Product Description

The six children of King George V and Queen Mary all lived to maturity except the youngest, Prince John. The eldest, who was Prince of Wales and heir to the throne, reigned as King Edward VII for less than a year. His infamous romance with Mrs Simpson plunged the country into the abdication crisis and led both of them into a long period of exile. King George VI, who reluctantly and unexpectedly ascended to the throne, was a shy man, handicapped by a speech impediment and a sense of his own inadequacy. However, together with his Consort, Queen Elizabeth, and the Prime Minister, Winston Churchill, he gave the nation spirited guidance throughout World War II. Both surviving younger brothers served in the armed forces during war-time. Henry, Duke of Gloucester, was Governor General of Australia from 1944-6 and crowned his military career with promotion to the rank of Field-Marshal. George, Duke of Kent, an officer in the RAF, was tragically killed on active service in 1942. The only sister, Mary, Princess Royal, worked both as a nurse, and a royal embassador abroad. This book tells the story of the family.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #117824 in Books
• Published on: 2003-08-21
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 192 pages

About the Author
John Van der Kiste is a well-known and respected Royal writer, whose publications include Xenia, Princess Victoria Melita, Dearest Vicki, Darling Fritz and the Georgian Princesses.

Customer Reviews

Poorly written and poorly edited
Not only is this book somewhat rushed and you are given the feeling almost as if the author ran out of enthusiam but it seems that whoever he got to proof read it also ran out of enthusiam - what could have been a very interesting book is turned into a GCSE History paper full of spelling mistakes and grammatical errors. I am disapointed with Van Der Kist as I expect more from his work.

An interesting but limited account
On the whole I enjoyed reading this book. The author was sucessful in maintaining my interest throughout and by and large the text was readable.
However I agree with fellow reviewers that the focus of the book is primarily directed at Edward VIII and George VI, particularly in the later chapters. I read the book, as I was interested mainly in exploring the lives and characters of the younger children, sadly they are often treated as an afterthought and not afforded the attention they deserve in a text concerning the lives of all George Vs children which was disappointing.
The ending of the book is very abrupt and the author fails to provide a summary of the issues discussed. Although such a thing may be deemed unnecessary in a book that sets out to tell the story of the lives of George Vs children, it would aid the reader in linking together the knowledge they have acquired from reading the book.
In common with fellow reviewers the slapdash proof reading caught my eye too. As well as spelling errors, incorrect names and dates are present in the text. Any future editions should be thoroughly proof read.
Overall an interesting but limited account of the lives of George Vs children.

thin & sketchy
This is a rather thin multi-biography which reads as if it has been put together from newspaper cuttings and tells us very little that is new. It could have been so much more interesting: the 4 sons & one daughter of George V who lived to adulthood were very different characters. However, the author concentrates on the central protagonists in the abdication & its aftermath and says very little about the adult personalities of the younger brothers or their sister. There are also lots of misprints. An opportunity wasted.