editorial comments, such as adding more endnotes and footnotes.]

Yea, this book has an index, footnotes, and endnotes, as well as a bibliography to drool over.  

Becoming Queen Mary is a crowning achievement.  I look forward to Volume 2.

Any respectable publishing house would want to have a book of this caliber on its list.


New Royal Special/Commemorative Magazines

 


If you are browsing the checkout aisles at the supermarkets or a local bookstore, you cannot miss the latest in royally-themed magazines, especially with the recent death of HRH The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, and Duke and Duchess of Cambridge's 10th wedding anniversary. 


 William and Kate The Life and Love of a Future King and Queen was published by Life Magazine ($14.99). This 96-page publication includes articles on the couple, as well as profiles - and plenty of photographs. 

 Kate The New People's Princess (Centennial Media) is a glossy magazine (98) pages, froth-fulled articles about their romance, the fairy-tale wedding, and how she is preparing for her life as Queen. This magazine will appeal to her fans. 

 The editors of People magazine have done an excellent job with Prince Philip 1921-2021, a 96-page special magazine that commemorated the life of Queen Elizabeth's husband and consort. The articles are well-researched and offer readers a comprehensive account of Philip's life and the "lifelong love story" between Philip and the Queen.  This was an enjoyable read. Well worth the purchase ($14.99).

This publication is an updated edition of a People magazine special issue: Elizabeth and Philip: A Royal Romance, published in 2017.


 Kate The New People's Princess is an attractive glossy magazine that will appeal to Catherine's fans. Pure sugar. This issue commemorated Catherine's first ten years as a royal, focusing on her early life, marriage and motherhood, and her future role as Queen Consort. Lavishly illustrated. You can find this magazine until May 24 at supermarkets and bookstores, including at Barnes & Noble. The price is $12.99.

 I sincerely doubt none of the British newspapers would be able to publish something similar to Harry & Meghan Their American Life. This 96-page special edition was published by The Los Angeles Times. Although several of the articles were first published in the newspaper, most of the articles are new. 

 The magazine is divided into four major chapters: Their American Life, A Modern Royal Romance, Growing up Meghan, and A Prince's Journey. Each chapter includes several articles. I bought this magazine at Wal-Mart. I have also seen it at Barnes & Noble. The articles are honest, and the writers have done their research although there were a few struggles with writing about titles. This publication far superior to Finding Freedom, as the writers are actual journalists, who avoid the saccharine style of royal feature writing (such as the Kate magazine reviewed in this post) and offer readers an honest approach to Harry and Meghan. 


 Those who hate Meghan and Harry for their decision to dispense with their senior royal status without understanding the reasons might not like this magazine. I recommend they read the magazine because it is well-written and informative without an ounce of negativity. 

 Perhaps someone can send Piers Morgan a copy of Harry & Meghan Their American Life, which has been published by a Pulitzer Prize-winning major daily broadsheet.


  

Saturday, May 8, 2021

Princess Mary by Elisabeth Basford

 


Finally a proper biography of the late Princess Mary, Princess Royal, the only daughter of King George V and Queen Mary.  Yorkshire-resident Elisabeth Basford is the author of Princess Mary, The First Modern Princess, well-researched and sympathetic biography of the Princess, who spent most of her married life in Yorkshire, first as the wife, then widow of Henry, 6th Earl of Harewood, raising two sons, and undertaking numerous engagements in the United Kingdom and abroad.


Mary was the least known of George V's kids.  This lack of attention has led to "rumour and gossip about Mary's life.  The Downtown Abbey movie perpetuated the false story that Lord Harewood  was a "cold and detached man."   Basford dispatches this and other canards about Mary's life to the ash heap of erroneous information.

This biography offers readers new insight into Mary's life.  Duty and public service to the Crown were paramount but Mary, who was created Princess Royal in 1931,  also threw herself into the Yorkshire community after her marriage. Yorkshire considered Mary as their princess as Basford writes: "Mary's presence in the region was vital to people's perceptions of the royal family."

She was a strong supporter of the Girl Guides and girls' education.   

Elisabeth Basford has done a lot of research, delving into correspondence in private collections and the local press.   I am sure there must be more information to be mined and I hope the present Lord Harewood will open the family archives to historians and biographers.  I would love to see further additions to this biography.

Princess Mary lived largely under the radar as a member of the royal family although the same could not be said for her two sons, George, 7th Earl of Harewood, and his younger brother, the Hon. Gerald Lascelles, both of whom fathered children out of wedlock and later married the mothers.  But unlike Mary,  Lord Harewood and Gerald Lascelles were not members of the Royal family, albeit the Queen's first cousins.

Mary spent the last weeks of her life, representing the Crown.  Her last official engagement was representing the Queen at the funeral of Queen Louise of Sweden on March 13, 1965.  After her return to London, Mary visited her brother David, who was in the hospital recovering from eye surgery.  She had remained in contact with her older brother, although she never accepted his decision to put love before his responsibilities and duties as king.

She did have heart issues, but Mary enjoyed walking 2 miles every day when she was at Harewood.   On March 28, 1965, Mary spent some time with four of her grandsons, all on Easter break.  The author writes "all the grandchildren," but this was incorrect as the princess did not know about her youngest grandsons, Martin, 3, and Mark, then eight months old, the illegitimate sons of Gerald and George.

The four boys and Lord Harewood joined Mary for a stroll.  She tripped and fell and George helped her to a nearby bench,  Mary died in her son's arms 15 minutes later.

Elisabeth Basford has written a competent and very readable biography of King George V's only daughter.  Princess Mary has ceased to be the distant and shy princess, but a woman of strong views and convictions, a princess who found her place in Yorkshire, where she could shine -- without a lot of fuss.  

Yorkshire had become her home where she was able to live a life, away from the hustle and bustle of London.  Mary was said to be shy and reserved, but she never shied away from serving the Crown.

Princess Mary The First Modern Princess is highly recommended.





Tuesday, May 4, 2021

The Bench by Meghan, Duchess of Sussex

 


The Duchess of Sussex had penned a children's book, The Bench, will be published on June 8


"Meghan, The Duchess of Sussex’s first children’s book, The Bench, beautifully captures the special relationship between father and son, as seen through a mother’s eyes. The book’s storytelling and illustration give us snapshots of shared moments that evoke a deep sense of warmth, connection, and compassion.

 This is your bench

Where you’ll witness great joy.

From here you will rest

See the growth of our boy.

 In The Bench, Meghan, The Duchess of Sussex, touchingly captures the evolving and expanding relationship between father and son and reminds us of the many ways that love can take shape and be expressed in a modern family.

 Evoking a deep sense of warmth, connection, and compassion, The Duchess’s debut children’s book gives us a window into shared and enduring moments between a diverse group of fathers and sons—moments of peace and reflection, trust and belief, discovery and learning, and comfort and nurture.

 Working in watercolor for the first time, Caldecott-winning, bestselling illustrator Christian Robinson expands on his signature style to bring joy and softness to the pages, reflecting the beauty of a father’s love through a mother’s eyes.  

 With a universal message, this thoughtful and heartwarming read-aloud is destined to be treasured by families for generations to come."


Random House for Younger Readers is publishing the US edition and Puffin is the UK publisher.