Explores women and power in England, as witnessed through the lives of six females who exercised power against the odds-and one who never got the chance. By the author of Blood and Roses.

A timely and revelatory new biography of Queen Elizabeth (and her family) exploring how the Windsors have evolved and thrived, as the modern world has changed around them, and probing the question of the British monarchy's longevity. In 2021, the Queen Elizabeth II finally appears to be at ease in the modern world, helped by the new generation of Windsors. But through Irving's unique insight there emerges a more fragile institution, whose extraordinarily...

Extensively updated with brand new chapters and images chronicling Meghan Markle's life after the royal wedding, this revised edition of renowned royal biographer Andrew Morton's New York Times bestselling biography is a comprehensive look at the American actress who--like Princess Diana before her--threw the British monarchy into turmoil. When Meghan Markle and Prince Harry went on a blind date in 2016, little did they know that the resulting whirlwind...

"Since William the Conqueror, duke of Normandy, crossed the English Channel in 1066 to defeat King Harold II and unite England's various kingdoms, forty-one kings and queens have sat on Britain's throne: "shining examples of royal power and majesty alongside a rogue's gallery of weak, lazy, or evil monarchs," as Tracy Borman evocatively describes them in her sparkling chronicle, Crown & Sceptre. Ironically, during very few of these 955 years has the...

King George V was born and raised in the Victorian age, he was a conservative bully. His wife, Queen Mary, revered the monarchy and obeyed her husband in everything and always put service and duty first. In the face of the social changes after World War I, King George turned out to be a remarkable innovator. He created the House of Windsor, embraced democratic reform, and reinvented many of the royal traditions that are known today. Also, when the...