I probably know more about the royal families of Europe than most people know about their own

For as long as I can remember, I have been fascinated by royals. When I was in elementary school, I would take biographies of royals out and keep notebooks of facts about them. (I’m not sure why it took me a term of university to figure out that I wanted to go into history, all of the signs were there…) I kind of go in waves as to which I am particularly drawn to. My go-tos? England, Scotland, France, Russia, Germany, Poland. I know that you are saying, “Hey! Why isn’t Ireland on that list??” Well, I don’t really put them on the list of royal biographies- they certainly had kings and queens and princes and princesses, but there is little to no information surviving to write a biography from. That is not to say that I’m not equally fascinated by Irish history, though. So who am I reading about?

I can always read about Mary, Queen of Scots. What an absolutely fascinating life she led, though entirely tragic. She was led all over the place by numerous figures and didn’t have the chutzpah to take the reigns until too late in life. If you want to be immersed in Mary’s life, head to Ediburgh. I know that she spent a good portion of her life in France and England, but she still left her mark in Edinburgh. You can see in Edinburgh Castle where she gave birth to James VI/I:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/qcxjdir0sk5gl0i/IMG_2543.JPG?dl=0

I have no picture of it (as a palace of the current monarch, photography is not allowed inside), but you can see the room where her secretary, David Rizio, was stabbed to death and left to die. Good times had by all. Holyrood is still a pretty beautiful palace:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/lblof673zxflzsx/IMG_2615.JPG?dl=0

I also find Elizabeth of York incredibly interesting- daughter of a king, sister of a king, wife of a king, mother of a king, that’s pretty impressive. However, there’s not much to say because there are not a great deal of surviving sources with information about her. (Don’t read Allison Weir’s biography of her, it’s a lot of “would haves” and “probablies”.)

I find the Georgian monarchs and all of their spouses/children to be of particular interest, as well. Because I can’t stop reading about the current royals, I had to visit Kensington Palace as soon as I could, and I did. KP had (and still has the same) four exhibitions, including the King’s Staircase which looks at the court of George I. Here is said staircase, courtesy of William Kent:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/a4ejsh3ohww2lim/IMG_0644.JPG?dl=0

If you are at all interested in the court at Kensington, I cannot recommend Lucy Worsley’s Courtiers enough. It is utterly fascinating, and every time I read it, I struggle to put it down at all. There was an incredible amount of tension between each generation, and to watch it manifest itself in different ways at court is a treat. Here is another shot of Kensington Palace, because it’s my favourite place on earth (aside from Dublin).

https://www.dropbox.com/s/e77kapvbxghoeeg/IMG_0673.JPG?dl=0

Catherine the Great hardly has any trouble attracting an audience two and a half centuries later, but count me in that audience! When I first read Robert Massie’s biography of Catherine, I knew little to nothing about the Russian royals. I knew that Catherine was important, but other than that, not too much. When you read biographies of Catherine, half of it sounds made up, but it actually happened.

And now we come to the Romanovs. I know it isn’t really historical at all, but I have loved the movie Anastasia since it came out. I watched it in grade four which happened to be the same year that I read the Royal Diary of Anastasia (one of those Scholastic series). I think those were about the best way for a kid to be introduced to Anastasia- the book is sad but doesn’t go into graphic detail, and the movie obviously gives the audience a great deal of hope. However, this family was brutally murdered, along with most of the Russian aristocracy, and it is heartbreaking to read their story.

Last but not least, the current British Royal Family. What an interesting mix of people, that is for sure. Sally Bedell Smith’s biography of HM Queen Elizabeth II is very well-written, and paints an encompassing portrait. Queen Elizabeth has done a brilliant job of navigating her family and the monarchy through over half a century of “bumps in the road”. I have a biography of the Queen Mother ready to go, probably very soon. I did read the biography of the Duchess of Cambridge- I think she is quite accomplished. I know everyone says “she coasted on her family ties, she didn’t do much on her own, blah blah blah”. However, she did what she wanted to do. You go, Glen Coco. I also have That Woman beside my bed, to spur me to read more on the Duchess of Windsor. To be honest, I don’t have a great opinion of her- but maybe this book will change it.

Do you have a favourite royal?

Until tomorrow,
The Historian!