A beautifully presented gift book this Christmas Our most travelled monarch covered well over 1,000,000 miles and visited 117 countries during her reign. From New Zealand to Barbados, we look back at Queen Elizabeth's most memorable Commonwealth visits. While the Commonwealth itself has endured the challenges of a changing society over the last seven decades, one constant always remained: Queen Elizabeth. Explore the nature of this evolving relationship through The Times archives, with striking full-colour photographs and authoritative accounts of news stories as they unfolded across the globe. In this beautifully designed volume you'll find: * Timelines for each decade of state visits, from the 1950s to the 2010s * Striking, full-colour photographs of Queen Elizabeth on tour * Articles from The Times archives, reporting on events as they unfolded

The royal family is the original Coronation Street - a long-running soap opera with the occasional real coronation thrown in. Its members have become celebrities, like upmarket versions of film stars and footballers. But they have also become a byword for arrogance, entitlement, hypocrisy and indifference to the gigantic amount of public money wasted by them. ... And What Do You Do? is a hard-hitting analysis of the royal family, exposing its extravagant use of public money and the highly dubious behaviour of some among its ranks, whilst being critical of the knee-jerk sycophancy shown by the press and politicians. By turns irreverent and uncompromising, ... And What Do You Do? asks important questions about the future of the world's most famous royal family.

A superbly crafted and humane portrait of the final days of the last Romanovs - Nicholas II of Russia and his wife Alexandra. Complementing his Pulitzer prize-winning Peter the Great, in this commanding book Robert K. Massie sweeps readers back to the extraordinary world of imperial Russia to tell the story of the decline and fall of the ruling Romanov family: Tsar Nicholas II's political naivete; his wife Alexandra's obsession with the corrupt mystic Rasputin; and their son Alexis's battle with haemophilia. Against a lavish backdrop of luxury and intrigue, Massie unfolds a family tragedy played out on the brutal stage of early twentieth-century Russian history - the tale of a doomed empire and the death-marked royals who watched it crumble.

According to the great diarist, John Evelyn, Charles II was ‘addicted to women’, and throughout his long reign a great many succumbed to his charms. Clever, urbane and handsome, Charles presided over a hedonistic court, in which licence and licentiousness prevailed.

Mistresses is the story of the women who shared Charles’s bed, each of whom wielded influence on both the politics and cultural life of the country. From the young king-in-exile’s first mistress and mother to his first child, Lucy Walter, to the promiscuous and ill-tempered courtier, Barbara Villiers. From Frances Teresa Stuart, ‘the prettiest girl in the world’ to history’s most famous orange-seller, ‘pretty, witty’ Nell Gwynn and to her fellow-actress, Moll Davis, who bore the last of the king’s fifteen illegitimate children. From Louise de Kéroualle, the French aristocrat – and spy for Louis XIV – to the sexually ambiguous Hortense Mancini. Here, too, is the forlorn and humiliated Queen Catherine, the Portuguese princess who was Charles’s childless queen.

Drawing on a wide variety of original sources, including material in private archives, Linda Porter paints a vivid picture of these women and of Restoration England, an era that was both glamorous and sordid.

Twice a princess, twice exiled, Neslishah Sultan had an eventful life. When she was born in Istanbul in 1921, cannons were fired in the four corners of the Ottoman Empire, commemorative coins were issued in her name, and her birth was recorded in the official register of the palace. After all, she was an imperial princess and the granddaughter of Sultan Vahiddedin. But she was the last member of the imperial family to be accorded such honors: in 1922 Vahiddedin was deposed and exiled, replaced as caliph-but not as sultan-by his brother (and Neslishah's other grandfather) Abdulmecid; in 1924 Abdulmecid was also removed from office, and the entire imperial family, including three-year-old Neslishah, was sent into exile. Sixteen years later on her marriage to Prince Abdel Moneim, the son of the last khedive of Egypt, she became a princess of the Egyptian royal family. And when in 1952 her husband was appointed regent for Egypt's infant king, she took her place at the peak of Egyptian society as the country's first lady, until the abolition of the monarchy the following year. Exile followed once more, this time from Egypt, after the royal couple faced charges of treason. Eventually Neslishah was allowed to return to the city of her birth, where she died at the age of 91 in 2012. Based on original documents and extensive personal interviews, this account of one woman's extraordinary life is also the story of the end of two powerful dynasties thirty years apart.

From the acclaimed Wolfson Prize-winning author, a dazzling history of the world's emperors For millennia much of the world was ruled by emperors: a handful of individuals claimed no limit to the lands they could rule over and no limit to their authority. They operated beyond normal human constraint and indeed often claimed a superhuman or divine authority. In practice they ran the gamut from being some of the most remarkable men who ever lived, to being some of the worst and least remarkable. Dominic Lieven's marvellous new book, In the Shadow of the Gods, is the first to grapple seriously with this extraordinary phenomenon. Across the world peoples, willingly or unwillingly, fell into orbit around figures who reshaped or destroyed entire societies, imposed religions and invaded rivals. Lieven describes the anatomy of imperial monarchy and the principles by which it functioned. He compares the great emperors of antiquity, the caliphs and the warrior-emperors of the steppe before he turns to the Habsburg, Russian, Ottoman, Mughal and Chinese emperors, packing the book with extraordinary stories, astute observations and a sense of both delight and horror at these individuals' antics. The entire breadth of extreme human behaviour is here - from warlords to patrons of the arts, from political genius to feeble incapacity and pathological violence. As one of the great experts both on empires and on Russian history, Lieven is brilliantly qualified to write a book that brings to life a system of rule that dominated most of human history, as well as some of history's grandest and most dismaying figures.

Join us on a behind-the-scenes tour of the filming locations for the award-winning Netflix series The Crown.The series recreates the romance and intrigue at the heart of our very own royal family and within these pages we seek out the settings so integral to the story, linking each 'fictional' site to its real-life counterpart.Covering the first four series, starting with Princess Elizabeth's marriage to Prince Philip in 1947 and concluding in 1990 - in particular with the relationship of Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer following their 1981 wedding - this is the perfect opportunity for every fan of The Crown to follow in the footsteps of royalty.Stunning Ely Cathedral provides the backdrop to the iconic Westminster Abbey where Princess Elizabeth's wedding took place, while Belvoir Castle, Hatfield House and Burghley House are just three of the fine locations that 'double' as Windsor Castle. Historic Winchester Cathedral transforms into St Paul's Cathedral in the run-up to the wedding of Charles and Diana, its versatility also seeing it representing both Romsey Abbey and Westminster Abbey.Sweeping across Britain from London and the home counties to the Welsh treasure that is Caernarfon Castle, heading north to Manchester and Liverpool and onwards to the majestic Scottish Highlands, The Crown's Royal Britain takes you on a royal tour of Britain and the venues that were an inspiration for this special drama.Many of the featured sites are open to the public so as well as learning about how these places played their part you can visit and enjoy the real spectacle in person.

The longest-reigning monarch in European history! If the news about Harry, William, Kate, Meghan, and the rest of the British royals has you wondering about how this latest generation of princes, princesses, dukes, and duchesses got their start, you're not alone. Queen Elizabeth II For Dummies takes you on a fascinating journey through the life of Great Britain's longest-serving monarch. You'll find revealing stories about Queen Elizabeth II's family background, her childhood, early ascension to the throne, and her role during times of national crisis and triumph. The book combines must-know facts about the monarchy with details of the remarkable woman who has held the crown for over 68 years (and counting). You'll also read about: Where shows like The Crown stay true-to-life and where they take artistic liberties with historical fact Queen Elizabeth II's relationship with Prince Charles, the late Prince Phillip, Princess Diana, and the thousands of famous figures she has encountered during her reign The subtle and at times controversial role of a hereditary Head of State in a democracy Perfect for anyone with an interest in the monarchy, British governance, power and society, leadership, or the resurgence of the British monarchy in popular culture, Queen Elizabeth II For Dummies is a cracking read full of trivia, secrets, and history that puts one of the most central figures of the 20th and 21st centuries in the palm of your hand.

The fate of Richard III's nephews, Edward V and Richard of York, who disappeared after his coronation in 1483, remains controversial centuries after Thomas More's history and Shakespeare's play laid the blame on their conniving uncle. Later writers, unconvinced of the king's guilt, have tried (with little success) to portray him as an innocent victim of Tudor propaganda, pointing instead to a number of unlikely culprits, including Henry Tudor and the Duke of Buckingham. This book sifts through the available evidence concerning the fate of the two boys. The author examines the facts, discusses who may or may not have known key information and offers a reasoned solution to the question, What really happened to the two princes?

The intimate story of a unique marriage that spans the heights of glamour and power to infidelity, manipulation and disaster through the heart of the 20th century.

DICKIE MOUNTBATTEN: A major figure behind his nephew Philip's marriage to Queen Elizabeth II and instrumental in the Royal Family taking the Mountbatten name, he was Supreme Allied Commander of South East Asia during World War II and the last Viceroy of India.

EDWINA MOUNTBATTEN: Once the richest woman in Britain and a playgirl who enjoyed numerous affairs, she emerged from World War II as a magnetic and talented humanitarian worker loved around the­ world.

From British high society to the South of France, from the battlefields of Burma to the Viceroy's House, The Mountbattens is a rich and filmic story of a powerful partnership, revealing the truth behind a carefully curated legend.

Was Mountbatten one of the outstanding leaders of his generation, or a man over-promoted because of his royal birth, high-level connections, film-star looks and ruthless self-promotion? What is the true story behind controversies such as the Dieppe Raid and Indian Partition, the love affair between Edwina and Nehru, and Mountbatten's assassination in 1979?

Based on over 100 interviews, research from dozens of archives and new information released under Freedom of Information requests, prize-winning historian Andrew Lownie sheds new light on­ this remarkable couple.

A lawyer by profession, Theodore Martin (1816-1909) gained literary distinction as both a humorous essayist and versatile translator. He found his greatest success, however, in the role of biographer to Prince Albert (1819-61). Commissioned by Queen Victoria to memorialise her late husband, this five-volume work was first published between 1875 and 1880. Intended as a continuation of the biography begun by Charles Grey (also reissued in this series), it has been described as 'less adulatory in tone than might be expected'. A treasury of letters and memoranda, it presents a detailed portrait of the character, words and deeds of a man whose life was necessarily immersed in the great events of his time. Volume 1 covers Albert's youth, his marriage to Victoria and the early years as her husband, up until the birth of their sixth child, Princess Louise, in 1848.

A lawyer by profession, Theodore Martin (1816-1909) gained literary distinction as both a humorous essayist and versatile translator. He found his greatest success, however, in the role of biographer to Prince Albert (1819-61). Commissioned by Queen Victoria to memorialise her late husband, this five-volume work was first published between 1875 and 1880. Intended as a continuation of the biography begun by Charles Grey (also reissued in this series), it has been described as 'less adulatory in tone than might be expected'. A treasury of letters and memoranda, it presents a detailed portrait of the character, words and deeds of a man whose life was necessarily immersed in the great events of his time. Volume 2 covers the period from 1848 to 1854, the births of Princes Arthur and Leopold, the collapse of the Chartist movement and the 'spectacular success' of the Great Exhibition of 1851.

A lawyer by profession, Theodore Martin (1816-1909) gained literary distinction as both a humorous essayist and versatile translator. He found his greatest success, however, in the role of biographer to Prince Albert (1819-61). Commissioned by Queen Victoria to memorialise her late husband, this five-volume work was first published between 1875 and 1880. Intended as a continuation of the biography begun by Charles Grey (also reissued in this series), it has been described as 'less adulatory in tone than might be expected'. A treasury of letters and memoranda, it presents a detailed portrait of the character, words and deeds of a man whose life was necessarily immersed in the great events of his time. Volume 3 covers the period from 1854 to 1856 and deals extensively with the significant role played by Albert during the Crimean War.

A lawyer by profession, Theodore Martin (1816-1909) gained literary distinction as both a humorous essayist and versatile translator. He found his greatest success, however, in the role of biographer to Prince Albert (1819-61). Commissioned by Queen Victoria to memorialise her late husband, this five-volume work was first published between 1875 and 1880. Intended as a continuation of the biography begun by Charles Grey (also reissued in this series), it has been described as 'less adulatory in tone than might be expected'. A treasury of letters and memoranda, it presents a detailed portrait of the character, words and deeds of a man whose life was necessarily immersed in the great events of his time. Volume 4 deals with the difficult period of 1856-9, which saw mutiny in India, worldwide commercial uncertainty, and the beginning of a decline in Albert's health.

A lawyer by profession, Theodore Martin (1816-1909) gained literary distinction as both a humorous essayist and versatile translator. He found his greatest success, however, in the role of biographer to Prince Albert (1819-61). Commissioned by Queen Victoria to memorialise her late husband, this five-volume work was first published between 1875 and 1880. Intended as a continuation of the biography begun by Charles Grey (also reissued in this series), it has been described as 'less adulatory in tone than might be expected'. A treasury of letters and memoranda, it presents a detailed portrait of the character, words and deeds of a man whose life was necessarily immersed in the great events of his time. Volume 5 covers Albert's final years, from 1859 to his protracted illness and death in 1861 at the age of forty-two.

In 1936, the British monarchy faced the greatest threats to its survival in the modern era--the crisis of abdication and the menace of Nazism. The fate of the country rested in the hands of George V's sorely unequipped sons: *a stammering King George VI, terrified that the world might discover he was unfit to rule *a dull-witted Prince Henry, who wanted only a quiet life in the army *the too-glamorous Prince George, the Duke of Kent--a reformed hedonist who found new purpose in the RAF and would become the first royal to die in a mysterious plane crash *the Duke of Windsor, formerly King Edward VIII, deemed a Nazi-sympathizer and traitor to his own country--a man who had given it all up for love Princes at War is a riveting portrait of these four very different men miscast by fate, one of whom had to save the monarchy at a moment when kings and princes from across Europe were washing up on England's shores as the old order was overturned. Scandal and conspiracy swirled around the palace and its courtiers, among them dangerous cousins from across Europe's royal families, gold-digging American socialite Wallis Simpson, and the King's Lord Steward, upon whose estate Hitler's deputy Rudolf Hess parachuted (seemingly by coincidence) as London burned under the Luftwaffe's tireless raids. Deborah Cadbury draws on new research, personal accounts from the royal archives, and other never-before-revealed sources to create a dazzling sequel to The King's Speech and tell the true and thrilling drama of Great Britain at war and of a staggering transformation for its monarchy.

THE #2 SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER 'A gripping story of human frailty, love, loss, sadness, and tragedy' Daily Mail She is the most public and least understood woman in Britain. Diana called her a Rottweiler. But spend two minutes with Camilla and you understand why Charles fell for her. The relationship between King Charles III and Camilla, Queen Consort, is one of the most remarkable love stories of the age. It has endured against all the odds, and in the process nearly destroyed the British monarchy. It is a rich and remarkable story that has never been properly told - indeed, it is one of the most extraordinary, star-crossed love stories of the past fifty years. Junor argues that although Camilla played a central role in the darkest days of the modern monarchy, Charles and Diana's acrimonious and scandalous split, she also played a central role in restoring the royal family's reputation, especially that of King Charles. A woman with no ambition to be a princess, a duchess, or a queen, Camilla simply wanted to be with, and support, the man who has always been the love of her life. Junor contends that their marriage has reinvigorated Charles, allowing him to finally become comfortable as the heir to the British throne. In this compelling biography, Britain's top royal author paints an intimate portrait of the Queen Consort, revealing for the first time why the King went against his mother and risked everything, even the stability of the monarchy, to have Camilla by his side. The Duchess was in the Sunday Times Bestseller Chart from the 26th to 33rd week of 2017.

The acclaimed biography by Jeffrey Robinson, now revised and updated to coincide with the major motion picture starring Nicole Kidman as Princess Grace.
It was one of the most famous romances of the 20th century--Europe's most eligible bachelor, Prince Rainier of Monaco, and America's most beautiful movie star, the Academy Award-winning actress Grace Kelly, fell in love against the backdrop of the closest thing the modern world has to a magical kingdom, the French Riviera's Principality of Monaco.
Told with affection and humor, and written with the unprecedented cooperation of Prince Rainier III and his children, Prince Albert, Princess Caroline, and Princess Stephanie, Grace of Monaco takes readers beneath the surface glitz and the glamour of Monte Carlo for a never-to-be-forgotten portrait of the House of Grimaldi.

"Charlemagne, claimed by the Church as a saint, by the French as their greatest king, by the Germans as their compatriot, by the Italians as their emperor, heads all modern histories in one way or another; he is the creator of a new order of things, " wrote the historian Sismondi in 1821. In this fascinating book, available for the first time in an English translation, Robert Morrissey explores a millennium's worth of history and myth surrounding Charlemagne (768-814).

Charlemagne's persona -- derived from a blending of myth, history, and poetry -- assumes a constitutional value in France, where for more than ten centuries it was deemed useful to trace national privileges and undertakings back to Charlemagne. His plasticity, Morrissey argues, endows Charlemagne with both legitimizing power and subversive potential. Part 1 of the book explores a fundamental cycle in the history of Charlemagne's representation, beginning shortly after the great emperor's death and continuing to the end of the sixteenth century. Part 2 of the book discusses the remythologizing of Charlemagne in Renaissance and Reformation France through the late nineteenth century.

At a time when a new Europe is being created and when France continues to redefine and reinvent itself, Morrissey's detailed study of how history has been reappropriated is particularly valuable.

Alfred is the only English king ever to be called 'Great'. It was not a title given by political supporters, not the sycophantic gift of an official biographer, nor a self-styled title. It was the gift of history. Justin Pollard's enthralling, authoritative account befits Alfred - a soldier, a scholar and statesman like no other in English history. His rule spanned troubled times. His shores were under constant threat from Viking marauders and he faced turmoil at home. Soon after he began his rule a conspiracy erupted and he was hounded out of his kingdom into solitary exile in forests and fens. But his ambition was not felled by adversity. Alone in this damp, dangerous, half-world of bogs and quicksand Alfred looked within and found the motivation to create a new type of nation. Drawing on the latest historical, textual and archaeological research Justin Pollard radically reassesses the key moments in Alfred's life. He offers a new interpretation of what caused this most remarkable king to begin the formation of England and how it coloured the subsequent history of the Western World down to the present day.

Agnes Strickland (1796 1874) and her sister Elizabeth collaborated on many biographical projects. They were pioneering historical biographers and key figures in the development of women's history. Writing from a female perspective, they included coverage of domestic matters that male historians had previously ignored. Although much of the work is Elizabeth's, she preferred to avoid publicity and her sister Agnes appeared as the sole author. This eight-volume series (originally published between 1850 and 1859) was the sequel to their hugely popular Lives of the Queens of England and allowed Agnes to indulge her passionate interest in Mary, Queen of Scots, to whom Volumes 3 7 are devoted. Volume 6 (1856) covers Mary's imprisonment, first in Scotland by the Scottish Lords and then in England by Queen Elizabeth following her petition for sanctuary. Thoroughly researched and referenced, it describes both the personal and political aspects of Mary's experiences.

Agnes Strickland (1796 1874) and her sister Elizabeth collaborated on many biographical projects. They were pioneering historical biographers and key figures in the development of women's history. Writing from a female perspective, they included coverage of domestic matters that male historians had previously ignored. Although much of the work is Elizabeth's, she preferred to avoid publicity and her sister Agnes appeared as the sole author. This eight-volume series (originally published between 1850 and 1859) was the sequel to their hugely popular Lives of the Queens of England and allowed Agnes to indulge her passionate interest in Mary, Queen of Scots, to whom Volumes 3 7 are devoted. Volume 7 (1858) documents the last few years of Mary's life, during which she was imprisoned in England and finally executed in 1587. Thoroughly researched and referenced, it describes both the personal and political aspects of Mary's experiences.

Agnes Strickland (1796 1874) and her sister Elizabeth collaborated on many biographical projects. They were pioneering historical biographers and key figures in the development of women's history. Writing from a female perspective, they included coverage of domestic matters that male historians had previously ignored. Although much of the work is Elizabeth's, she preferred to avoid publicity and her sister Agnes appeared as the sole author. This eight-volume series (originally published between 1850 and 1859) was the sequel to their hugely popular Lives of the Queens of England and allowed Agnes to indulge her passionate interest in Mary, Queen of Scots, to whom five volumes are devoted. The final volume covers Elizabeth Stuart, Princess Royal, later Queen of Bohemia, and her daughter Sophia, Electress of Bohemia, and their role in the British succession. Thoroughly researched and referenced, it describes both the personal and political aspects of their lives.

This three-volume work by Julia Pardoe, the author of other books on French royalty, was originally published in 1852. In astonishing detail the books describe the colourful and controversial life of Marie de Medicis, who in 1600 married Henry IV of France after his marriage to Marguerite de Valois had been annulled to make way for this dynastic alliance. The consort's life both before and after her marriage was one of flamboyant living, political intrigue and gossip. The work is a complex biography, full of information on every detail of a remarkable life at the centre of European politics. Each volume is illustrated and annotated with references to original documents. Volume 2 covers the period in which the assassination of the king in 1610 led to Marie's regency on behalf of her son, Louis XIII. For more information on this author, see http: //orlando.cambridge.org/public/svPeople?person_id=pardj

This three-volume work by Julia Pardoe, the author of other books on French royalty, was originally published in 1852. In astonishing detail the books describe the colourful and controversial life of Marie de Medicis, who in 1600 married Henry IV of France after his marriage to Marguerite de Valois had been annulled to make way for this dynastic alliance. The consort's life both before and after her marriage was one of flamboyant living and political intrigue. The work is a complex biography, full of information on every detail of a remarkable life at the centre of European politics. Each volume is illustrated and annotated with references to original documents. This last volume describes events including Louis' assertion of royal authority, the rise to power and influence of Cardinal Richelieu, and finally Marie's death in 1642. For more information on this author, see http: //orlando.cambridge.org/public/svPeople?person_id=pardj