Product Description

'Princesses are born to be exiled. What is the alternative? Spinsterhood? 'Thus the future of Caroline Matilda, youngest sister of George III, was settled - exile to a foreign country, and marriage to a nearly insane Crown Prince of Denmark. Entreatingly prompted by a sense of foreboding, she begged that one of her sisters be sent in her place. But Caroline was the healthiest, the strongest of the English princesses, and as well as being exiled, princesses were meant to brood mares...Here is the life of Caroline Matilda set against the stark contrasts of 18th century Denmark; the cruelty, poverty and oppression of life under an absolute monarch sinking into madness; and the hatreds and court intrigues that swirled around the young English girl who was Queen of Denmark.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #70002 in Books
• Published on: 2007-12-01
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 285 pages

About the Author
Norah Lofts was one of the best-known and best-loved of all historical novelists, known for her authentic application of period detail to all her books. She was a bestselling author on both sides of the Atlantic, was born in Norfolk. She taught English and History at a girls' school before turning to writing full time in 1936. Her passion for old houses and their continuing history sparked off her much praised Suffolk trilogy, The Town House, The House at Old Vine and The House at Sunset. These were followed by the bestselling The Concubine, about Anne Boleyn and by The King's Pleasure, a novel about the life of Katharine of Aragon. Lofts wrote more than 50 books, including historical non-fiction and short stories.

Customer Reviews

DAZZLING HISTORICAL FICTION OF STAR-CROSSED LOVERS...
This is a well-written work of historical fiction that will keep the reader riveted to its pages until the very end. It tells the story of Princess Caroline Mathilde of England, sister to King George III. At the age of fifteen she was wed to young King Christian VII, who eventually became known as the mad king of Denmark. Temperamental, high strung, and given to strange outbursts, his predilection for strange behavior was known early on, but despite this, the two kingdoms would still see these two wed, as the unification of England and Denmark was paramount to individual happiness.

King Christian VII developed a peculiar aversion to his wife and, consequently had conjugal relations with her only once, which propitiously resulted in the birth of a son nine months later. Alone in a foreign country, whose language she was only beginning to learn, and estranged from a King surrounded by sycophants, the young queen gravitated to the one person who treated her as a person in her own right, the King's physician, Johann Struensee.

An advocate of the philosophy of Enlightenment that was overtaking Europe, Struensee had many ideas that were introduced as reforms in Denmark, through his influence with the King, who by now was easily led. These reforms were to make many enemies for him, as they upset the established feudal system that still existed in eighteenth century Denmark at the time. As he gained power through his influence, resentment against him grew within those circles that had formerly been close to the King. Unaware of the growing animosity against him, Struensee and the Queen became close intimates, bound by shared ideas and interests.

Struensee's relationship with the Queen, who was lonely and starved for affection, eventually transgressed the bounds set by propriety. Now lovers in fact, their relationship became grist for the rumor mill. As gossip and innuendo about their relationship swirled across royal circles in Europe, it ultimately became the focal point for a political coup that saw them both arrested and charged with treason. What ultimately happened to each of them was tragic.

This is a richly atmospheric work of historical fiction, filled with political intrigue, historical personages and events, as well as a bittersweet and poignant romance that was to have so many personal and political ramifications. It is a well told story that will hold the reader in its thrall until the very last page is turned.

A DAZZLING, SPELLBINDING WORK OF HISTORICAL FICTION...
This is a well-written work of historical fiction that will keep the reader riveted to its pages until the very end. It tells the story of Princess Caroline Mathilde of England, sister to King George III. At the age of fifteen she was wed to young King Christian VII, who eventually became known as the mad king of Denmark. Temperamental, high strung, and given to strange outbursts, his predilection for strange behavior was known early on, but despite this, the two kingdoms would still see these two wed, as the unification of England and Denmark was paramount to individual happiness.

King Christian VII developed a peculiar aversion to his wife and, consequently had conjugal relations with her only once, which propitiously resulted in the birth of a son nine months later. Alone in a foreign country, whose language she was only beginning to learn, and estranged from a King surrounded by sycophants, the young queen gravitated to the one person who treated her as a person in her own right, the King's physician, Johann Struensee.

An advocate of the philosophy of Enlightenment that was overtaking Europe, Struensee had many ideas that were introduced as reforms in Denmark, through his influence with the King, who by now was easily led. These reforms were to make many enemies for him, as they upset the established feudal system that still existed in eighteenth century Denmark at the time. As he gained power through his influence, resentment against him grew within those circles that had formerly been close to the King. Unaware of the growing animosity against him, Struensee and the Queen became close intimates, bound by shared ideas and interests.

Struensee's relationship with the Queen, who was lonely and starved for affection, eventually transgressed the bounds set by propriety. Now lovers in fact, their relationship became grist for the rumor mill. As gossip and innuendo about their relationship swirled across royal circles in Europe, it ultimately became the focal point for a political coup that saw them both arrested and charged with treason. What ultimately happened to each of them was tragic.

This is a richly atmospheric work of historical fiction, filled with political intrigue, historical personages and events, as well as a bittersweet and poignant romance that was to have so many personal and political ramifications. It is a well told story that will hold the reader in its thrall until the very last page is turned. Bravo!

PRINCESS CAROLINE MATHILDE OF ENGLAND AND HER UNHAPPY FATE..
This is a well-written work of historical fiction that will keep the reader riveted to its pages until the very end. It tells the story of Princess Caroline Mathilde of England, sister to King George III. At the age of fifteen she was wed to young King Christian VII, who eventually became known as the mad king of Denmark. Temperamental, high strung, and given to strange outbursts, his predilection for strange behavior was known early on, but despite this, the two kingdoms would still see these two wed, as the unification of England and Denmark was paramount to individual happiness.

King Christian VII developed a peculiar aversion to his wife and, consequently had conjugal relations with her only once, which propitiously resulted in the birth of a son nine months later. Alone in a foreign country, whose language she was only beginning to learn, and estranged from a King surrounded by sycophants, the young queen gravitated to the one person who treated her as a person in her own right, the King's physician, Johann Struensee.

An advocate of the philosophy of Enlightenment that was overtaking Europe, Struensee had many ideas that were introduced as reforms in Denmark, through his influence with the King, who by now was easily led. These reforms were to make many enemies for him, as they upset the established feudal system that still existed in eighteenth century Denmark at the time. As he gained power through his influence, resentment against him grew within those circles that had formerly been close to the King. Unaware of the growing animosity against him, Struensee and the Queen became close intimates, bound by shared ideas and interests.

Struensee's relationship with the Queen, who was lonely and starved for affection, eventually transgressed the bounds set by propriety. Now lovers in fact, their relationship became grist for the rumor mill. As gossip and innuendo about their relationship swirled across royal circles in Europe, it ultimately became the focal point for a political coup that saw them both arrested and charged with treason. What ultimately happened to each of them was tragic.

This is a richly atmospheric work of historical fiction, filled with political intrigue, historical personages and events, as well as a bittersweet and poignant romance that was to have so many personal and political ramifications. It is a well told story that will hold the reader in its thrall until the very last page is turned. Bravo!