With its beautiful watercolors, The Royal Palaces is the perfect keepsake for the places you’ve visited in Britain or ones that you wish to. But it’s more than that. Kate Williams is an expert on the British monarchy and she’s filled the pages with fascinating details—beyond when and which royals lived at each location, when it was built and in which architectural style, who made renovations, and if it’s still in use or in ruins and why.
For example, Windsor Castle was first built by William the
Conqueror of 1066 fame and today is the oldest inhabited castle in the world. Henry
VIII and his favorite bride Jane Seymour are buried there, but without all the pomp
that he had planned. Windsor also was a favorite of Queen Victoria, even
though she almost met her demise there eight times!
With Edward VI on the throne, young Elizabeth lived with her father Henry VIII’s widow Katherine Parr until improprieties forced her to leave. She was at Hatfield House when she found out sister Mary had died and she had become queen.
At Lochleven Castle, Mary Queen of Scots was forced to abdicate her crown, shortly after a traumatic miscarriage of twins fathered by a man she’d been coerced into marrying. Yet George I and his son George II blithefully kept their mistresses and illegitimate offspring at St. James Palace while on the throne. And, not surprisingly, there’s at least one secret passage from one royal residence to another.
Amid the opulence or decay of these 30 royal homes, you’ll learn
of intriguing stories that will bring history to life.
Thanks to Quarto Publishing Group for the ARC.
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