Product Description

King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra had six children. Of the five who reached maturity, only one, the future King George V, has received much attention from biographers. The eldest son, Albert Victor, Duke of Clarence, a backward youth and a subject of scandal, died before he was thirty. The three princesses, Louise, Princess Royal and Duchess of Fife, the lifelong spinster Victoria, and Maud, Queen of Norway, were never well-known to the British public during their lifetime. In this detailed and fascinating account, John Van der Kiste has drawn upon previously unpublished correspondence from the Royal Archives, Windsor, to reveal for the first time the part this hitherto neglected group of characters played in supporting the royal family and crown during a period of transition from the Victorian age to the uncertain twentieth century.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #188899 in Books
• Published on: 2004-02-25
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 224 pages

Customer Reviews

Very entertaining
In Edward VII's Children, John Van Der Kiste continues his tradition of making the past come to life.

Edward VII's Children is a fast read, but a meticulously researched and very enjoyable one. One of the reasons it's so entertaining is that the five children covered in this book seem like the cast of characters at any family gathering: the superstar playboy brother, the insecure younger brother in the shadows, the meddling spinster aunt, the happy housewife, and the smart one who's able to laugh at them all. Of particular interest is that youngest daughter, Maud, who relates her own bemusement at quite accidentally finding herself the Queen of Norway. The short, sad, and sordid life of "Eddy", Albert Victor, is also covered. That his main claim to fame was being accused of being Jack the Ripper is perhaps the most diplomatic thing that could be said about him. The future George V is also covered in depth from a family and personal perspective, with particular attention paid to the interesting dynamics between him, his parents, and his wife, the future Queen Mary.

You may recognise aspects of your own family in this book: how one generation determines "not to do things the way their parents did them" but, in the process, creates just as many new problems for their own children to overcome.

Recommended.

A skilful, rounded family portrait
King George V has been dealt with at length by other authors, and apart from the endless Jack the Ripper theorising, there's not much to say about the unfortunate Duke of Clarence. And two of the princesses, the Duchess of Fife and Princess Victoria, hardly led the most exciting lives. But Van der Kiste has written such a skilful, rounded family portrait, that fills in the picture perfectly if you've ever been intrigued by the lives of King Edward and Queen Alexandra. As with all his other books I've come across, it's extremely readable, with some interesting letters from the Royal Archives - now we know what Queen Maud of Norway thought about Wallis Simpson - and he has the knack of bringing the personalities to life so well. Maybe he will write a biography of Queen Maud one day?