Grandmama of Europe: The Crowned Descendants of Queen Victoria

Grandmama of Europe: Crowned Descendants of Queen Victoria

Reference

Theo Aronson

Genealogy

Littlehampton Book Services Lt

The Coburgs, remarked Bismarck, were ‘the stud farm of Europe'; if unkindly phrased, there was nevertheless some truth in the jibe. Within three generations of the foundation of the Belgian Royal House in 1831, Coburgs had tarried into almost every royal family in Europe.  Perhaps the most extraordinary thing about the throne of Belgium is that it ever came into being: created after the successful rebellion against the Dutch, handed to an imported German prince, it was hoped, without much enthusiasm, that it would weld together a new nation of disparate and quarrelsome elements. It has survived to the present, in an era which has seen older and seemingly more secure dynasties vanish.   The first Coburg of Belgium, Leopold I, as that 'Dear Uncle' to whom Queen Victoria was so abjectly devoted in the early years of her reign. Cheated by the death of his first wife, Charlotte, Princess of Wales, daughter of George IV and Queen Caroline, from becoming Prince Consort to the Queen of England, the resilient Leopold of Saxe-Coburg not only became the constitutional monarch of Belgium but married the daughter of the King of France. With this the Coburgs were well launched on a climb from their petty German principality to position of enormous world power.   Leopold I's son, Leopold II, vastly enriched the family fortunes by his avaricious plunder of the Congo and scandalised Europe with his sexual promiscuity. In fact, not until the reign of 'Albert of the Belgians' (1909-34) and his beloved Queen Elisabeth, did the royal Coburgs prove themselves a very endearing family.

The Coburgs of Belgium

Littlehampton Book Services Ltd.

Golden Bees: Story of the Fabulous Bonapartes

Corgi Childrens

Queen Victoria and the Bonapartes

Biographies & Memoirs

Leaders & Notable People

Bobbs-Merrill Co.

All the good stuff on the kids of Queen Vicky.

Grandmama of Europe: The crowned descendants of Queen Victoria

John Murray Publishers

In November 1970 an article in an obscure British journal made the startling claim that the notorious mass-murderer, Jack the Ripper, had been none other than Queen Victoria's grandson, Prince Albert Victor, Heir Presumptive to the British throne. Although this bizarre theory was subsequently dismissed, rumours about the long-forgotten figure of Prince Albert Victor - always known as Eddy - began to gather force. With each telling, they became wilder. Out of this welter of conjecture, claim and counter-claim, there emerged one accusation that cannot be dismissed. This is the story of Prince Eddy's alleged involvement in another Victorian cause celebre - the Cleveland Street brothel case. For the uncovering of this homosexual brothel in 1889 led to an extraordinary cover-up by the British government; a cover-up which is explicable only in the light of Prince Eddy's involvement. Working from original sources (including the files of the Director of Public Prosecutions and the Esher Papers), Theo Aronson has written the first full account of the strange life of Prince Eddy, setting it in perspective against a vivid backcloth of the astonishingly active homosexual underworld during the last decades of Queen Victoria's reign. He explores Prince Eddy's upbringing, his university and military careers, his curious personality, his alleged "secret marriage", his links with the Jack the Ripper murders, his early death and, above all, the central mystery of his life - his sexual orientation. For it was this that linked the young Prince's name to the Cleveland Street Scandal.

Prince Eddy and the Homosexual Underworld

John Murray Pubs Ltd

In November 1970 an article in an obscure British journal made the startling claim that the notorious mass-murderer, Jack the Ripper, had been none other than Queen Victoria's grandson, Prince Albert Victor, Heir Presumptive to the British throne. Although this bizarre theory was subsequently dismissed, rumours about the long-forgotten figure of Prince Albert Victor - always known as Eddy - began to gather force. With each telling, they became wilder. Out of this welter of conjecture, claim and counter-claim, there emerged one accusation that cannot be dismissed. This is the story of Prince Eddy's alleged involvement in another Victorian cause celebre - the Cleveland Street brothel case. For the uncovering of this homosexual brothel in 1889 led to an extraordinary cover-up by the British government; a cover-up which is explicable only in the light of Prince Eddy's involvement. Working from original sources (including the files of the Director of Public Prosecutions and the Esher Papers), Theo Aronson has written the first full account of the strange life of Prince Eddy, setting it in perspective against a vivid backcloth of the astonishingly active homosexual underworld during the last decades of Queen Victoria's reign. He explores Prince Eddy's upbringing, his university and military careers, his curious personality, his alleged "secret marriage", his links with the Jack the Ripper murders, his early death and, above all, the central mystery of his life - his sexual orientation. For it was this that linked the young Prince's name to the Cleveland Street Scandal.

John Murray Publishers, Ltd.

"Theo Aronson's latest royal book is a model of what a royal biography should be... The problems of being a princess in today's monarchy are vividly implicit in every page... I found the book eminently readable in an easy style that lends itself to wit and irony..." Elizabeth Longford, The Tablet  "A balanced and on the whole generous interpretation of this most elusive of royal characters. Aronson expounds convincingly the almost intolerable pressures to which a woman of intelligence and character must find herself subjected when entrapped in the mesh of royal responsibilities." PHILIP ZIEGLER, Daily Telegraph 'Books of the Year'  "Theo Aronson is a practised royal biographer who writes with fluidity... It is good to find royal gossip in which no one is absurdly inflated and no one viciously demeaned." Times Literary Supplement  "Aronson's strength is his style: he is an elegant writer who can handle the broad picture and the telling detail." Daily Telegraph  “Very comprehensive and well researched. An interesting read.” Mary’s Book Corner “Well written and kept me reading from cover to cover. A very good overview of her life.” Flora Fung - Librarian  “I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. It is well researched… the author manages to bring her alive… you have a real sense of her attitude, her privilege and her sadness. Excellent book.” ANN APPLIN - Reviewer “This is the most detailed biography of the life of Princess Margaret that I have had the pleasure of reading. The detail is astonishing… wonderfully written. I found it hard to put down.” T B – Reviewer “A detailed and enjoyable book.” Jessica Nipper – Reviewer Part imperious royal figure, part femme du monde, Princess Margaret spent the greater part of her life torn between meeting the exacting standards of the monarchy and flouting its long-established conventions. She has been described as tragic, unresolved, a royal maverick, a woman of conflict, a princess without a cause. From any viewpoint, she remains the most interesting member of the royal family.  Widely praised on its publication in hardback, this is the first detailed, in-depth study of this controversial figure. A respected royal biographer. Theo Aronson is uniquely qualified to tell the Princess's story — from her private and public life. He has been helped by many who know Princess Margaret and has drawn on several new and unfamiliar sources. He has also had the incalculable advantage of several audiences with her, allowing him to incorporate many of her memories, observations and opinions in his book. This is a fresh, frank and highly entertaining account of an always colourful life.

Princess Margaret

MICHAEL O`MARA BOOKS

This is a biography of Princess Margaret. Her life has been a balancing act; she has spent the greater part of her life torn between meeting the exacting standards of the monarchy and flouting its long-established conventions. She has spent her life surrounded by wealth and all its trappings, but, it appears, despite it all, she has led an unhappy life. She has been described as tragic, a royal maverick, a woman of conflict, and a princess without cause.

Princess Margaret: A Biography

MICHAEL O\'MARA BOOKS LTD

In 1863, Queen Victoria decreed that Edward, Prince of Wales, should marry Princess Alexandra, daughter of the obscure and unsophisticated heir to the Danish throne. The beauty, grace and charm of Prince Christian's daughter had prevailed over the Queen's intense dislike of the Danish royal house, and had even persuaded the embarrassingly difficult Bertie to agree to the match.   Thus began the fairy-tale saga of a family that handed on its good looks, unaffectedness, and democratic manners to almost every royal house of modern Europe. For, in the year that Alexandra became Princess of Wales, her brother Willie was elected King of the Hellenes ; her father at last succeeded to the Danish throne; her sister Dagmar was soon to become wife of the future Tsar Alexander III of Russia; and her youngest sister Thyra later married the de jure King of Hanover.   A Family of Kings is the story of the crowned children and grandchildren of Christian IX and Queen Louise of Denmark, focusing on the half-century before the First World War. It is an intimate, domestic study of a close-knit family, the individual personalities, and the courts to which they came. Without doubt, the chic and beautiful Alexandra epitomized the spectacular flowering of the Danish dynasty; and just as she brought an unprecedented popularity to the sobriety of the English court, so her brothers and sisters helped enliven the staid European scene.   The outstanding success of Theo Aronson's previous book, Grandmama of Europe, confirms his reputation as a chronicler of the fortunes of Europe's ruling houses. A Family of Kings bears the hallmark of the author's remarkable talent, and provides a fascinating evocation of the splendour and extravagance, and not infrequent tragedy, of nineteenth and twentieth century royalty.

A Family of Kings

Royalty Digest

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Theo Aronson. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Theo Aronson

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Theo Aronson. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Grandmama of Europe: Crowned Descendants of Queen Victoria

The Coburgs of Belgium

Golden Bees: Story of the Fabulous Bonapartes

Queen Victoria and the Bonapartes

Grandmama of Europe: The crowned descendants of Queen Victoria

Prince Eddy and the Homosexual Underworld

Prince Eddy and the Homosexual Underworld

Princess Margaret

Princess Margaret: A Biography

A Family of Kings