Edward VII's Children

by John van der Kiste

King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra had six children. Of the five who reached maturity, only one, the future King George V, has received much attention from biographers. The eldest son, Albert Victor, Duke of Clarence, a backward youth and a subject of scandal, died before he was thirty. The three princesses, Louise, Princess Royal and Duchess of Fife, the lifelong spinster Victoria, and Maud, Queen of Norway, were never well-known to the British public during their lifetime. In this detailed and fascinating account, John Van der Kiste has drawn upon previously unpublished correspondence from the Royal Archives, Windsor, to reveal for the first time the part this hitherto neglected group of characters played in supporting the royal family and crown during a period of transition from the Victorian age to the uncertain twentieth century.

Genres: History, Biography, Nonfiction, Royalty, European History, British Literature

ebook

First published January 1, 1989

About the author

John Van der Kiste, British author, was born in Wendover, Buckinghamshire, on September 15, 1954, son of Wing Commander Guy Van der Kiste (1912–99). He was educated at Blundell's School, Tiverton, where he briefly formed a rock band Cobweb with fellow pupil Miles Tredinnick, later vocalist with new wave band London and subsequently playwright and scriptwriter, and read Librarianship at Ealing Technical College, where he edited the librarians’ student magazine.
He has worked for several years in public and academic libraries, but is best known as a writer. His first book, Frederick III, appeared in 1981, and since then he has published over twenty historical biographies, as well as books on local history, true crime, rock music, a novel and a play. He is also a contributor to Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Guinness Rockopaedia, and has produced articles on historical, musical and art subjects in national and local journals, including Illustrated London News, Royalty Digest, European Royal History Journal, Best of British, BBC History Magazine, Record Collector, Antique Collector, This England, The Independent, and Gibbons Stamp Monthly. He has reviewed books and records for the press, written CD booklet notes, and between 1991 and 1996 edited the 70s rock fanzine Keep on Rockin.
In 2002 he was a consultant for the BBC TV documentary 'The King, the Kaiser and the Tsar', first screened in January 2003.
He married professional musician and teacher Kim Graham (née Geldard) in 2003 and lives in Devon.

Reviews

[Stephen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting read

[Zosi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rounding up half a star because the author chose to focus on all the children, not just the ones commonly written about. The correspondence he managed to find between the three sisters is very interesting. He also devoted plenty of page space to Queen Maud, which I appreciated because she’s often overlooked. I also learned a lot about Louise, the Duchess of Fife, who usually isn’t mentioned in books about the time period.

[V A Hobbs · Rating 3 out of 5]

Place name spelling

Whoever proof read this edition and\or copy edited did not check the spelling of the Norfolk village railway station of Wolferton. Throughout it was spelled Wolverton. As it is quite frequently mentioned in the media as the royal family arrive at that station for their Christmas break, you'd think that between the author, copy editor and proof reader one of them would have noticed. Small things like that ruin an otherwise good book.

[Ken Sampson · Rating 4 out of 5]

[12 Apr 1997] An interesting and informative read.

[Anne Hendricks · Rating 5 out of 5]

A dynamite book - so glad I read it!!!

[Colleen · Rating 2 out of 5]

I bought this mostly hoping for more on the daughters, since both Eddy and George get heavy coverage elsewhere. van der Kiste did his best to include all the children, though it is easy to see where the sources falter. Louise regularly disappears from the narrative, and coverage of Maud and Victoria is about the same as most other books on the subject.

[Jen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Van-der-kiste palooza continues.

If you're looking for mother's NOT to emulate, I give you Alexandra of Denmark.

Again, this is part of my reading of van-der-kiste ness. He's not a bad writer, but he's not great either. The books never seem to really come alive. It's more of a book report on primary sources. It's informative--but it's not enthralling.

Ed vii had 6 kids, one died as an infant, there was Eddy and George (future GV) and their daughters Victoria, Louise, and Maud.

It really appears that Alex, being not the star of her husband's sky, decided that her children's lives would revolve around her and her needs. While Ed had fun, she denied her daughters education (and yes I blame him too) and wept at the idea that her sons would take wives. She denied marriage to her younger daughter and kept her as an unpaid servant until her own death. No wonder Victoria became the sullen spinster as she grew older.

What was notable is how close they all remained, calling each other and visiting. It's really quite lovely that they all were friends.

Fine book--again, only if you're desperate to know about these people.

[Katherine · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an enjoyable read about historical figures who are not usually mentioned in books. I particularly liked the information about Maud who became Queen of Norway - she is usually a footnote in books about the children of Edward VII and this provided a lot more detail.

This is well researched and well written although as other reviewers have mentioned the names can get confusing due to Queen Victoria insisting on her name and Albert's name being used in the following generations.

Overall a good read for further information about lesser known grandchildren of Queen Victoria.

[Nate · Rating 3 out of 5]

Spends more time than I would have liked on the Duke of Clarence and Avondale. I loved reading the parts about Maud and the Duchess of Fife. Reminds me of a Gelardi of Packard type book. Very enlightening book as its so hard to find information on Maud and the Duchess of Fife (wish they got more spotlight but I understand that they aren't as publicized so its hard to find information about them).

[Claire Sentance · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyable book and very well written. Sometimes got a bit confusing as the royal family tend to be a little uninspired in the names of their children so there are lots of Edwards, Georges and Victorias, although this is obviously not the fault of the author.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good overview of and introduction to his children

[mr c j woodward · Rating 4 out of 5]

Historically enlightening and education a national. A l so as it goes along much more personal and enjoyable.

As above. A very good read once one gets into the flow. Will read more of his books thank you.