What do you think?
Rate this book
Grandmama of Europe: The Crowned Descendants of Queen Victoria
Book by Aronson, Theo
384 pages, Hardcover
First published November 15, 1973
185 people are currently reading
602 people want to read
About the author
Theo Aronson
25 books33 followersTheo Aronson is an historical biographer specialising in the Royal Houses of Europe. Among his many widely read books are "The Golden Bees: The Story of the Bonapartes," "Grandmama of Europe" and "Royal Family: Years of Transition."
His books have been published in Britain, the United States, France, Germany, Spain, Italy, Holland and Belgium.
Theo Aronson lives in an eighteenth-century stone house in Frome, Somerset.
His books have been published in Britain, the United States, France, Germany, Spain, Italy, Holland and Belgium.
Theo Aronson lives in an eighteenth-century stone house in Frome, Somerset.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews
June 18, 2015
I enjoyed this book greatly. The writing was excellent (although as always with a Kindle edition there were a number of typos), and I learnt a lot that I didn't know before about the countries of Europe before and after the First World War. For example I had always thought that Yugoslavia was a construct of the Second WW aftermath, but no, it was made after 1918. The author has used many many letters from Queen Victoria to her children and grandchildren and theirs to her, so there is a lot of primary source material. Recommended.
March 14, 2020
The story of Queen Victoria's descendants is endlessly fascinating. Similar to Deborah Cadbury's Queen Victoria's Matchmaking, but I say read them both. This book is very easy reading, and eventually you CAN get everyone straight.
August 13, 2025
4.5 stars
My Nan gave me this novel. My family has always had a great appreciation for the rich history of the royal family. Regardless of whether you are a monarchist or not, the amount of power, history and influence the royal family has had over the centuries is undeniable. And the monarchist to have the most influence in the global sense was without a doubt Queen Victoria. Therefore, I was very intrigued to dive into this novel and I was not disappointed.
This book was very well written and easy to read. There was a load of information to cover and yet the author managed to make a dense part of history super easy and fascinating to read.
I would highly recommend.
My Nan gave me this novel. My family has always had a great appreciation for the rich history of the royal family. Regardless of whether you are a monarchist or not, the amount of power, history and influence the royal family has had over the centuries is undeniable. And the monarchist to have the most influence in the global sense was without a doubt Queen Victoria. Therefore, I was very intrigued to dive into this novel and I was not disappointed.
This book was very well written and easy to read. There was a load of information to cover and yet the author managed to make a dense part of history super easy and fascinating to read.
I would highly recommend.
July 20, 2021
Excellent, but very, very long audio-read.
February 20, 2025
Loved the book, truly a good read!
August 18, 2014
Adventures, anecdotes, stories -- this is not the history of Europe through its kings and queens but the family history of the kings and queens themselves. Lovely stuff.
It's divided into three parts: during her lifetime, between her death and World War I, and from World War I to the 1960's. There is a certain tendency of certain kinds of stories to congregate at a time.
Queen Victoria's insistence on not considering political matches against the young people's will. Her haughty contempt when her German relatives objected to her descendants marrying, of all things, offspring of a morgantic marriage. What the queen of England thought good enough for them was indeed good enough.
How Queen Victoria asked her daughter whether she used chloroform and when the abashed daughter admitted it, talked of how she had used it for her last and would surely have used it for them all if only it had been invented soon enough.
The Tsar rising out of his sickbed -- soon to be his deathbed -- to don his uniform to welcome Alexandra to Russia, because as soon as she marries his son, she will be the Tsarita, a fact that none of his court except him seems to remember.
King Edward paying a state visit to Paris and succeeding in charming the French, making the Entente workable with his new popularity.
The theatricality of Queen Marie of Romania.
Queen Sophie and King Constantine, with their own subjects in revolt, facing the French bombardment. King George objected strenuously -- Greece was neutral and they were attacking them for their loyalty -- but was unable to stop it. They had to flee. After the war, they were brought back by a plebiscite, an overwhelming one. Sophie thought it too exuberant to last. Wise, they were out on their ears again soon enough. Greece tried to go to their sons, but ended up a republic.
Spain, where the republicans lost the election and so set out to overthrow the monarchy by force. At least, they called themselves republicans. Methinks they missed the point somewhere.
Prince Carol of Romania swearing away his claim to the throne -- and then coming back after his father's death. His son Michael, on hearing his father called king, immediately asked, "How can Papa be King when I am king?"
A queen showing her guest her vineyard when there's an explosion and placidly wondering whether it was a bomb or the dynamite for her new vineyard. An aide comes rushing up to say it was the dynamite but too much was used -- what a pity, she observed, since it's now much too steep for the vineyard.
How Maud ended up Queen of Norway: by marrying into the Danish royal family. When the Swedish king dissolved the government and could not form another, Norway said it showed he was no longer king and went looking for another. Royalty were quite annoyed at the dismissal, but were reassured that they did, after all, want a king, and naturally they went looking in royal houses. Greece, after all, had gotten Scandinavian kings because royal blood was more important than the country's.
Lady Louise Mountbatten (the name translated from Battenberg during World War I) and how the Swedish royal family (despite their recent rise) needed proof she really was royal.
There were seven monarchies in Europe at the time this book was written. Five monarchs were descended from Queen Victoria, and two were closely related to her.
It's divided into three parts: during her lifetime, between her death and World War I, and from World War I to the 1960's. There is a certain tendency of certain kinds of stories to congregate at a time.
Queen Victoria's insistence on not considering political matches against the young people's will. Her haughty contempt when her German relatives objected to her descendants marrying, of all things, offspring of a morgantic marriage. What the queen of England thought good enough for them was indeed good enough.
How Queen Victoria asked her daughter whether she used chloroform and when the abashed daughter admitted it, talked of how she had used it for her last and would surely have used it for them all if only it had been invented soon enough.
The Tsar rising out of his sickbed -- soon to be his deathbed -- to don his uniform to welcome Alexandra to Russia, because as soon as she marries his son, she will be the Tsarita, a fact that none of his court except him seems to remember.
King Edward paying a state visit to Paris and succeeding in charming the French, making the Entente workable with his new popularity.
The theatricality of Queen Marie of Romania.
Queen Sophie and King Constantine, with their own subjects in revolt, facing the French bombardment. King George objected strenuously -- Greece was neutral and they were attacking them for their loyalty -- but was unable to stop it. They had to flee. After the war, they were brought back by a plebiscite, an overwhelming one. Sophie thought it too exuberant to last. Wise, they were out on their ears again soon enough. Greece tried to go to their sons, but ended up a republic.
Spain, where the republicans lost the election and so set out to overthrow the monarchy by force. At least, they called themselves republicans. Methinks they missed the point somewhere.
Prince Carol of Romania swearing away his claim to the throne -- and then coming back after his father's death. His son Michael, on hearing his father called king, immediately asked, "How can Papa be King when I am king?"
A queen showing her guest her vineyard when there's an explosion and placidly wondering whether it was a bomb or the dynamite for her new vineyard. An aide comes rushing up to say it was the dynamite but too much was used -- what a pity, she observed, since it's now much too steep for the vineyard.
How Maud ended up Queen of Norway: by marrying into the Danish royal family. When the Swedish king dissolved the government and could not form another, Norway said it showed he was no longer king and went looking for another. Royalty were quite annoyed at the dismissal, but were reassured that they did, after all, want a king, and naturally they went looking in royal houses. Greece, after all, had gotten Scandinavian kings because royal blood was more important than the country's.
Lady Louise Mountbatten (the name translated from Battenberg during World War I) and how the Swedish royal family (despite their recent rise) needed proof she really was royal.
There were seven monarchies in Europe at the time this book was written. Five monarchs were descended from Queen Victoria, and two were closely related to her.
May 19, 2018
A royal history classic! Theo Aronson examines the children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren of Queen Victoria who married into Europe's royal houses. The book was first published in the 1970s and there are some sections of the book, especially the chapters concerning the Russian Imperial family, which are rather dated, but Aronson provides an excellent account of how princesses with British upbringings experienced the courts of Russia, Romania, Greece, Spain, Denmark, Sweden and Norway. His favourite one of Queen Victoria's descendants is clearly Queen Marie of Romania, who is described in glowing terms throughout the book. Aronson argues that the the connections between Europe's royal houses were of limited political importance as the frequent family gatherings of the early 20th century did not prevent the First World War but these marriages still had a profound cultural influence as British customs and conceptions of royal duties spread across the continent. Well worth reading.
October 4, 2015
This was an excellent look at the human side of the royals descended from Queen Victoria. It really is amazing how many European thrones had descendents upon them. Aronson does a very good job of explaining how, despite their relationships, they ended up at war with each other. He shows happy monarchies and unhappy monarchies and why they were... He also shows both good and bad royal marriages and childhoods. He lets you see just how "English" were some of these monarchs raised and ruling in other countries--Victoria's influence lived on.
January 9, 2015
This is a very comprehensive (and long) look at Queen Victoria and her descendants. She had 9 children, and the ones that survived to marry and reproduce also had a lot of children, so present day Europe must be lugging her genes around everywhere. This is not a scholarly work, it's a popular history, so it's gossipy, entertaining, and fun to read.
October 7, 2022
I read this when I was in high school; I remember that I borrowed it from our local public library--how I found it, I don't know--and moved through it fairly rapidly. It tells the story of Queen Victoria and her children and grandchildren and great-grandchildren, and how among them they eventually included crowned heads of most of the countries of Europe. Aronson's writing is novelistic in style, so it's a readable and engaging book, offering a surface history lesson shrouded in low-impact gossip and melodrama.
What I remember most about the book is the remarkable sweep of Victoria's descendants: not just the famous ones like Kaiser Wilhelm of Prussia and Czarina Alexandra of Russia but lesser-known monarchs in places like Spain, Greece, and Romania. I can still recall the sad story of Victoria's eldest daughter, also Victoria, who wanted to be Empress of Germany but ended up only the mistreated, discarded mother of the spoiled egoist Wilhelm. And I can even conjure memories of reading about some of the later descendants, exiled to England or (I think) Spain after the kingdoms they had ruled briefly were no more.
In retrospect, this book was better than I thought because I really do remember it pretty well and what's more remember enjoying it and learning from it. Though of course I don't know how I'd take to it today; I tried another of Aronson's books recently and couldn't get through it...
What I remember most about the book is the remarkable sweep of Victoria's descendants: not just the famous ones like Kaiser Wilhelm of Prussia and Czarina Alexandra of Russia but lesser-known monarchs in places like Spain, Greece, and Romania. I can still recall the sad story of Victoria's eldest daughter, also Victoria, who wanted to be Empress of Germany but ended up only the mistreated, discarded mother of the spoiled egoist Wilhelm. And I can even conjure memories of reading about some of the later descendants, exiled to England or (I think) Spain after the kingdoms they had ruled briefly were no more.
In retrospect, this book was better than I thought because I really do remember it pretty well and what's more remember enjoying it and learning from it. Though of course I don't know how I'd take to it today; I tried another of Aronson's books recently and couldn't get through it...
July 2, 2017
Reading this book (very slowly) was interesting and kept me absorbed and wanting to return to it every night. I must admit, it was difficult trying to keep track of all the whose who, and how they were all connected ..... there are so many! And, wow, the "incestuousness" of it all! But, not to freak out.... they all thought marrying within the genetic lines was totally appropriate and expected! Hence, it was never boring! I must say, there is no question about their resilience, commitment to their roles, or their determination to do their duty!
It was truly a good read! I recommend it to anyone who is interested in learning more about the history of royalty in the world.
It was truly a good read! I recommend it to anyone who is interested in learning more about the history of royalty in the world.
November 7, 2017
Writing with flair and an engaging style, no less academically vigorous though, this was very enjoyable. I should have started 5/6th of the way in though as this book was clearly the inspiration for others I've read on the crowned descendants of Victoria. It was so engaging though that it didn't really matter that it was repetitious for me. Despite being 40 plus years out of date, there wasn't much difference between it and more recent books.
April 7, 2019
Very well written
This book is very well written. It flows easily. I gave it a 4 star as it needs to have photos of these descendents. Otherwise, I enjoyed it very much & I learned quite a bit. It is a fascinating & educational read. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in the legacy of Queen Victoria...her children and their descendents, and how their aristocratic role played a part in the world.
This book is very well written. It flows easily. I gave it a 4 star as it needs to have photos of these descendents. Otherwise, I enjoyed it very much & I learned quite a bit. It is a fascinating & educational read. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in the legacy of Queen Victoria...her children and their descendents, and how their aristocratic role played a part in the world.
May 26, 2017
Great book on Victoria and her descendants !
This is a very interesting book on all the monarchies that had descendants of Queen Victoria. Great if you love history, politics, Britons, and so much more.
This is a very interesting book on all the monarchies that had descendants of Queen Victoria. Great if you love history, politics, Britons, and so much more.
August 5, 2017
Grandmama of Eurooe
It is not light reading, however for anyone who enjoys history in any form it is interesting. It can be difficult to follow as it bounces around in sections; nonetheless an enjoyable read.
It is not light reading, however for anyone who enjoys history in any form it is interesting. It can be difficult to follow as it bounces around in sections; nonetheless an enjoyable read.
March 28, 2018
A great book to understand the web of Victoria Queen of England and Empress of India
It easy to read in follows the known fact, I always feel Empress Alexander's role is never understood but this book is just the correct limits.
It easy to read in follows the known fact, I always feel Empress Alexander's role is never understood but this book is just the correct limits.
January 27, 2019
Review
Nice addition to the other works of Dr. Aronson. Enjoyed the detail on both the Balkan and Scandanavian royal houses.
Written awhile ago, so it reads a bit dated about the current royal houses...
Nice addition to the other works of Dr. Aronson. Enjoyed the detail on both the Balkan and Scandanavian royal houses.
Written awhile ago, so it reads a bit dated about the current royal houses...
June 12, 2021
The content was interesting and well written. The editing was horrendous. I can't recall a book with so many typos and mistakes. Every page or two it seemed there was a mistake. Sometimes multiple typos on one page. The content is great if you can get past the poor editing.
March 22, 2020
This really showed the family connections in Europe. I found it fascinating for that. Well researched but not brilliant.
December 2, 2019
A very enjoyable book by Mr. Aronson who has a talent for bringing to life royal figures from the post-Victorian era. It's amazing how many of the rulers of Europe are related and descend from Queen Victoria.
January 14, 2023
Theo Aronson was a chronicler of royalty, and if you like reading about Queens and Kings of (almost) modern times, then you won't be disappointed by this book. Aronson does not make you feel as if you are sitting down to tea with Queen Maud or Queen Marie or Queen Sophie, which is disappointing at times; it's more like you are peering through a very clear window pane at them having tea or sitting with Grandmama learning how to be very English. Honestly, the book has some tedious points -- and the time line back and forth between kings and queens doesn't always make sense (those Danes and Swedes feel VERY tacked on) -- but overall, it's great fun. Royalty lovers won't be disappointed.
———————
January 2023. I listened to this on Audible, excellently narrated by Pearl Hewitt. Listening to the book ironed out some of the tedious points, I think; and the Swedes and Danes at the end didn’t feel quite so tacked on.
———————
January 2023. I listened to this on Audible, excellently narrated by Pearl Hewitt. Listening to the book ironed out some of the tedious points, I think; and the Swedes and Danes at the end didn’t feel quite so tacked on.
March 7, 2017
While very informative on the subject of Queen Victoria and her descendants, I felt that Aronson could've kept some of the chapters a bit brief. There were a few of Victoria's descendants whose story was rambling while others were given a few pages at the most. Loved reading this piece of non-fic!
February 2, 2016
A very good read
If you enjoy reading about the Victorian era you will love Mr Aronson's books. Very thoroughly researched and includes many anecdotes. His sources include private and public letters, news accounts and some documentation not published often. His access to information is prolific. If you have read other books by him you'll find some repetition. I would highly recommend. Gbash
If you enjoy reading about the Victorian era you will love Mr Aronson's books. Very thoroughly researched and includes many anecdotes. His sources include private and public letters, news accounts and some documentation not published often. His access to information is prolific. If you have read other books by him you'll find some repetition. I would highly recommend. Gbash
February 23, 2010
Very interesting history about Queen Victoria and her descendants. The author discusses not only the more well-known characters of British royalty, but also those from the ruling houses of Germany, Spain, Denmark, Russia, Greece, and Rumania. Aronson creates quite a bit of drama in dealing with some of Victoria's grandchildren, including Marie of Rumania, and of course, the Tsarina Alexandra.
July 31, 2016
An interesting survey of the main royal houses led by descendants of Queen Victoria. The book includes long sections on the British, Romanian, Greek, and Russian families, along with short reports on Queen Louise of Sweden and Queen Ingrid of Denmark. A re-release of a book originally published in 1973, the coverage ends before the reigns of Juan Carlos of Spain or Carl Gustav of Sweden.
Read
April 18, 2016Together with 'Becoming Queen' (by Kate Williams), this is the best 'Victorian' biography I've read since. The prologue needs some updating... It looks like Juan Carlos was not yet king when it was written
June 25, 2011
Amazing "web" of Queen Victoria's descendants, their political alliances (and alienations), etc. It wasn't easy to find a life partner in those days when you were a royal.
June 10, 2012
A seminal work for anyone interested in European royalty! A great starting off point as the book gives a very clear picture of those descendants of Queen Victoria who later became European monarchs.
April 19, 2016
Loved reading about some of the more remote European royals that I haven't learned much of in the past. Sadly the book is not as current as I had hoped so could do with a refresh
April 8, 2015
Good,enjoyed seeing all side by side
Good reference reading. Easy to follow and new info brought out. Will be reading more from this author soon. Thank you.
Good reference reading. Easy to follow and new info brought out. Will be reading more from this author soon. Thank you.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews