If you are a newer follower, you might not know that I am a fierce royalist. I inherited my grandparents love of the British Royal Family and have carried that love and fascination into adulthood- biographies, movies, souvenirs, documentaries, and more time on Pinterest than I should admit to. I don’t limit my fascination to any one dynasty or period, from the Tudors to the Windsors, I’ll learn and read about any of it! I love celebrating the spring with a few royal biographies, a re-watch of the 2011 Royal Wedding, and a fantastic tea. This is a brief introduction for everyone else!
Royal Biographies
I will read most any royal biography, simply on the basis that they are about a royal. I will admit that this has led me to read some pretty terrible books, unfortunately. (Not all biographies are worth their subject…) However, I have been lucky to come across some real gems! My recommendations to get started?
Kate: The Future Queen (Katie Nicholl) is a great introduction to the Duchess of Cambridge if you are new to her! It’s not terribly long (only 354 pages), so I would say that most people could read it in a day or two. It’s interesting to read about a royal with common beginnings as you often see a lot more of your life in it than someone who was tutored in a palace! Most of the biography is focused on her relationship with Prince William and her journey to becoming the Duchess that she is today.
The Courtiers: Splendor and Intrigue in the Georgian Court at Kensington Palace (Lucy Worsley) This looks a little bit dense but I promise you that it isn’t overwhelming or academic. When we think of the past, it can often seem gritty and depressing and full of work and death. However, the Georgian Court is fascinating- parties, scandals, and drama abound without the insanity of the pre-Revolution French Court… Lucy is an intelligent and engaging historian, and you could not have a better guide to royal history!
Elizabeth the Queen: The Life of a Modern Monarch (Sally Bledel Smith) This is one of the strongest royal biographies that I have read thus far- you follow along from her birth to the present with nothing being left out or passed by. What I loved about Elizabeth the Queen is that there is an incredible range of sources, from the artists who have done portraits to journalists and articles to friends and employees. I could not put this down and actually stayed up an hour late (that never happens) to finish this!
Royal Documentaries
I completely understand that not everyone is into reading, and that sometimes you don’t have the time or mental energy to sit down and read a book. Enter: documentaries! I prefer documentaries to fictional movies, that is just my personal taste. There is a great six part series on Netflix called The Royals that covers different aspects of royal life and The House of Windsor which chronicles the House of Windsor’s history and tribulations, but there are also quite a few on YouTube that are available totally free! I’ve linked part one of five of Monarchy: the Royal Family at Work, a series that shows that explains what the members of the British Royal Family actually do. I think that there are a lot of misconceptions about what they do and don’t do with their time, but a lot of it is dedicated to engagements and causes rather than galas and spa treatments.
Royal Magazines
So, I admit that I usually can’t stop myself from buying a magazine with a royal on it. Hello! isn’t specifically a “royal” magazine but I’d say that 60% of the time a royal is featured. The UK Hello! is stronger than the Canadian Hello! but both offer many more royal stores than US magazines do, and they will focus on neutral or positive stories while US magazines will often focus on negative stories. If you want a quality royal magazine, I would recommend Majesty! It’s not overly expensive, it’s pretty easily found in bookstores (and can be ordered online), it features royals from numerous countries, and it is a good quality- I have kept some issues for over 15 years and they still look fantastic. (Yes. I collected Majesty as a 10 year old. I’ve admitted that my obsession started early…) I’m probably most proud of snagging the 100th Year issue of British Voque with the Duchess of Cambridge, it took months of calling and planning with my local bookstore!
The Royal Family Itself!
The Royal Family is much, much more accessible than they once were! While they obviously want their privacy, they have largely made themselves available to the public via social media. You can follow the Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall at Clarence House on Twitter and Instagram ! You can also follow the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and the new Duke and Duchess of Sussex at Kensington Palace on Twitter and Instagram, as well- these accounts follow their official engagements and major family events (such as their weddings, births, christenings, and birthdays)!
Are you interested in the royal family? Do you follow them anywhere?
Cheers,
The Historian
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I’ve been loving my royal documentaries this week! I don’t watch much fiction, either and as I’m not so good using the TV to watch YouTube I’ve been selecting a theme and letting YouTube choose the rest. I’ve watched documentaries on the Queen Mum this week, George VI, Prince John, Prince Albert Victor, Princess Anne, Princess Diana, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and the Princes in the Tower! I think that’s all, although there might have been more.
I’m also reading the first of a set of 4 books that I bought on Kindle last weekend – edited letters of Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother. Fascinating! They were £0.99 each so I snapped up a bargain!
I have found many fantastic royal documentaries on YouTube, especially a lot of BBC programmes that I wouldn’t be able to otherwise see ? I certainly need to watch some on the Princes in the Tower, they are a bit of a weak spot in my royal knowledge!! And that book is on my to-read list- the Queen Mother is fascinating figure, and from what I’ve read her letters are a wonderful read. I’ve joined a royal royal reads book club, so I’m excited to read more royal related books!
I’ve always been fascinated by the Royals, and I love watching their wardrobes. It is sewing inspiration for me. I confess that I avoid the biographies because of the terrible ones, so I really appreciate this ‘preapproved’ reading list.
I’m so jealous of your sewing skills!! My RepliKate collection would be so much better if I could sew ? Do you also like reading biographies of past royals??
I love the royals!! I admittedly don’t know much about them; I just like watching them at events to see what they are wearing, haha. I think Kate and Meghan are stunning, and I would basically watch Harry just stand there and smile, given how handsome I think he is. ? I did watch both Kate and Meghan’s weddings, with great glee and with a fascinator on my head, all the while texting my friends about everything going on and having my scones and tea. As far as entertainment goes, I’ve watched The Crown and Victoria (with Jenna Coleman), and I liked them both, though I occasionally wonder how accurate a portrayal each show is. I see you mostly like biographies about royals, but I really liked the novel THE ROYAL WE — lots of fun and based loosely on Kate and Wills, though I imagine there was some unintentioned foreshadowing in there now since Harry ended up with an American! It’s a really fun read. Oh, and as far as historical fiction and the the royals go, Philippa Gregory will forever hold my heart. ?
I think that The Crown is somewhat accurate, though does take license with some things! I have to admit, I dislike how long you have to wait between seasons!! As for Victoria, I am quite torn- on one hand, it is entertaining, on the other it glosses over two quite awful and horrid people. Victoria and Albert were arrogant, could often be cruel to each other and others, and were generally not the best at monarchy, but that always gets glossed over for a “great love story” and an immensely long reign…. I also watched with a fascinator on! Sadly I only have 3 but I’m hoping to purchase another while I’m in the UK ? The Royal We is good fun, I chatted about it here: https://anhistorianabouttown.com/not-that-kind-of-adult-colouring-book-and-the-royal-we/ ! It is actually one of my favourite audiobooks as well, it is just fun to listen to and great for my commute and runs when I am stressed. Who knew it would become MORE on the nose with Harry’s marriage??
I am absolutely fascinating by the royals! When the Queen Mum died, I remember exactly what I was doing that day (same with Diana), and watched both of their funerals positively glued to the tv. I haven’t read any of their biographies, though. I really like the sounds of the Courtier book you discussed!
I remember both of them, also! The Queen Mum was such a spitfire, I’m wondering when we will have another royal with the same chutzpah. The Courtiers is chock full of history-y goodness but doesn’t feel like a textbook (a lot of Stuart and Georgian texts do, sadly), and Lucy is such a talented writer! It’s less than $8 USD on Kindle, so I would recommend snapping it up while it’s cheap!!
I love Kate Middleton. She’s a lady and I love her style
She has had so few mis-steps for me- classic style is the way to go!!
I’m personally not overly interested but I know people who are. But I did enjoy watching the Crown on Netflix and I’m looking forward to more of that so I can learn more 🙂
It was VERY well done! Apparently the second series will be focusing more on Philip, so I’m interested to see where it goes- now I just need a release date!!
I know!