Most people save the best for last, but I prefer the best first, since I'm reviewing eight more books.
In 2019, Rizzoli published Modern Monarchy: The British Royal Family Today, offering insight into the Royal Family at official events, tours, and private moments. Jackson is one of the star photographers who has had the honor of covering royal events and tours, and has been asked to take family portraits.
https://royalbooknews.blogspot.com/2019/05/modern-monarchy-by-chris-jackson.html
Jackson is back with a new book, the amazing and mesmerizing Modern Majesty: The British Royal Family in a New Era, also published by Rizzoli. The first chapter is titled King Charles III Portrait of King, where the focus is Charles's "incredible ability to connect with people in a genuine manner," a man with "innate curiosity and interest in the lives of others." The photos focus on the king and his family - from the coronation to state visits to special moments, such as a happy Prince Louis sitting on Grandpa's lap.
The Coronation photos are stunning. All the photos are stunning.
The other chapters are titled: Strength in Adversity (Covid-19, Queen Elizabeth's death and funeral), Royal Travel (Diplomacy and Spectacle), Queen Elizabeth II (An Unsurpassed Legacy), Camilla (A Strength and Stay for Her Generation), Catherine (Icon and Advocate), Champions of the Environment. William (Father, Son and Future King).
I love the images where Charles and Camilla have eyes for each other-- a couple truly in love. When he took the Queen's 78th birthday portrait at Ray Mill, her home in Gloucestershire, he said: "I like to keep these shots simple. For me it is about creating a relaxed situation in order to capture a genuine moment -- on this day in such stunning surroundings it really was not hard."
240 pages of superb, historic photos. Modern Majesty will make a nice Christmas/Holiday/Birthday present to yourself or to someone you know who will appreciate the work of a virtuoso photographer..
Chris Jackson is Getty Images' Royal Photographer. Not a bad job to have. He also wrote the text.
Modern Majesty is a book you'll want to treasure and display on your cocktail table, so everyone on the couch will want to take it in their hands and appreciate every superb photo. It is the perfect companion to Jackson's first book, Modern Monarchy.
https://link.amazon/B0gq1NdlM (UK)
While browsing the history section at Hatchards earlier this year, I noticed The Queen and the Mistress: The Women of Edward III, a dual biography of Philippa of Hainault and Alice Perrers.
Gemma Holman wrote it, and The History Press published it.
Philippa and Edward were only teenagers when they married—a political marriage that lasted forty-one years. Twelve children, and a true marital partnership. The widowed Alice Perrers caught the eye of the king, as his wife was dying. Within a matter of time, Alice became the most powerful woman at court and amassed great wealth. She used her position as the King's mistress to achieve this power and wealth, which led to her downfall after the King's death.
Philippa was seen as the perfect medieval queen, educated, deeply religious, and loyal to her husband. She also refused to be drawn into court politics, which also endeared her to the English people.
Their marriage was one of respect and, perhaps, love, as Philippa was a supportive wife and a good mother.
The daughter of a London goldsmith, Alice knew how to manipulate her lover, even as he mourned his wife. She was also an intelligent woman who parlayed her position as mistress to benefit herself and her family.
Gemma Hollman has written a true scholarly masterpiece. A comfortable, serious read that is gives great insight into the lives of Edward III's Queen and mistress. She is a historian worth appreciating.
Diana Mandache's Vise spulberate. Elisabeta. Principesa Romaniei, Regina Greciei is not available in English, but I wanted to give it a shout-out because a. Diana is a respected Romanian royal historian and b. the book is well-researched with citations, footnotes, etc., and so many previously unseen photographs.
The English translation of the title is: Shattered Dreams. Elisabeth, Princess of Romania, Queen of Greece.
The biography is honest about Elisabeta's life. The text is in Romanian. Diana was discerning in choosing the book's photographs. There are no plans for an English translation, which is a shame because Diana is fluent in English, and several of her works were published in English.
Corint Books, a Bucharest-based publisher, published the book. The website is in Romanian, but you can click Translate. The book will cost about $20 plus postage. If you are interested in ordering the book, use this email to contact the publisher about postage.
The book is not available on Amazon or Amazon.co.uk.
https://link.amazon/B05fHBhg4 (UK)
Frances Dimond spent 15 years researching and writing Queen Alexandra Loyalty and Love, published by History & Heritage in early 2022. This isn't a book you read in one sitting, or even in a week. 700-plus pages. Impeccable research, but the text is tedious, though comprehensive. It is not a straightforward biography, but more like what Alexandra did every day.
Tedious but comprehensive. Three indexes: Queen Alexandra and King Edward VII, Persons, and a General Index. Each chapter has endnotes, which historians love. Published as a trade paperback, the book has only 15 illustrations.
Alexandra's biographers face a major problem: the lack of a paper trail. Alexandra destroyed her correspondence and diaries, leaving ... to use secondary and tertiary sources. Dimond tracked down some of Alexandra's letters to others, but unlike Queen Victoria and Queen Mary, she left no exhaustive detail about her life.
Queen Alexandra is thorough and wide-ranging. It is also difficult to read. Think of it as climbing Mount Everest in a storm.
Before Dimond's tome, the most recent biography of Alexandra was published in 1969 and written by Georgina Battiscombe.
The book is certainly scholarly, but Dimond's format and style will not appeal to the general reader.
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https://link.amazon/B09jpzLRS (UK)
Caroline Hallemann, the digital director at Town & Country magazine, sent me a copy of her new book, The Kennedys and the Windsors (G.P. Putnam's Sons). She included a note with the book that read, "Enjoy reading." Dear Caroline, I enjoyed the book.
If I hadn't liked the book, I would have written it here. However, the book is a good study of two dynasties, the Windsors (born) and the Kennedys (made). Both families suffered numerous tragedies, especially the Kennedys.
As Caroline points out, "over the past one hundred years, few families have so thoroughly occupied the public discourse as the Windsors and the Kennedys - the British royal family and the closest thing America has to one."
The focus is on the juxtaposition of the two families. As the US ambassador to the UK(1938-1940), Joe Kennedy, the family patriarch, was the first to interact with the British royals. His daughter, Kathleen, fell in love with the heir to the Duke of Devonshire. Much to the disappointment of Kick's mom, Rose, the wedding to the Marquess of Hartington took place in a registry office because of their religious differences. Kick was Roman Catholic and her husband was Anglican.
Fast forward to Elizabeth II's Coronation. Young Jacqueline Bouvier was a reporter in the UK covering the Coronation, or rather, interviewing the vox populi. She married an up-and-coming politician, Jack Kennedy, Kick's brother. It was the age of Camelot when Kennedy was elected President in 1960. The Kennedys and the Windsors interacted several times in the 1960s; the most poignant and bittersweet was at Runnymede in 1965, where the late President was honored at a memorial.
The comparisons continued with the next generation, with reports that JFK's son, John, and Diana, Princess of Wales, had tea together in New York. The coincidences also continued. Diana, killed in a car crash, and John and his wife and her sister, killed in a plane crash, a plane that John was the pilot.
This isn't the usual topic for a book about the royals, but it isn't the first. In 2004, Will Swift wrote The Roosevelts and the Royals: Franklin and Eleanor, the King and Queen of England, and the Friendship That Changed History.
The Kennedys and the Windsors provides a strong overview of the two families and their global influence. Caroline made excellent use of archives and many sources. There are endnotes, citations, and an index.
Highly recommended.
https://link.amazon/B0cXNYxIf (UK)
I was thrilled to see Roger Lundgren's Sibylla Mother of a King available in English. Lundgren, one of the foremost Swedish royal historians and commentators, has published numerous books in Swedish on the Swedish royal family.
Aniara, a Swedish-based AI-publishing company, published the English-language edition. It appears the translation was done by AI, with no human intervention to check for inconsistencies in grammar, spelling, or the use of names. Before the submit button was hit, a native English speaker with editing experience should have gone through the book with a finely tuned red pen. Someone with royal history experience could also have been consulted to catch the inconsistencies.
On page 127, the Duchess of York, later the Queen Mother, was listed as one of the bridesmaids at the wedding of Lady May Cambridge and Sir Henry Abel Smith. Princess Sibylla and Lady May were first cousins. The Duchess was not one of the bridesmaids. Her older daughter, Princess Elizabeth of York, was one of Lady May's attendants.
This mistake also appears in the original Swedish edition.
Roger is a friend of mine, and I would be happy to go through the English-language edition, highlighting the inconsistencies in names, translations, and mistakes. The publisher's website states: "Bringing works into new languages with editorial care."
In my not-always humble view, this book and its author deserved better editorial care. The book remains a good, informative read. Humans must play a role in editing and translating books to avoid producing a slapdash job.
This edition does not include images.
Aniara also published Roger's book, The King of Sweden: A Biography. I will purchase the book after I earn another Amazon gift card.
https://link.amazon/B0aKisO9F (UK)
There are a few English-language books about the Swedish royal family. Amazon recommended Lisa Viktorsson's Louise Mountbatten: A Biography of the Lady Who Became Queen of Sweden to me. Scary how much Amazon knows about me. I ordered the book.
I own Margit Fjellman's Louise Mountbatten: Queen of Sweden, which was published in 1968. The English-language edition is an abridged version of Fjellman's original work. It is an excellent study of the late Queen Louise, consort of King Gustaf VI Adolf, and the late Prince Philip's aunt.
Let's just say I had high hopes that Lisa's book would offer an even more detailed portrait of Louise. Unfortunately, the book was a bit disjointed - and it screamed for a good editor.
Recito Förlag, a Swedish firm specializing in self-publishing services and e-books, published the book.
Neither book includes an index, which is a major sin in my view. Why? Biographies study the lives of a range of people, including royalty. Biographies are research tools for historians. Without an index, how can a researcher or anyone else find information in the book? At least Lisa Viktrsson included a bibliography. Roger's book has no source material: no bibliography, no citations.
Indexes, bibliographies, citations, footnotes, and endnotes allow others, including historians and biographers, to follow the author's paper trail. Research is important.
Writing a biography? Invest in an indexer. You won't regret it.
https://link.amazon/B00S4TjgF (UK)
I enjoyed The Rebel Romanov, Julie of Saxe-Coburg: The Empress Russia Never Had, by Helen Rappaport. Princess Juliane of Saxe-Coburg & Saafeld (1781-1860), albeit with a few minute gripes.
Empress Catherine (the Great) selected the young princess from a minor German principality to marry her grandson, Grand Duke Constantine, then third in line to the Russian throne. Julie converted to Orthodoxy and took the name Anna Feodorovna. Her marriage brought great prestige to the Coburg family, but the young Grand Duchess found herself alone at a court where intrigue happened daily. Julie suffered from her husband's violence. She wanted to leave Russia, but her family, who depended on her financial support, disapproved.
In 1801, Julie's brother-in-law, Alexander II, granted her request to leave Russia. Eventually, she was also granted a divorce. Julie knew what she wanted. She did not want to be stuck in an abusive marriage. She wanted a life on her own terms. When her brother Leopold arrived in January 1814 and announced that Alexander would follow shortly, she stood up to both of them. Alexander had no male heir, leaving his brother Constantine as next in line. This was a matter of "dynastic expediency" when Alexander demanded that his brother reconcile with Julie.
Constantine also met with Julie. She was clear. She would not return to Russia with him as they did not have the "same morals."
She had no part in this and was adamant when she told Alexander she would not reconcile with her husband. Leopold, of course, was disappointed, believing the couple's separation "damaged the prestige" of his family.
There would be no reconciliation. The marriage was finally dissolved by divorce. Julie gave birth to two, perhaps three, illegitimate children.
The Rebel Romanov offers a study of a formidable Princess, more than capable of making her own decisions, despite her family's wishes. Her family did not turn against her after she left Russia. She remained close to her sisters and her nieces and nephews; Prince Albert, in particular, was fond of her.
However, Helen does have a few glaring errors. Several times, she describes Pavlovsk as being on the Gulf of Finland, "near the cooler sea air." The Palace is south of St. Petersburg
Pavlovsk is on the Gulf of Finland & receives sea breezes!!! No, it is south of St. Petersburg.
In one place in the book, she describes the Mikhailovsky Castle as designed in Neo-Classical style (It was not), and in another place, she says it was painted red, which was true. All imperial palaces were painted red.
On page 120, Helen writes that the Neues Palais is in Berlin and Charlottenburg is in Potsdam. The Neues Palais is in Potsdam, and Charlottenburg is in Berlin.
Page 200: King Louis Napoleon of France did not offer his eldest daughter Louise to Prince Leopold. Louise's father was King Louis Philippe of the French.
Page 202: She writes that Auguste (Julie's mother) was buried in the family mausoleum in the Hofgarten in Coburg. Auguste was buried with her husband, Franz; however, the Ducal Mausoleum is located in the Glockenberg cemetery
Page 256. She says that Nicholas I’s wife was Maria Alexandrovna! No, it was Alexandra Feodorovna.
Page 260. She also confuses two Grand Duchesses. She says that Alexander I went to Weimar to visit his sister Maria Pavlovna, Duchess of Mecklenburg. Elena Pavlovna was Duchess of Mecklenburg.
Page 307: The indexer used Konstantin Nikolaevitch rather than Konstantin Pavlovich (Julie's husband).
I began this review post with a photo book and end with another. This one is Maria Pavlovna (1890-1958) by Charlotte Zeepvat, published by Rosvall Royal Books. The price is 425 Swedish kronor.
https://www.royalbooks.se/collections/our-books
Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna was the elder of two children of Grand Duke Paul Alexandrovich of Russia and Princess Alexandra of Greece and Denmark. Alexandra, known as Alix, died following the birth of a son, Grand Duke Dimitri, in 1891.
Within four years of Alix's death, Grand Duke Paul fell in love with Olga Valerianovna Karnovich, a relationship the family had not approved of. Marie and Dimitri's idyllic childhood ended abruptly when they were sent to live with their uncle, Grand Duke Serge, and his wife, Ella. Marie and Ella never had a close maternal relationship.
Paul, Olga, and their young children went into exile in France and were allowed to return only before the start of the First World War.
In 1907, Marie married Prince Wilhelm of Sweden, the younger son of King Gustav V. The marriage proved disastrous and ended in divorce. The couple's young son, Prince Lennart, remained in Sweden with his father, and Marie returned to Russia. During World War I, she worked as a nurse. In 1917, she married Prince Serge Putiatin. Their son, Roman, was born in July 1918
The Russian Revolution ended the Romanov Dynasty. In July 1918, her half-brother, Prince Vladimir, was murdered with Grand Duchess Ella and other family members in Alpaevsk, the day after Nicholas II and his family were murdered at Ekaterinburg. The same day, Marie's son was baptized.
The following January, Grand Duke Paul and three other Grand Dukes were executed by the Bolsheviks.
With help from Queen Marie of Romania, Marie, Serge, their baby, and Serge's family traveled to Romania, where they left Roman with Serge's parents. Marie and Serge traveled to London, where she was reunited with her brother, Dimitri. While in London, they learned Roman died from an intestinal issue in the summer of 1919. Marie was not reunited with her son, Prince Lennart, until 1921. Two years later, she and Serge divorced.
Marie started a dressmaking business, which took off after her brother introduced her to Coco Chanel. Although her business floundered in the late 1920s, fashion remained important to Marie after she immigrated to the United States, where she worked for Bergdorf Goodman and later became a society photographer. She wrote her memoirs and, with her son's help, returned to Europe, settling in Germany, where she died in 1958.
Charlotte Zeepvat's scintillating biography pairs nicely with range of photos from the vicissitudes Maria's life - from the riches and comfort of being a member of the Imperial through her marriage, motherhood, the revolution, and exile.
The book also includes a genealogy of Maria's descendants, which was compiled by Ted Rosvall.
For full transparency, I earn a small percentage from Amazon sales if you order through these links, and I continue to shop there. I earn Amazon gift cards. It can take at least 2 years to earn a UK gift card, and perhaps a few months for a US gift card.
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