INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER“A tour de force.” —The Washington PostIn this poignant memoir, Charles Spencer recounts the trauma of being sent away from home at age eight to attend boarding school.A Very Private School offers a clear-eyed, first-hand account of a culture of cruelty at the school Charles Spencer attended in his youth and provides important insights into an antiquated boarding system. Drawing on the memories of many of his schoolboy contemporaries, as well as his own letters and diaries from the time, he reflects on the hopelessness and abandonment he felt at aged eight, viscerally describing the intense pain of homesickness and the appalling inescapability of it all. Exploring the long-lasting impact of his experiences, Spencer presents a candid reckoning with his past and a reclamation of his childhood.

Using never before seen sources, Once a King is a fresh, revelatory and gripping insight into the Duke of Windsor - King Edward VIII - who gave up the throne to marry the woman he loved, twice divorced American Wallis Simpson.Considering Edward VIII's travels and interests as Prince of Wales as well as his relationship with Wallis Simpson and the course of events leading up to his abdication and subsequent exile, Once a King offers a previously unexplored lens through which we encounter first-hand the hitherto concealed subtlety and raw emotion of two of the twentieth century's most iconic Royal figures: the Duke and Duchess of Windsor.

The dramatic story of the new king’s evolution over the past year from Prince of Wales to King Charles III, from one of the most acclaimed royal biographers writing today.No British monarch has had a tougher act to follow.Now, after seventy years of waiting and preparation, King Charles III is not just the head of the most famous family in the world. He is the custodian of a thousand-year-old institution which must redefine its place in the digital age while others insist on rewriting the past. With unrivaled access to the king, the royal family, and the court, leading royal authority Robert Hardman brings us the inside story on the most pivotal and challenging year for the monarchy in living memory.From the death of Elizabeth II through to the ancient spectacle of the Coronation, from the rise of a new Prince and Princess of Wales to the latest "truth bombs" from the Sussexes, this is the story of the making of a monarch.

The first definitive biography of the young Elizabeth I in over twenty years—drawing on a rich variety of primary sources—tracing her tumultuous path to the crown.Queen Elizabeth I is renowned for her hugely successful reign that makes her, perhaps, the most celebrated monarch in English history. But what of the trials she faced in her challenging early life?Her status as a princess didn’t last long—when she was less than three years old, her mother—the infamous Anne Boleyn—was brutally beheaded and Elizabeth was relegated to the title of bastard. After losing several stepmothers, she then faced predatory attentions and illicit flirtations from her stepfather, Thomas Seymour, which ultimately forced Elizabeth to leave her home.But these were only the beginning of Elizabeth’s problems. Later, she became implicated in a plot to overthrow her half-sister, Mary, and faced interrogation and imprisonment in the very tower in which her mother died. Adamantly protesting her innocence, Elizabeth endured the interrogation and was eventually released. Her popularity as a royal increased from that point on, and she finally became queen at the age of twenty-five. Expert historian Nicola Tallis draws on a variety of primary sources—from the queen herself as well as those closest to her—to provide an extensive and thorough study of the Virgin Queen’s perilous journey to the crown.Looking at Elizabeth as a human being rather than a political chess piece, her narrative explores the dangers and tragedies that plagued Elizabeth's early life, revealing the queen to be a young women who drew strength from her various plights as she navigated one of the most thrilling paths to the throne in the history of the monarchy.

Alexander Larman, the master chronicler of the House of Windsor, brings his acclaimed trilogy to a dramatic and poignant conclusion.When the Royal Family took to the balcony of Buckingham Palace on VE Day in 1945, they knew that the happiness and excitement of the day was illusory. Britain may have been victorious in a painful war, but the peace would be no easier. Between the abdication crisis, the death of King George VI, and the ascension of young Elizabeth II to the throne, the continued existence of the monarchy seemed uncertain. And the presence of the former Edward VIII, now the Duke of Windsor, conniving and sniping from the sidelines in an attempt to regain relevance, even down to writing a controversial and revelatory memoir, could only make matters worse. Still, the question of whether or not Elizabeth could succeed and make the monarchy something that once again inspired international pride and even love remained.In Power and Glory, Alexander Larman completes his acclaimed Windsor family trilogy, using rare and previously unseen documents to illuminate their unique family dynamic. Through his chronicling of events like the Royal Wedding, George VI’s death and the discovery of the Duke of Windsor’s treacherous activities in WWII, Larman paints a vivid portrait of the end of one sovereign’s reign and the beginning of another’s that heralded a new Elizabethan Age which would bring power and glory back to a monarchy desperately in need of it.

The 12th Duke of Beaufort, known to his friends as 'Bunter', inherited his Dukedom and Badminton House in 2017, at the age of sixty-five. But he is also a singer and songwriter with the rock group The Listening Device. Now he combines his responsibilities as Duke with his line as a rock performer.In this lively and anecdote-filled memoir, Harry Beaufort takes us behind the scenes of his varied life: from playing poker with politicians, to partying on Ibiza with film stars to people watching with The Queen from a balcony at Windsor Castle. He offers an intimate portrait of aristocratic privilege and a lifetime filled with rock stars, royalty, eccentrics and jaw-droppingly unbelievable stories.But Harry also offers a sensitive and perceptive insight into the worlds he has inhabited and the friendships and laughter that he has experienced along the way. This is the story of an ordinary man facing up to his extraordinary inheritance-the story of The Unlikely Duke.

Through the author’s extensive connections within the royal household, this dynamic new biography tells the full story of how Catherine, the Princess of Wales, became the woman she is today.Kate Middleton's life's story seems like a modern-day fairy-tale.An attractive, clever, and ambitious girl from unexceptional beginnings meets and falls in love with a wealthy prince when they are both college undergraduates. Now, with the British monarchy in transition, Catherine is destined to become the first "commoner Queen” in British history since Anne Hyde, wife of James II.Since her wedding on April 29th, 2011—and since becoming the Duchess of Cambridge—Catherine has endeared herself to the people of the Britain and America with her extensive travels, with her infectious smile, sense of style, and down-to-earth nature. With her self-deprecation, willingness to laugh at herself, solid work-ethic—along with William’s warmth, and accessibility—this dynamic duo has become the most popular members of the royal family.As interest in the royals continues to gain legions of new, younger fans, there is increasing interest in the histories and back stories of the principal players in this story. Through the author’s connection with sources both on and off the record within the royal household, this dynamic new biography tells the full story of how Catherine became the woman she is today.

Royal expert and TV historian Kate Williams opens the doors to 30 palaces, castles, and houses that have been connected with the British royals over the centuries.Well known for her expert insights in the media and on countless royal documentaries, Kate takes you on a tour of the UK’s most fascinating palaces, past and present, to unveil the scandalous and little-known stories hidden between their walls.Included in the book are such famous royal residences as Buckingham Palace and Windsor Castle, but also lesser-known locations such as Falkland Palace and Beaumaris Castle. Covering the breadth of British history, there are tales from the Medieval era to the present.Among the palaces included are: Hatfield House, where young Elizabeth I held court before finding out she would become queen Whitehall Palace and Banqueting Hall, home to Charles II's secret laboratory, where he tried to create an elixir of youth using human skulls Glamis Castle, the inspiration for Shakespeare’s Macbeth Greenwich Palace, where Elizabeth I survived an assassination attempt when poison was placed in her saddle Frogmore House, a long-time royal residence used by Queen Charlotte, King George V and Princess Alexandra Osborne House, designed by Prince Albert in the style of an Italian Renaissance palazzo Windsor Castle, the famous residence of Queen Elizabeth II before her deathRevel in the glory and glamor of royal life, as well as the salacious scandals that defined these palaces. The book is vividly brought to life by numerous beautiful illustrations by James Oses, and will be irresistible to anyone interested in British royalty and the history of Great Britain.

India Hicks’s affectionate tribute to her beloved mother, Lady Pamela Hicks, and her extraordinary life surrounded by dazzling people, places, houses, and history.For years designer India Hicks has been sharing anecdotes about the life of her mother, Lady Pamela Hicks, or Lady P, as she is affectionately known.This new visual biography is an extraordinary chronicle of Lady Pamela’s life. Daughter of the 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma, the last viceroy of India, Lady Pamela was a first cousin to Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, and served as a bridesmaid and lady-in-waiting to Queen Elizabeth II, before marrying legendary interior designer David Hicks. Sifting through her parents’ archives, India has uncovered a trove of material about her mother. This beautifully illustrated personal history includes ephemera such as letters from the Queen; images of the houses and gardens where she grew up and made her wonderfully elegant home; details of her extraordinary work during Indian independence, her marriage to David Hicks and the homes he designed for them, the assassination of her father in Ireland, and later life in the country, as well as the lessons India has learned from her mother having had a front-row seat at so many historical events.An exemplary life, captured in beautiful images—for lovers of history, royal watchers, and all style enthusiasts.

An intimate cookbook exploring 200 years of British royal food, studded with anecdotes, delectable tidbits, and nuggets of history, featuring 100 accessible recipes from award-winning food writer Tom Parker Bowles.In Cooking and the Crown: Royal Recipes from Queen Victoria to King Charles III, Tom Parker Bowles, award-winning food writer, restaurant critic, and son of Queen Camilla, blends history, monarchy, and gastronomy to provide a fascinating window into the world of royal tastes and traditions as far back as Victorian times.Cooking and the Crown showcases an abundance of beloved royal recipes for all seasons, everyday occasions, and celebrations of all kinds, from breakfasts, picnic lunches and dinners to coronations and state banquets, including:• Breakfast: Queen Camilla’s Porridge, Herrings Fried in Oatmeal and Kedgeree• Lunch: George V’s Curry, Buckingham Palace Mutton Pies• Tea: Queen Mary’s Birthday Cake, Sandwiches a la Regance, and Welsh Teabread• Dinner: The King’s Wet Martini, Sardine Diable Savouries• Dessert: Bombe Glacée Princess ElizabethPunctuating the delectable recipes are essays offering behind-the-scenes peeks into the histories of kitchen suppers, garden parties, Coronations, and State banquets, as well as tales of the chefs, customs, and predilections of royal kitchens.With material from the royal archives woven together with contemporary accounts and Parker Bowles’ own personal insights, Cooking and the Crown is a glorious recipe collection that offers a glimpse into the tastes and pleasures of the royal table from Queen Victoria to present day.

A groundbreaking and beautifully written biography of Queen Anne Boleyn, the ill-fated second wife of Renaissance England's Henry XVIII, focusing on her transformative years in France and how they shaped her into one of history’s most notoriously vilified and misunderstood queensAnne Boleyn has mesmerized the general public for centuries. Her tragic execution at the Tower of London on the 19th of May, 1536—orchestrated by her own husband—never ceases to intrigue. How did this courtier's daughter become the queen of England, and what was it that really tore apart this illustrious marriage, rendering her the whore of England, an abandoned woman left to be executed on the scaffold? While many stories of Anne’s downfall have been told, few have truly traced the origins of her grim fate.In Thorns, Lust, and Glory, Estelle Paranque takes us back to where it all started: to France, where Anne learned the lessons that would set her on the path to becoming one of England's most infamous queens. At the court of the French king as a resourceful teenage girl, Anne's journey to infamy began, and this landmark biography explores the world that shaped her, and how these loyalties would leave her vulnerable, leading to her ruin at the volatile court of Henry VIII.A fascinating new perspective on Tudor history's most enduring story, Thorns, Lust, and Glory is an unmissable account of a queen on the edge.

**SMITHSONIAN MAGAZINE, "10 BEST HISTORY BOOKS OF 2022"****HISTORY TODAY, "BOOKS OF THE YEAR (2022)"**A brilliant and beautifully written deep dive into the complicated relationship between Elizabeth I and Catherine de Medici, two of the most powerful women in Renaissance Europe who shaped each other as profoundly as they shaped the course of history.Sixteenth-century Europe was a hostile world dominated by court politics and patriarchal structures, and yet against all odds, two women rose to power: Elizabeth I and Catherine de Medici. One a young Virgin Queen who ruled her kingdom alone, and the other a more experienced and clandestine leader who used her children to shape the dynasties of Europe, much has been written about these shrewd and strategic sovereigns. But though their individual legacies have been heavily scrutinized, nothing has been said of their complicated relationship—thirty years of camaraderie, competition, and conflict that forever changed the face of Europe.In Blood, Fire, and Gold, historian Estelle Paranque offers a new way of looking at two of history's most powerful women: through the eyes of the other. Drawing on their private correspondence and brand-new research, Paranque shows how Elizabeth and Catherine navigated through uncharted waters that both united and divided their kingdoms, maneuvering between opposing political, religious, and social objectives—all while maintaining unprecedented power over their respective domains. Though different in myriad ways, their fates and lives remained intertwined of the course of three decades, even as the European geo-politics repeatedly set them against one another. Whether engaged in bloody battles or peaceful accords, Elizabeth and Catherine admired the force and resilience of the other, while never forgetting that they were, first and foremost, each other's true rival.This is a story of two remarkable visionaries: a story of blood, fire, and gold. It is also a tale of ceaseless calculation, of love and rivalry, of war and wisdom, and—above all else—of the courage and sacrifice it takes to secure and sustain power as a woman in a male-dominated world.A Times' "Book of the Week"