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The Royals
by
Kitty Kelley
Biography of the British royal family; includes new chapter.
ebook, 0 pages
Published
October 31st 2009
by Grand Central Publishing
(first published January 1st 1997)
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One reviewer described this as "a dishy expose" on the House of Windsor. My, but the secrets that family has been hiding - during WW2, Elizabeth II and her family didn't spend the night at Buckingham Palace as they claimed to Londoners, but instead spent their nights at the less targeted Windsor Castle. Nor did they use "ration cards" to buy either food or clothing - while many English people were just shy of starving, these people ate bacon and eggs for breakfast. This book, written in classic...more
While it was fun reading all the gossip about the Windsors, having studied the history of the family for most of my life, I found some glaring errors. Mostly the claim that they are "Germans." Perhaps strictly speaking, and going back to the days of the Vikings, they are more Saxon than Angle, but the present family is descended from Alfred the Great in antiquity, King Edward III, the Tudors and through them the Stuarts of Scotland. Intermarrying with the Hanover family, it was merely one or two...more
OK, I am an Anglophile; I admit it. And I have always been fascinated with royalty, their marriages, families, behind the castle walls, and dynastic lines, kingdoms rising and falling, maintaining, and the whole nine yards.
Kelley takes you behind the castle walls all right: straight into the bedrooms or the gardens or wherever royal trysts have taken place, and usually not the royal spouse. This is a gossipy, tell-all look into the House of Windsor, which officially began in 1917. George V and h...more
Kelley takes you behind the castle walls all right: straight into the bedrooms or the gardens or wherever royal trysts have taken place, and usually not the royal spouse. This is a gossipy, tell-all look into the House of Windsor, which officially began in 1917. George V and h...more
Picked it up at a thrift shop because I thought it'd be an entertaining read more about the royal family. The malicious tone and unsubstantiated assertions were very offputting. Really trashy. Couldn't bring myself to finish it.
Okay, I knew it would be a trashy "exposé" of the Windsors in Great Britain but I didn’t know just how trashy. I like historic biography and the way this book was described it sounded like fun – a cheeky, irreverent peek at the royal family – but it was more of a nasty character assassination with too many unsubstantiated claims to hold my interest. I mean, if I’m going to bother reading it, I’d at least like to be able to believe the majority of it. That wasn’t the case here. Too much speculati...more
It was okay. Kitty Kelley's gossipy style is very readable, and I enjoyed learning about the inner workings of the British Royal Family. She says a lot of unsubstantiated things, so I read everything with a grain of salt. The book was published right around Di's death and didn't cover it, so it kfeels like there's something missing. Parts I did enjoy included watching royals dodge the relentless pursuit of the press, reading about Elizabeth of York, grandmotherly woman of steel, and Phillip's an...more
Jun 27, 2012
Lori
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
Not Necessarily
I wasn't completely thrilled with this book. It was OK but just as many other reviews commented this was an expose, scandalous at times. The House of Windsor has been around for a long time, (uh, duh) much like any family they have some skeletons in their closets. Just because they are the reigning family of England they are thrown under the microscope, as many celebrities are, so their every move is magnified. I saw an articl on Yahoo! yesterday that said Princess Catherine must curtsey to bloo...more
I read this first around the time of Diana's death. With all the attention on British royalty after the wedding, I decided to revisit it. Apparently, I have no long-term memory, because I'd forgotten quite a bit. I enjoyed this book. It gave me what I wanted: juice on the royals that you can't get in a straight biography, but more credibility than a tabloid.
I've read reviews that slam Kitty Kelley for essentially roasting her subjects. I didn't feel that was the case at all in this book. I'll a...more
I've read reviews that slam Kitty Kelley for essentially roasting her subjects. I didn't feel that was the case at all in this book. I'll a...more
An absolute soap opera of a book- but then, isn't the story of the Windsors one big soap opera? Whether the facts are correct or simply fictional, the controversial Ms. Kelley presents an entertaining and amusing look at the most famous British royal family after the Tudors. Granted, it's a bit outdated nowadays and the Windsors have calmed down, but those who remember the various antics will appreciate a potentially different perspective on the best 'saga' to hit Britain in a long time.
Kelley is very thorough, and there's so much material to weave into a story, that it's almost miraculous how she can make this book so readable that I can't put it down. It's like eating popcorn... just one more page... well, maybe another... Have never read her books before, but am now a fan. Fascinating and admirable how Kelley has created this spellbinding account of such a huge and complicated family.
Liked it. Very interesting expose on the royal family of England. The book profiled all the major players going all the way back to George V and not a one of them came off as being a decent human being who one would want to actually know as a friend. What a waste of millions of dollars a year to keep these gold plated parasites in business! Makes me glad we cut the cord with them back in 1776.
With the upcoming Prince William wedding, I was interested in being more familiar with the British Monarchy. I knew Kitty Kelley was considered an author that had more tabloid value than literary. It was interesting and a bit like watching Entertainment Tonght on TV. It was actually better than I expected. Kitty dredged up every bit of dirt she could and presented it fairly well.
Kitty Kelley really digs into the complicated British Royalty system and makes sense of what happened through the last couple of hundred years as much as can be expected from outspoken sources and published documents. It's a very closed and guarded society. A fascinating read although tough to keep track of all the titles!! And everyone seems to have at least one.
I'm going with 3.5 stars. This book didn't teach me much that I didn't already know. I found this for a $1 at a warehouse sale and considering it is banned from Britain I thought why not? The story covers The House of Windsor. There were a few details I didn't know about Diana's family and Jolly ole Prince Phillip. What it confirmed is how crazy and scripted Royal life is. What is true and what is spun by the press. I recommend this for people interested in the current royal family. I watched th...more
This book has been in my library for awhile -- after watching 'The King's Speech' I was blasted with the urge to learn more about this institution than I have through their various scandals. Kelly takes you a step closer into the lives of these unfortunate folk that were born into servitude. Reading this book makes me happy that I was born of a more humbler lineage. She makes a concerted effort to avoid taking sides in the various calamities that have befet this family and whets your interest to...more
What a fascinating read! Kitty Kelley is known for her well-researched books, and while the palace had this book essentially banned in England because the queen was so offended by it, I thought it was a balanced view. But the royals do live in a different world--and not just because of the extraordinary privileges. The perceive themselves to be better--way, way better than the rest of us. One eye-popping fact: On the night before his wedding to Lady Diana Spencer, Prince Charles spent the night...more
This book covers most of the gossip about the royals and many times presents opinions for and against. I wasn't sure how much valid research she used or if it is rumor and third hand information. However, it is interesting and readable. It definitely isn't something the royals would approve, since there is probably some fire where there is that much smoke.
Okay, I had to go and read this after "the wedding". Everyone enjoys reading a little "snoop" piece once in a while. But actually, I had forgotten how entangled all of the European monarchys are. But is it any wonder that Charles and Diane divorced with only knowing each other such a short time? Happens in the best of families!
The part about the first generation of the Windors was more interesting than expected. But then the entire 2nd half of the book was Princess Diana drama. I suppose I expected it, but thought maybe 25% would be that. The first half of the book is nearly worth reading if you like history and monarchies at all.
Although not as "dishy" as some of her other books, I enjoyed this read. It was very interesting to learn about the "Royals" from the early 19th century up until today. Especially facinating was the sections describing the late 18th century through Queen Elizabeth's father's rule.
Wasn't great, but wasn't bad. This was written before Princess Diana's death, so there's a huge gap between those years and the royals today. Kelley suggests that the monarchy would weaken and eventually cease to exist, but in 2011, that obviously isn't the case.
To sum it up, if you're looking for a book on the royals, you're better off looking for a more up-to-date book.
To sum it up, if you're looking for a book on the royals, you're better off looking for a more up-to-date book.
It was OK, but since author didn't interview people involved can't believe everything you read. Someone gave me a copy to read so I can discuss it with her. Book only takes you up to the divorce between Charles and Diana. I do believe she died after publication.
Jul 24, 2011
Ginger Jane
rated it
1 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
Nobody. Ever. In a million years.
Shelves:
lent-by-someone-else
I've given up on this book because I think it's simply revolting. Katherine described it as all "gossip and accounting" which really tells you everything you need to know about the content. As for the tone: it's malicious and quite quite nasty. I have enough of my own problems and I don't need to fill my precious reading time with pure poison.
The expose was good - this was written by an author who does not seem to subscribe to the divine right of kings (and queens)and thus can see the reality of the situation. I liked the expose on the family members, including Diana and Philip.
A history of the Windsors that devolves into a tell-all about the sexual escapades of the family as told to the author by staffers and friends. Very tabloid and lurid but documented although I can't vouch for the accuracy of the sources.
This book is as thick as a bible, it took me a couple of months to read which is very unusual as I normally fly through stuff. Even though I found it very heavy going, there were so many funny and interesting parts to this book. The intriquet family tree of the royal family is hard to keep up with at times but definitely worth the effort. From closet homosexuality, affairs, racism, sexism and other issues we are shown the royal family is not the picture of happily ever after it portrays in the m...more
Tell-all book with nothing new to report. A rehash of the same old... basically Charles/Diana/Camilla with a little Andrew/Fergie thrown in... had hoped she'd expand it to talk more about some of the lesser known stuff.
It was an ok read.i felt that it was too much history for one book.This book starts from the early 20th century with King George and Queen Alexandra and ends with the separation of Charles and Diana.
I like Kitty Kelly's books, no matter how much the media dislikes her. I find them well researched, seem to be complete and give us insight into a character's motives as well as his/her actions.
My cousin borrowed this from our professor/church mate for me. I started liking the British Royal Family when Princess Diana died back in 2007. Read this almost 2000pages for 2days!
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Kitty Kelley is an American investigative journalist and author of several best-selling unauthorized biographies of celebrities and politicians. Described as a "poison pen" biographer, her profiles frequently contain unflattering personal anecdotes and details, and their accuracy is often questioned. Though many of her books have topped the best sellers list, Kelley's credibility and sources have...more
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May 23, 2009 12:23pm