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Matriarch: Queen Mary and the House of Windsor
From the book flap The life of Queen Mary of England, paternal grandmother of Elizabeth II and mother of Edward VIII (later the Duke of Windsor) and George VI, is one of the great Cinderella stories of all time. Before she ascended the throne in 1910 as consort of George V, she was Princess May of Teck, the determined daughter of ambitious, flamboyant, but impoverished parents who were looked upon by Queen Victoria and her considerable royal progeny as their least consequential relatives. Her own sense of duty gave Princess May no option but to consent to become the future bride of the dissolute Duke of Clarence, who, though ineffectual and marked by scandal, was in direct line of succession. Within weeks of this engagement, her fiancé was to die mysteriously, but his death did not daunt Princess May. She then waged a successful campaign to become the wife of the duke’s younger brother, the future George V. Within a decade of the beginning of her husband’s reign, World War I had decimated the crowns of Europe, but Queen Mary became a crucial factor in maintaining the invincibility and vitality of the house of Windsor. Her early vicissitudes had honed her into a woman of inordinate strength, and her effect upon her children, two of whom were to be kings of England, was immense. She played a major role in the abdication of her oldest son, Edward VIII, and became the personal representative of all that Britain and the Monarchy stood for. Matriarch is a brilliant canvas that brings new life to the drama, the splendors, and the tragedies of the House of Windsor.
527 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1984
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April 28, 2017
As my 2017 biography binge winds down, so does my current exploration of the modern British monarchy. I have been lucky to collect a number of biographical pieces that link together, from George III and his daughters, to Victoria, to her five consort granddaughters, and now to Mary of Teck. Queen Mary's life is an interesting piece of biographical glue all her own: great- granddaughter to George III, niece to Victoria, a fellow Queen consort, and the grandmother to Elizabeth II. Anne Edwards pulls all this together and formulates a fabulous biography of the women who stood by George V as the House of Windsor evolved while erasing its Germanic titular foundation. Mother to two kings and a woman of some intellectual renown all her own, Mary of Teck proved to be more that the 'poodle-like' coiffure for which she is known. She will surely go down in history has have many strong links during the late 19th and well into the 20th century, shaping the modern British Royal Family. A great piece for the curious reader, especially one such as myself who has seen this monarchical period from many angles already.
Born Victoria Mary Augusta Louise Olga Pauline Claudine Agnes in 1867, this Princess of Teck (who went by Mary or 'May') was raised in England and lived her entire life there. Daughter of Francis, Duke of Teck, and Princess Mary Adelaide, a granddaughter of George III, Mary had regal blood coursing through her. As a young princess, she proved highly intelligent and apt with numbers and engaging with others on a social basis, though Edwards does not spend much time on these early years. One theme that does pervade the early narrative is Mary's desire to one day become Queen of England, married to the reigning monarch. At 24, Mary was betrothed to the eldest son of the Prince of Wales, Prince Eddie, but their engagement ended when he died of pneumonia. Still harbouring this queenly desire, Mary sought to win the heart of the next son of the Prince of Wales, the boisterous George. Mary and George quickly fell in love after Queen Victoria encouraged the royal cousins together and they married in 1893. They established themselves quickly with two sons, David and Albert 'Bertie', before adding three more boys and a single princess. George and Mary lived happily in successive titles as Duke and Duchess of York, then Cambridge, and eventually Prince and Princess of Wales, after Edward VII ascended to the Throne. Edwards speaks highly of Mary's abilities to keep her family running smoothly, while devoting herself to George. The narrative builds on a tangential topic of the boys upbringing, with David and Bertie proving to be polar opposites. While David excelled at sport and in the classroom, Bertie developed a strong stutter and clung to the bottom rung of the scholastic rankings, something that would haunt him for much of his life, always living in the shadows of his father and elder brother. However, Mary would offer love to her children as best she could, including her youngest, Prince John, whose childhood epilepsy left him out of the public eye before his death at age 14. When Edward VII died in 1910, Mary and George ascended to the Throne. Mary finally earned her life-long dream to be Queen of England, while George V's nightmare began, as he had little interest in the position.
Edwards offers some wonderful narration about the coronation ceremony of King George V and Queen Mary, alongside the elder princes, who also had roles. George sought to reign as best he could, even though his interest in the job was less a passion than a requirement of birth. Mary used her time not to dictate, but to shape England as it came into the early 20th century. Compassion and a closer connection to the people, as she visited the sick and poor, became Mary's trademark, though she could be found traipsing through the shopping district to purchase items whenever time permitted. Edwards recounts how a single purchase by Mary left the item on the 'must have' list for long periods thereafter by commoner and lady of the court alike. She valued money and was able to stretch a pound as far as it would go, but did also enjoy the luxurious life of diamonds and fancy gowns. One thing she was never seen to do was express emotion, be it a coy smile or a small tear during a sad revelation. Historians (and Edwards here) hints that she was the most stoic of women, both in public and behind the palace doors, which proved to present her in an uncaring light, even though her actions contradict this. When war ravaged Europe, George and Mary spent much time liaising with Parliament and trying to create a firm stance for the British, which proved to be a strain on George, as the main aggressor in the war was his cousin, Kaiser Wilhelm II. George sought to propel England forward and held firm to his Anglo roots, so much so that when it was hinted that he might have German leanings because of his ancestry House, George undertook to scrub his Royal House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, changing it to the more neutral Windsor. He also changed all Germanic sounding titles to an Anglophone equivalent, which was surely a major move at the time, supported strongly by Mary, whose 'Teck' ancestry also had Germanic roots. After the bloody Great War, George and Mary sought to strengthen England and the Empire as best they could, holding strong during the post-War years, while also honing the future princes (David and Bertie) into settling down. Bertie struggled with his foibles and turned to drink, but soon found the reluctant love of Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon, while David remained without a spouse. George and Mary celebrated their Silver Jubilee in 1935, with the ailing king barely making it through the process, indicating that a succession was surely not far off, though the Prince of Wales had little change of marriage. As all eyes began to turn towards the Prince, he continued his private philandering and dabbling with mistresses. Edwards explores the Prince's refusal to enter a loveless marriage, even for his own subjects. George and Mary fretted over this greatly, but would not intervene, feeling that this was not their place. However, when King George V died in early 1936, David (going by Edward VIII) ascended the Throne and pushed England into a constitutional crisis as Mary began her life as Queen Mother.
With the death of George V and ascension of Edward VIII, England soon found itself in a situation that was evolving with every passing day. As Edwards explores thoroughly, the emergence of Bessie Wallis Warfield (better known as Wallis SImpson), a woman who had been married and divorced twice before with two living husbands, proved to be a quiet thorn in the side of the royal family. Her relationship when Edward was Prince of Wales was scandalous throughout the American press, became a calamity after the ascension and rumours built within Britain. Edward VIII would not put her aside and was prepared to defy Parliament and marry Simpson and make her Queen. While she refused to meddle in the life of her son, Queen Mary adamantly sought to ensure that the monarchy was not sullied with this and pushed to have the Cabinet stand firm. With Bertie in the wings, Mary worried that her second son may not be able to handle the pressures of reigning, so no one was pushing for an abdication. However, Mary knew Bertie would step up if asked, even though he continued to battle with the bottle and had a young family all his own. As the tumult of the constitutional crisis came to a head and Edward VIII chose to step down, Mary applauded the move, even though it meant a temporary exile for Edward VIII, away from the English tabloids. Mary and the rest of the world turned to Bertie, reigning as George VI. The new King took Britain through the crisis and into the dreaded Second World War. Edwards explores some of the parallels that the two Kings George faced in their respective international conflicts, with Queen Mary there both times to offer support and encouragement. There is also some interesting talk of the Queen Mother's relationship with her granddaughters, Elizabeth and Margaret, which the reader may find interesting. The George VI years were calmer, especially after the war, and Mary could enjoy life and her numerous charitable events. Cancer and speculative cirrhosis due to excessive drinking brought George VI's reign to an end, allowing Queen Mary to live under her fifth monarch, though she was now 85 years of age. The first person to greet the new Elizabeth II upon her emergency return from Africa, Queen Mary sought to instil the dignity and pride that the world has seen in the current English monarch for close to seven decades. Mary's health quickly diminished and she missed seeing her granddaughter crowned by only a few months in 1953. The end to a life full of excitement and much fanfare.
Anne Edwards has crafted a wonderful biography that complements a number of the other biographies I have undertaken in the last month. There is the strong argument that Mary proved to be a strong glue that bound the reigns of Queens Victoria and Elizabeth II, ushering in the change of an era that saw a crisis stretch the seams of the idea of constitutional monarchy in the United Kingdom. With a smooth narrative and wonderful research, Edwards offers readers a superior foundation on which to build a modern history of the British monarchy. Using history, tradition, and individual characters to flavour the larger story, Edwards argues her points effectively and with ease. If there were one weak spot that became noticeable, it was that upon ascending the Throne through to her death, things became a whirlwind, collapsing years into a single phrase or paragraph. Surely, this was meant to condense such periods and focus on key events (the wars, the abdication, the deaths of Georges V and VI), I felt rushed at times, but never cheated, which makes for a powerful biography. The true test of a superior biography is not only that it leaves the door open for more exploration on the subject, but that other characters also become of interest, creating a hunger for additional learning. Any reader with a passion for the British monarchy or who has followed by biography binge and seen some of the other royal pieces I have devoured will find this book a welcome addition. It fills in some of the gaps in those other biographies while opening countless new avenues of exploration.
Kudos, Madam Edwards for impressing the reader so much with your collection of vignettes. I found your book resourceful, well paced, and thoroughly captivating. I hope that I can read more of your work, when time permits.
Like/hate the review? An ever-growing collection of others appears at:
http://pecheyponderings.wordpress.com/
Born Victoria Mary Augusta Louise Olga Pauline Claudine Agnes in 1867, this Princess of Teck (who went by Mary or 'May') was raised in England and lived her entire life there. Daughter of Francis, Duke of Teck, and Princess Mary Adelaide, a granddaughter of George III, Mary had regal blood coursing through her. As a young princess, she proved highly intelligent and apt with numbers and engaging with others on a social basis, though Edwards does not spend much time on these early years. One theme that does pervade the early narrative is Mary's desire to one day become Queen of England, married to the reigning monarch. At 24, Mary was betrothed to the eldest son of the Prince of Wales, Prince Eddie, but their engagement ended when he died of pneumonia. Still harbouring this queenly desire, Mary sought to win the heart of the next son of the Prince of Wales, the boisterous George. Mary and George quickly fell in love after Queen Victoria encouraged the royal cousins together and they married in 1893. They established themselves quickly with two sons, David and Albert 'Bertie', before adding three more boys and a single princess. George and Mary lived happily in successive titles as Duke and Duchess of York, then Cambridge, and eventually Prince and Princess of Wales, after Edward VII ascended to the Throne. Edwards speaks highly of Mary's abilities to keep her family running smoothly, while devoting herself to George. The narrative builds on a tangential topic of the boys upbringing, with David and Bertie proving to be polar opposites. While David excelled at sport and in the classroom, Bertie developed a strong stutter and clung to the bottom rung of the scholastic rankings, something that would haunt him for much of his life, always living in the shadows of his father and elder brother. However, Mary would offer love to her children as best she could, including her youngest, Prince John, whose childhood epilepsy left him out of the public eye before his death at age 14. When Edward VII died in 1910, Mary and George ascended to the Throne. Mary finally earned her life-long dream to be Queen of England, while George V's nightmare began, as he had little interest in the position.
Edwards offers some wonderful narration about the coronation ceremony of King George V and Queen Mary, alongside the elder princes, who also had roles. George sought to reign as best he could, even though his interest in the job was less a passion than a requirement of birth. Mary used her time not to dictate, but to shape England as it came into the early 20th century. Compassion and a closer connection to the people, as she visited the sick and poor, became Mary's trademark, though she could be found traipsing through the shopping district to purchase items whenever time permitted. Edwards recounts how a single purchase by Mary left the item on the 'must have' list for long periods thereafter by commoner and lady of the court alike. She valued money and was able to stretch a pound as far as it would go, but did also enjoy the luxurious life of diamonds and fancy gowns. One thing she was never seen to do was express emotion, be it a coy smile or a small tear during a sad revelation. Historians (and Edwards here) hints that she was the most stoic of women, both in public and behind the palace doors, which proved to present her in an uncaring light, even though her actions contradict this. When war ravaged Europe, George and Mary spent much time liaising with Parliament and trying to create a firm stance for the British, which proved to be a strain on George, as the main aggressor in the war was his cousin, Kaiser Wilhelm II. George sought to propel England forward and held firm to his Anglo roots, so much so that when it was hinted that he might have German leanings because of his ancestry House, George undertook to scrub his Royal House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, changing it to the more neutral Windsor. He also changed all Germanic sounding titles to an Anglophone equivalent, which was surely a major move at the time, supported strongly by Mary, whose 'Teck' ancestry also had Germanic roots. After the bloody Great War, George and Mary sought to strengthen England and the Empire as best they could, holding strong during the post-War years, while also honing the future princes (David and Bertie) into settling down. Bertie struggled with his foibles and turned to drink, but soon found the reluctant love of Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon, while David remained without a spouse. George and Mary celebrated their Silver Jubilee in 1935, with the ailing king barely making it through the process, indicating that a succession was surely not far off, though the Prince of Wales had little change of marriage. As all eyes began to turn towards the Prince, he continued his private philandering and dabbling with mistresses. Edwards explores the Prince's refusal to enter a loveless marriage, even for his own subjects. George and Mary fretted over this greatly, but would not intervene, feeling that this was not their place. However, when King George V died in early 1936, David (going by Edward VIII) ascended the Throne and pushed England into a constitutional crisis as Mary began her life as Queen Mother.
With the death of George V and ascension of Edward VIII, England soon found itself in a situation that was evolving with every passing day. As Edwards explores thoroughly, the emergence of Bessie Wallis Warfield (better known as Wallis SImpson), a woman who had been married and divorced twice before with two living husbands, proved to be a quiet thorn in the side of the royal family. Her relationship when Edward was Prince of Wales was scandalous throughout the American press, became a calamity after the ascension and rumours built within Britain. Edward VIII would not put her aside and was prepared to defy Parliament and marry Simpson and make her Queen. While she refused to meddle in the life of her son, Queen Mary adamantly sought to ensure that the monarchy was not sullied with this and pushed to have the Cabinet stand firm. With Bertie in the wings, Mary worried that her second son may not be able to handle the pressures of reigning, so no one was pushing for an abdication. However, Mary knew Bertie would step up if asked, even though he continued to battle with the bottle and had a young family all his own. As the tumult of the constitutional crisis came to a head and Edward VIII chose to step down, Mary applauded the move, even though it meant a temporary exile for Edward VIII, away from the English tabloids. Mary and the rest of the world turned to Bertie, reigning as George VI. The new King took Britain through the crisis and into the dreaded Second World War. Edwards explores some of the parallels that the two Kings George faced in their respective international conflicts, with Queen Mary there both times to offer support and encouragement. There is also some interesting talk of the Queen Mother's relationship with her granddaughters, Elizabeth and Margaret, which the reader may find interesting. The George VI years were calmer, especially after the war, and Mary could enjoy life and her numerous charitable events. Cancer and speculative cirrhosis due to excessive drinking brought George VI's reign to an end, allowing Queen Mary to live under her fifth monarch, though she was now 85 years of age. The first person to greet the new Elizabeth II upon her emergency return from Africa, Queen Mary sought to instil the dignity and pride that the world has seen in the current English monarch for close to seven decades. Mary's health quickly diminished and she missed seeing her granddaughter crowned by only a few months in 1953. The end to a life full of excitement and much fanfare.
Anne Edwards has crafted a wonderful biography that complements a number of the other biographies I have undertaken in the last month. There is the strong argument that Mary proved to be a strong glue that bound the reigns of Queens Victoria and Elizabeth II, ushering in the change of an era that saw a crisis stretch the seams of the idea of constitutional monarchy in the United Kingdom. With a smooth narrative and wonderful research, Edwards offers readers a superior foundation on which to build a modern history of the British monarchy. Using history, tradition, and individual characters to flavour the larger story, Edwards argues her points effectively and with ease. If there were one weak spot that became noticeable, it was that upon ascending the Throne through to her death, things became a whirlwind, collapsing years into a single phrase or paragraph. Surely, this was meant to condense such periods and focus on key events (the wars, the abdication, the deaths of Georges V and VI), I felt rushed at times, but never cheated, which makes for a powerful biography. The true test of a superior biography is not only that it leaves the door open for more exploration on the subject, but that other characters also become of interest, creating a hunger for additional learning. Any reader with a passion for the British monarchy or who has followed by biography binge and seen some of the other royal pieces I have devoured will find this book a welcome addition. It fills in some of the gaps in those other biographies while opening countless new avenues of exploration.
Kudos, Madam Edwards for impressing the reader so much with your collection of vignettes. I found your book resourceful, well paced, and thoroughly captivating. I hope that I can read more of your work, when time permits.
Like/hate the review? An ever-growing collection of others appears at:
http://pecheyponderings.wordpress.com/
June 27, 2025
Queen Mary was born as a relative of the Royal Family, and her family had some financial issues, but they were, of course, improved once she was engaged to the future king. She was initially engaged to the eldest son of Edward VII, who was someone not very likeable. This prince died shortly after their engagement, and after the end of the mourning period, she was again engaged to the younger brother of her former fiancé, the future George V. Mary was fortunate in the sense that she and her husband were devoted to each other, quite unlike Edward VII and Queen Alexandra.
However, as parents, Mary and George were just like any parents in the Victorian upper class. They delegated the care-taking of their children to the nannies and governesses. When reading about the childhood of her children, I cannot help but feel sympathetic towards them because it does not seem easy to be the children of such parents. The problems Edward VIII and George VI had could be attributed in a large part to the childhood and teenage years they experienced. Edward VIII was a womaniser and someone without any sense of responsibility. He had so many mistresses, but never considered anyone suitable to be the future queen consort. He also had various curious contacts with the Nazis before the WWII, which was something difficult to understand. Ultimately, Britain and Germany had already been enemies during the WWI. George VI had a weak and reserved character, and he was just so fortunate to have Queen Elizabeth by his side. It seems to me that the author had written too much about Edward VIII. The parts of the book mentioning him and his various women were just so hard to read.
Queen Mary married into the Royal Family during the reign of Victoria, so perhaps it is no surprise that she was someone with very traditional values. Sometimes, this adherence to tradition can seem self-entitled from a modern reader's perspective. It is mentioned by the author that when she visited an aristocratic house and saw some antiques or artworks that previously belonged to the Royal Collection, she would simply ask the host to return these objects to the Royal Collection. Indeed, it was just so impolite and inconsiderate to do so.
In summary, Queen Mary was a complex figure. She was born in the reign of Victoria and died just before the coronation of Elizabeth II. She experienced two world wars, the downfalls of many European monarchies, and the change of the family name to 'Windsor' because of these upheavals. She was partly responsible for the recklessness of her eldest son, but she remained dutiful and steadfast in the face of wars and crises.
This book was relatively well-written, but it can become quite boring because it contains too many unnecessary details at times. The author held high regard for Queen Mary and the Royal Family, and so, as expected, she wrote many good things about them and avoided any reflections on the legacies of the British Empire.
However, as parents, Mary and George were just like any parents in the Victorian upper class. They delegated the care-taking of their children to the nannies and governesses. When reading about the childhood of her children, I cannot help but feel sympathetic towards them because it does not seem easy to be the children of such parents. The problems Edward VIII and George VI had could be attributed in a large part to the childhood and teenage years they experienced. Edward VIII was a womaniser and someone without any sense of responsibility. He had so many mistresses, but never considered anyone suitable to be the future queen consort. He also had various curious contacts with the Nazis before the WWII, which was something difficult to understand. Ultimately, Britain and Germany had already been enemies during the WWI. George VI had a weak and reserved character, and he was just so fortunate to have Queen Elizabeth by his side. It seems to me that the author had written too much about Edward VIII. The parts of the book mentioning him and his various women were just so hard to read.
Queen Mary married into the Royal Family during the reign of Victoria, so perhaps it is no surprise that she was someone with very traditional values. Sometimes, this adherence to tradition can seem self-entitled from a modern reader's perspective. It is mentioned by the author that when she visited an aristocratic house and saw some antiques or artworks that previously belonged to the Royal Collection, she would simply ask the host to return these objects to the Royal Collection. Indeed, it was just so impolite and inconsiderate to do so.
In summary, Queen Mary was a complex figure. She was born in the reign of Victoria and died just before the coronation of Elizabeth II. She experienced two world wars, the downfalls of many European monarchies, and the change of the family name to 'Windsor' because of these upheavals. She was partly responsible for the recklessness of her eldest son, but she remained dutiful and steadfast in the face of wars and crises.
This book was relatively well-written, but it can become quite boring because it contains too many unnecessary details at times. The author held high regard for Queen Mary and the Royal Family, and so, as expected, she wrote many good things about them and avoided any reflections on the legacies of the British Empire.
August 1, 2013
After a week of Prince George coverage, I was in the mood for a big, comforting royal family kind of read. I've read about a million Diana biographies and quite honestly biographies of Elizabeth II don't exactly make for riveting reading. That's when I remembered one of the very first "big" books I ever read when I was only ten years old. Yes - you read that right! Going back and reading it now, I can't believe I was that young and able to comprehend all of the historical information contained here. I do remember it being one of the books I read that year (along with Elizabeth Longford's biography of Queen Victoria) that completely pulled me in and solidified my love of English and Royal history.
Reading it now - more than twenty years later - I was struck by the vast amount of social and cultural change that Queen Mary witnessed in her life. I've always been fascinated by history from roughly about 1880-1940 and suspect that fascination is partly due to my reading this book at such a young age. Queen Mary's life (1867-1953) encompasses an epic span of royal history - her life began during the reign of her grandmother-in-law Queen Victoria and it ended during the reign of her granddaughter Queen Elizabeth II.
Everyone thinks of Queen Mary as a stodgy old lady but she was actually a spirited woman who was passionate about art, reading, royal history and Shakespeare. She had a wry sense of humor and always tried to stay in touch with the times, even as an old lady. Edwards tells the story of her plotting with a lady in waiting in the 1920s to see if they could raise the hemlines of their skirts without King George noticing. Spoiler alert: they tried but didn't succeed. Queen Mary is also the source of one of the most poignant comments I've ever read in a biography - she once told a lady in waiting that she had only one regret - that she had lived such a restrained life that she never had a chance to jump over a fence!
Edwards does a good job of revealing Mary's very real faults as a mother. Her almost complete inability to function as a mother directly led to her eldest son's immaturity and his eventual abdication of the crown as well as the humiliating stutter of her second son, George VI. I was a bit surprised that Edwards barely touched on Mary's relationship with her husband George V other than a few brief notes that she prepared him for kingship by tutoring him on royal and constitutional history.
It was surprisingly hard to find a copy of this book and that's quite unfortunate. Edwards is a wonderful writer who takes the time to describe the feelings and images of the historical era in great detail. I remember consuming her biographies of famous women as a kid. Her books seemed to be everywhere back then but I had to search two major public library systems and inter-library loan it from the one library that had it available.
If history fans can find a copy of this old classic, I would strongly encourage them to read it. You'll have a deepened appreciation for the current Queen's background and the span of English history that is so incredibly popular right now with the advent of Downton Abbey and the upcoming 100-year anniversary of the start of World War I.
Reading it now - more than twenty years later - I was struck by the vast amount of social and cultural change that Queen Mary witnessed in her life. I've always been fascinated by history from roughly about 1880-1940 and suspect that fascination is partly due to my reading this book at such a young age. Queen Mary's life (1867-1953) encompasses an epic span of royal history - her life began during the reign of her grandmother-in-law Queen Victoria and it ended during the reign of her granddaughter Queen Elizabeth II.
Everyone thinks of Queen Mary as a stodgy old lady but she was actually a spirited woman who was passionate about art, reading, royal history and Shakespeare. She had a wry sense of humor and always tried to stay in touch with the times, even as an old lady. Edwards tells the story of her plotting with a lady in waiting in the 1920s to see if they could raise the hemlines of their skirts without King George noticing. Spoiler alert: they tried but didn't succeed. Queen Mary is also the source of one of the most poignant comments I've ever read in a biography - she once told a lady in waiting that she had only one regret - that she had lived such a restrained life that she never had a chance to jump over a fence!
Edwards does a good job of revealing Mary's very real faults as a mother. Her almost complete inability to function as a mother directly led to her eldest son's immaturity and his eventual abdication of the crown as well as the humiliating stutter of her second son, George VI. I was a bit surprised that Edwards barely touched on Mary's relationship with her husband George V other than a few brief notes that she prepared him for kingship by tutoring him on royal and constitutional history.
It was surprisingly hard to find a copy of this book and that's quite unfortunate. Edwards is a wonderful writer who takes the time to describe the feelings and images of the historical era in great detail. I remember consuming her biographies of famous women as a kid. Her books seemed to be everywhere back then but I had to search two major public library systems and inter-library loan it from the one library that had it available.
If history fans can find a copy of this old classic, I would strongly encourage them to read it. You'll have a deepened appreciation for the current Queen's background and the span of English history that is so incredibly popular right now with the advent of Downton Abbey and the upcoming 100-year anniversary of the start of World War I.
March 4, 2018
Honor, Duty, Devotion, Fidelity
In this day and age concepts like these will sound to most as ancient, dusty, old fashioned or just plain stupid (don't you just love it when something or someone is judged based on no previous knowledge or life experience?).
However, you need not go very far to find a time and age where these were highly appreciated and acknowledged - and perhaps Queen Mary is one of the best known examples of adherence to a code of life and conduct that well...nuns and monks in convents are the only ones who can perhaps relate these days.
The imposing and awe inducing figure of Queen Mary is well known to anyone who loves British History or, to be slightly more down to earth, good bling!
Her life, her modern day Cinderella tale are fascinating to read about and, although this isn't my first book on her, Edwards does manage to bring her life and times to life in an interesting and engaging manner that makes for a good read.
Princess May of Teck - of half royal blood (there was the stain of a morganatic marriage in the family) and product of a family with many assles and problems (mostly of a financial nature) - is one fine day chosen by good old Queen Victoria to be future Queen of England...all she has to do is marry the Duke of Clarence - Victoria's oldest grandson, heir to the throne.
That... spoilers alert....ends badly and she, after a suitable period ends up marrying George, the younger brother - future King George V.
These two were a rather unique duo - apparently cold to everything and everyone - yet full of love and devotion for each other (their correspondence which Edwards only briefly looks at clearly shows that).
That "coldness" had unfortunate consequences for their children and their non parenting was, by modern standards...ahem...pretty much bad.
Queen Mary's love to her country, it's history and the institution of the monarchy was bigger and stronger than anything else - for better or worse.
Does it make her a bad person? No, not at all, it makes her if anything, more human.... because unlike those stunning photos that made a clear statement and helped maintain the myth, it shows she had flaws and wasn't perfect.
Now for the book in itself - pretty much straightforward writing, good research even if at one or two moments there are some mistakes that I identified.
Impartial writer? ...nope, not really, and therein lies the connundrum...sadly.
The story is respected and Queen Mary comes alive very well....yet there's a tendency to stress how bad a parent she and King George were and also a clear pro Duke of Windsor attitude....his behavior is excused because they were bad parents? He was ok to abdicate and marry Wallis and then proceed to make life quite difficult for his family? He was ok to go to Nazi Germany because mummy didn't love him?
There are no winners or losers here...and frankly I found the "Team David" attitude a little annoying, which in turn prevented me from fully enjoying what would otherwise might have been a very good book.
FYI - James Pope Hennessy's bio on Queen Mary, although somewhat more dated, had better access to sources and makes for a very very compelling read - highly recommend it - his style and care of research plus his clear fascination/respect/no fuss atittude make his book as close to a masterpiece of a biography as anyone will get on Queen Mary.
Happy Readings!
In this day and age concepts like these will sound to most as ancient, dusty, old fashioned or just plain stupid (don't you just love it when something or someone is judged based on no previous knowledge or life experience?).
However, you need not go very far to find a time and age where these were highly appreciated and acknowledged - and perhaps Queen Mary is one of the best known examples of adherence to a code of life and conduct that well...nuns and monks in convents are the only ones who can perhaps relate these days.
The imposing and awe inducing figure of Queen Mary is well known to anyone who loves British History or, to be slightly more down to earth, good bling!
Her life, her modern day Cinderella tale are fascinating to read about and, although this isn't my first book on her, Edwards does manage to bring her life and times to life in an interesting and engaging manner that makes for a good read.
Princess May of Teck - of half royal blood (there was the stain of a morganatic marriage in the family) and product of a family with many assles and problems (mostly of a financial nature) - is one fine day chosen by good old Queen Victoria to be future Queen of England...all she has to do is marry the Duke of Clarence - Victoria's oldest grandson, heir to the throne.
That... spoilers alert....ends badly and she, after a suitable period ends up marrying George, the younger brother - future King George V.
These two were a rather unique duo - apparently cold to everything and everyone - yet full of love and devotion for each other (their correspondence which Edwards only briefly looks at clearly shows that).
That "coldness" had unfortunate consequences for their children and their non parenting was, by modern standards...ahem...pretty much bad.
Queen Mary's love to her country, it's history and the institution of the monarchy was bigger and stronger than anything else - for better or worse.
Does it make her a bad person? No, not at all, it makes her if anything, more human.... because unlike those stunning photos that made a clear statement and helped maintain the myth, it shows she had flaws and wasn't perfect.
Now for the book in itself - pretty much straightforward writing, good research even if at one or two moments there are some mistakes that I identified.
Impartial writer? ...nope, not really, and therein lies the connundrum...sadly.
The story is respected and Queen Mary comes alive very well....yet there's a tendency to stress how bad a parent she and King George were and also a clear pro Duke of Windsor attitude....his behavior is excused because they were bad parents? He was ok to abdicate and marry Wallis and then proceed to make life quite difficult for his family? He was ok to go to Nazi Germany because mummy didn't love him?
There are no winners or losers here...and frankly I found the "Team David" attitude a little annoying, which in turn prevented me from fully enjoying what would otherwise might have been a very good book.
FYI - James Pope Hennessy's bio on Queen Mary, although somewhat more dated, had better access to sources and makes for a very very compelling read - highly recommend it - his style and care of research plus his clear fascination/respect/no fuss atittude make his book as close to a masterpiece of a biography as anyone will get on Queen Mary.
Happy Readings!
August 14, 2019
This was a whitewash of this time in history. The author fails to engage in a relevant and meaningful way with the history of colonialism.
Also quite boring.
Also quite boring.
June 26, 2015
I really enjoyed this extensive biography on Queen Mary (Queen Elizabeth II's) grandmother. It takes you from the height of the Victorian Era up to 1953 and is filled with great information on not just the royal family of England, but all the European monarchies and how most didn't survive the Great War. It is also fascinating to realize that almost all the Royals alive today are great grandchildren of Queen Victoria. The incest is amazing which makes it hard to follow how one is related to another (but the author thought of that by including a genealogical tree of all the descendents of "mad " King George III which I kept flipping back to on almost every page), as is the intrigue and back stabbing of cousins who are monarchs of different countries. Though I knew most of the history prior to reading this book, I did not know a lot about Queen Mary, her background and her power behind the throne of her "weakling" husband, George V.
A good read for those who love biographies, are fascinated by the old English monarchy and the first half of the 20th century. Those who think the House of "Windsor" is very British. ...think again.
A good read for those who love biographies, are fascinated by the old English monarchy and the first half of the 20th century. Those who think the House of "Windsor" is very British. ...think again.
December 23, 2019
Though I enjoy history and biography, this was fairly dry. Some interesting detail but little to draw me into character or arc. Throughout I mostly felt, meh.
January 10, 2016
I rarely choose to read books about our most recent royal family, the Windsors, preferring instead the Plantagenets and Tudors' more gripping stories.
However, I decided that I should try Matriarch following a recommendation from someone's whose opinion I trust. It is in its second printing following publication in 2014.
I was not disappointed. Queen Mary lived through upheaval, two world wars, the abdication of her son, Edward VIII, and just missed the coronation of her granddaughter, Elizabeth II.
The author, Anne Edwards, has written a detailed story of the impecunious Princess Mary of Teck who was to marry Edward, the Prince of Wales who died before this was accomplished. She then married the second heir, George V, and lived a long life.
I found the insights fascinating, Mary's courage and majesty inspiring, and I enjoyed the easy-to-read, but serious style.
Recommended for all who enjoy a well-researched biography and those who follow the British royal family.
However, I decided that I should try Matriarch following a recommendation from someone's whose opinion I trust. It is in its second printing following publication in 2014.
I was not disappointed. Queen Mary lived through upheaval, two world wars, the abdication of her son, Edward VIII, and just missed the coronation of her granddaughter, Elizabeth II.
The author, Anne Edwards, has written a detailed story of the impecunious Princess Mary of Teck who was to marry Edward, the Prince of Wales who died before this was accomplished. She then married the second heir, George V, and lived a long life.
I found the insights fascinating, Mary's courage and majesty inspiring, and I enjoyed the easy-to-read, but serious style.
Recommended for all who enjoy a well-researched biography and those who follow the British royal family.
February 9, 2016
One of the best, and certainly the most well-written, royal biographies. Queen Mary's storied life, her foibles and grit, extravagances and humor, staunch sense of duty and parental coldness, are chronicled and well set in the context of her era. Extremely memorable anecdotes are sprinkled throughout, and I was particularly fascinated by the vivid account of her later years. The current Queen is very much like her, yet bratty Princess Margaret was Queen Mary's favorite. Go figure.
September 27, 2015
Queen Mary had an interesting life. Anyone really wanting to read her biography should get a copy of Queen Mary by James Pope-Hennessy which doesn't seem tp be available in digital format. Matriarch has several inaccuracies (Queen Maud of Norway was referred to as Queen Maud of Sweden, Queen Mary's mother, Princess Mary Adelaide Duchess of Teck was referred to as Duchess of Cambridge, King George I of Greece is referred to as the son of Princess Thyra, etc etc). In addition the author apparently didn't bother to master usage in terms of British titles, so within a few pages she referred to the Queen Mother as Lady Elizabeth and Lady Bowes-Lyon. This sloppiness made me take anything I didn't already know about with a grain of salt. Nevertheless it was entertaining enough to warrant 3 stars.
June 1, 2017
Whether she's being played by Eileen Atkins in The Crown or Claire Bloom in The King's Speech, Queen Mary of Teck is a pretty formidable figure who shows up to support but is never a main character. However, in real life she was a minor princess who became the mainstay of the Royal Family during her lifetime, bridging the huge cultural changes that happened in the years between the end of Victoria to the beginning of Elizabeth II.
One thing that this book and The Crown have done is to make Edward VIII (the Duke of Windsor) into figure to pity or even understand. It's so much easier when he's a selfish Nazi sympathizer who was ensorcelled by an arrogant American. This book really delves into the type of parents that George and Mary were (absent, mostly) and how that might have affected Edward VIII and George VI.
One thing that this book and The Crown have done is to make Edward VIII (the Duke of Windsor) into figure to pity or even understand. It's so much easier when he's a selfish Nazi sympathizer who was ensorcelled by an arrogant American. This book really delves into the type of parents that George and Mary were (absent, mostly) and how that might have affected Edward VIII and George VI.
April 22, 2016
Interesting, but...
I have read several books about Queen Mary. While I am not sure I would have liked her as a person, she is for me still a fascinating, very flawed woman. Her husband was perfectly rotten to his children, and could be verbally abusive to her, but she never stood up to him after his accession because she had to remember that he was not only the children's father and her husband, but also their sovereign, which observation speaks for itself. Author Anne Edwards seems to have gone into this project hating all the people she wrote about. She had nothing good to say about the royal family and not much good to say about Mary, so I found the biography to be biased. Even Hitler had his good qualities. All we get here is Mary's awe of and devotion to the British institution of monarchy. One never really learns why she had this awe, why she and her husband George V were such horrible, disinterested parents, or much else beyond a recitation of events. So little motivation is revealed that one gets little more than the long held idea that Mary was a hard, unemotional woman to whom appearances were all, emotional control was uppermost, and whose popularity was inexplicable. If there are no better studies of Mary out there than this, there should be. She deserves better.
I have read several books about Queen Mary. While I am not sure I would have liked her as a person, she is for me still a fascinating, very flawed woman. Her husband was perfectly rotten to his children, and could be verbally abusive to her, but she never stood up to him after his accession because she had to remember that he was not only the children's father and her husband, but also their sovereign, which observation speaks for itself. Author Anne Edwards seems to have gone into this project hating all the people she wrote about. She had nothing good to say about the royal family and not much good to say about Mary, so I found the biography to be biased. Even Hitler had his good qualities. All we get here is Mary's awe of and devotion to the British institution of monarchy. One never really learns why she had this awe, why she and her husband George V were such horrible, disinterested parents, or much else beyond a recitation of events. So little motivation is revealed that one gets little more than the long held idea that Mary was a hard, unemotional woman to whom appearances were all, emotional control was uppermost, and whose popularity was inexplicable. If there are no better studies of Mary out there than this, there should be. She deserves better.
January 12, 2018
Re-read 2018
I've read this book on the woman who started out life as Princess Mary of Teck and became one of the most regal of the Queen Consorts a few times before but have never written a review. She was a very formidable woman focused on what the Monarchy should be to the people. I believe that was because she knew hardships as a child she was one of the various poor relations that were a part of Queen Victoria's immense family. She was luckily viewed as the prefect consort for the Queen Victoria's grandchild Prince Edward Victor, it was believed that she could curb his excesses. When he tragically passed away, the then Queen saw no reason for her not to be engaged to the next heir presumptive to the throne, the future George V. She was a very interesting person and I believe part of the reason that the House of Windsor didn't disintegrate during the Abdication Crisis.
I've read this book on the woman who started out life as Princess Mary of Teck and became one of the most regal of the Queen Consorts a few times before but have never written a review. She was a very formidable woman focused on what the Monarchy should be to the people. I believe that was because she knew hardships as a child she was one of the various poor relations that were a part of Queen Victoria's immense family. She was luckily viewed as the prefect consort for the Queen Victoria's grandchild Prince Edward Victor, it was believed that she could curb his excesses. When he tragically passed away, the then Queen saw no reason for her not to be engaged to the next heir presumptive to the throne, the future George V. She was a very interesting person and I believe part of the reason that the House of Windsor didn't disintegrate during the Abdication Crisis.
May 12, 2015
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Very informative and I learned a huge amount about this person and period in history.
January 9, 2020
What a great read!
September 6, 2017
I became fascinated by Queen Mary while watching The Crown. Cigarette in one hand - oxygen mask in the other! I just had to learn more about this lady!
Her life was quite a remarkable one, and would make a great TV series. Her early life was one of drama with her parents constantly in debt, her family were looked down on by certain members of the Royal Family. Yet she had one person championing her - Queen Victoria! It was thanks to Victoria that she was chosen to be a bride for the future heir to the throne.
Extremely intelligent and astute, she was certainly not the warmest person and was incapable of showing maternal love. Yet she always looked majestic. Dripping with jewels, tiaras or fancy hats, with a stern look on her face, Queen Mary always had a majestic look about her.
This book gives a great understanding for readers into the insight of this interesting woman, who really deserves far more credit for revamping the Monarchy, in the face of post-WWI revolutions that swept across parts of Europe. Her work in researching for the Royal Collection was invaluable and is terribly underrated. Not to mention the inspiration and hope she gave to people during WWI and II. From her time as Princess of Wales until she was Queen Dowager, she would receive the Government Dispatch boxes.
On the surface, she maintained the classic 'British stiff upper lip', but personally her life was not always a happy one! As a child, her family were often escaping debt collectors, her fiancé Prince Eddy died leaving her future uncertain, until it was decided (again thanks to Queen Victoria) that she would marry Eddy's younger brother George. And she outlived three of her six children. Yet her dedication and loyalty to the Monarchy was an example that has been followed by her granddaughter Queen Elizabeth II. It is often said that Queen Elizabeth, steers her reign upon the influence of her grandmother Queen Mary. And with the British Monarchy remaining extremely popular today, perhaps that is a testament to Queen Mary's legacy.
Her life was quite a remarkable one, and would make a great TV series. Her early life was one of drama with her parents constantly in debt, her family were looked down on by certain members of the Royal Family. Yet she had one person championing her - Queen Victoria! It was thanks to Victoria that she was chosen to be a bride for the future heir to the throne.
Extremely intelligent and astute, she was certainly not the warmest person and was incapable of showing maternal love. Yet she always looked majestic. Dripping with jewels, tiaras or fancy hats, with a stern look on her face, Queen Mary always had a majestic look about her.
This book gives a great understanding for readers into the insight of this interesting woman, who really deserves far more credit for revamping the Monarchy, in the face of post-WWI revolutions that swept across parts of Europe. Her work in researching for the Royal Collection was invaluable and is terribly underrated. Not to mention the inspiration and hope she gave to people during WWI and II. From her time as Princess of Wales until she was Queen Dowager, she would receive the Government Dispatch boxes.
On the surface, she maintained the classic 'British stiff upper lip', but personally her life was not always a happy one! As a child, her family were often escaping debt collectors, her fiancé Prince Eddy died leaving her future uncertain, until it was decided (again thanks to Queen Victoria) that she would marry Eddy's younger brother George. And she outlived three of her six children. Yet her dedication and loyalty to the Monarchy was an example that has been followed by her granddaughter Queen Elizabeth II. It is often said that Queen Elizabeth, steers her reign upon the influence of her grandmother Queen Mary. And with the British Monarchy remaining extremely popular today, perhaps that is a testament to Queen Mary's legacy.
May 15, 2018
Despite her profound influence on the monarchy, including her granddaughter Queen Elizabeth II, there are few in depth of biographies of Queen Mary, the consort of King George V. The most famous and comprehensive is the 1959 book by James Pope-Hennessey. Anne Edwards, who has written books about numerous public figures, wrote her biography of Queen Mary in the 1980s, a period of increased interest in the monarchy with the marriage of Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer and the births of Prince William and Prince Harry.
Edwards's biography of Queen Mary excels in certain respects but is curiously incomplete in other ways. Edwards incorporates a variety of primary sources including Queen Mary's correspondence and diaries and newspaper reports of the time. There is a great deal of attention devoted to Mary's family life including her often distant relationship with her children and their experiences growing up in the royal family. Mary's various homes and her intellectual interests are also discussed (she read aloud to her husband and helped him practice his French and German). There are also whole chapters about wider European events that affected Mary and her family.
In contrast, the book summarizes Mary's childhood very quickly, even though her background as a the child of a morganatic marriage but also a close relative of Queen Victoria is essential to understanding her character and outlook on the monarchy. The 1901 world tour is also summarized quickly with little discussion of how she was received in Canada or Australia. Her visits to India receive more attention. There are frequent references to public engagements and visits to hospitals in wartime but I would have liked more detail about her charities and her interactions with the people she met as a public figure. The author also mentions Britain and England interchangeably, which is inaccurate and distracting.
The audiobook is read in a suitably stately fashion by Corrie James.
Edwards's biography of Queen Mary excels in certain respects but is curiously incomplete in other ways. Edwards incorporates a variety of primary sources including Queen Mary's correspondence and diaries and newspaper reports of the time. There is a great deal of attention devoted to Mary's family life including her often distant relationship with her children and their experiences growing up in the royal family. Mary's various homes and her intellectual interests are also discussed (she read aloud to her husband and helped him practice his French and German). There are also whole chapters about wider European events that affected Mary and her family.
In contrast, the book summarizes Mary's childhood very quickly, even though her background as a the child of a morganatic marriage but also a close relative of Queen Victoria is essential to understanding her character and outlook on the monarchy. The 1901 world tour is also summarized quickly with little discussion of how she was received in Canada or Australia. Her visits to India receive more attention. There are frequent references to public engagements and visits to hospitals in wartime but I would have liked more detail about her charities and her interactions with the people she met as a public figure. The author also mentions Britain and England interchangeably, which is inaccurate and distracting.
The audiobook is read in a suitably stately fashion by Corrie James.
January 8, 2015
Matriarch by Anne Edwards is a very dense, very deeply researched biography of Queen Mary, the present Queen’s paternal grandmother, and how her long life and strong will influenced the development of the modern House of Windsor. Beginning with her childhood as the mature, lovely, but poor Princess Mary of Teck, this book covers the Queen’s entire life with all its highlights and low lights from coronations to funerals and everything in between in intense detail, right down to meals and attire. While some may be turned off by this level of detail, after a slew of ‘light’ and barely detailed biographies not even worth the space to review, this book is a pleasant surprise. I can’t recommend it more strongly. This is the best royal biography I’ve read in recent months.
May 23, 2018
I have been listening to this historical audiobook for the last 2 weeks which proved to be perfect timing with so much publicity for THE royal wedding. I absolutely loved the narrator who could have been a member of the family or staff of Queen Mary she was so sincere in her description of all the members of the royal family. Bless Queen Mary's heart! She gave her all to the crown all of her life and expected her heirs to do the same. When Edward chose abdication, she never forgave him feeling he had been raised to be king. Lots of history, scandal and truth about the goings on in Buckingham Palace. Very, very well done! Good job audiobooks!
June 7, 2019
A solidly entertaining and seemingly accurate (from my perspective) bio. Definitely not as dry as some others I've read. I appreciated that the author actually focused on the subject and did not get sidetracked with secondary figures. Queen Mary is a fascinating feature and this audiobook never lost my attention. A lot of that had to do with the narrator. The narration wasn't your stereotypical documentary voiceover. The narrator actually sounded engaged with the material. Overall, excellent job. One of the better royal bios I've heard. Because of the fantastic narration, I would definitely recommend this on audiobook. ♣︎
January 22, 2024
As close to a definitive biography as it's possible to write.
Covering from the Victorian era to 1953 this is as much a social history as that of the British royal family.
I thoroughly enjoyed it and found it informative and entertaining.
Covering from the Victorian era to 1953 this is as much a social history as that of the British royal family.
I thoroughly enjoyed it and found it informative and entertaining.
December 15, 2019
First, to put this in a little bit of modern pop culture context. If you're an avid fan of The Crown on Netflix, which is of course about the current Queen Elizabeth II... this is the story of her grandmother, Queen Mary of Teck. And if you were a fan of the movie (or book) The King's Speech: How One Man Saved the British Monarchy, which was about Queen Elizabeth's father King “Stuttering George” VI and how he got his voice back.... this is the story of his mother. And if you're mad for Downton Abbey, remember when the King and Queen visited the Abbey in the DA movie? Yep, that was Queen Mary of Teck and her husband King George V. Bonus trivia: She was the Queen for the entire period of Downton Abbey, so whenever “the Queen” is mentioned or shows up in a cameo, that's her. For instance, the scene in Season 4 when Cousin Rose made her debut and was formally presented at Buckingham Palace.
ETA: Right after vreading this book, I started watching Season 3 of The Crown, and in S3:E2 Prince Phillip says to Elizabeth, repeating what Tommy Lascelles had once told him to explain how the House of Windsor produces children who are total opposites, "For every Queen Victoria, there's an Edward VII; for every George V, there's a Prince Eddy, for every George VI, there's an Edward VIII... and for every Lillibet, there's a Margaret." I was so happy I had vread the book, so I understood in great detail exactly what that statement meant.
Queen Mary was the bridge between two celebrated ruling queens of England and two great eras: Her great-aunt, Queen Victoria, and her granddaughter, Queen Elizabeth II. Though never a ruling Queen herself, but only a Queen Consort, she was a grand and much-admired figure who inspired great loyalty and love in the British people for over 50 years. As Queen or Queen Mother, she was the preeminent lady of England through two world wars, the constitutional crisis created by her eldest son's scandalous abdication of the throne, and the shaking of the monarchies of Europe to their very foundations. Look at it this way: she was born two years after the end of the American Civil War, and lived to see the post-war modernization of the early 1950s. That's a lot of change in a lifetime.
The first thing I noticed about young Princess May, as she was known in her youth, is how she was raised in a world of strong women and weak men. She herself was an intelligent and intellectually curious young woman, and she was surrounded by formidable women, starting with her charismatic and commanding mother, a woman of prodigious charm and even more prodigious appetites. On the other hand, the men in her life consistently seem like inconvenient but necessary accessories, not unlike hothouse flowers, whose care must be constant and whose inevitable foibles must be ignored if possible and accommodated when necessary. So from an early age, she was exposed to the notion that women were the ones who generally got things done in life, and the less the menfolk interfered, the better. It was more than a notion for her – it was the simple reality of her life. It seems the best the women in her extended family could hope for was that their men would just basically behave and not create scandals or bankrupt the family. That's not to say the women of the family were paragons – May's own mother Princess Mary Adelaide had such a passion for living beyond her modest means (the Tecks were of royal blood but it didn't come with wealth) that the family was in constant debt, and an auspicious marriage higher up the royal line was the means by which both her parents hoped to escape penury.
May inherited her mother's charisma and regal bearing, and between herself and her husband, she was generally the one who excited more public excitement and admiration. It was said by some in the royal household that they had never seen a more queenly Queen, and that included the long-reigning and beloved Queen Victoria. And yet as Queen, she was such an ardent believer in the august power of the reigning monarch that she subscribed wholeheartedly to the idea that all, including his own wife, must defer to the King in all things. It must have been privately frustrating for her to know she was more intelligent, more capable, and more resilient than the men around her who were getting all the credit, but she never let it show. She was instead known for her utterly unflappable poise, her reserved but gracious nature, and her elegant figure.
On Prince David, aka King Edward VIII: Once you learn a little about the upbringing of the royal children, David's infamous abdication and the helpless adoration for Wallis Simpson that triggered it become easier to understand. The childhoods of the royal children, particularly the two oldest, David and Bertie, was an absolute tragedy, and it in no way prepared either David or Bertie to be king. Both were average children to begin with, were deprived of any parental affection, cut off from any experiences that might have helped build confidence, continually bullied and belittled by their father, and given at best a half-assed education that did nothing to prepare them for the responsibilities of a monarch. On top of that, poor David literally spent the first three years of his life being physically abused by his nanny until she was found out and sacked. Then, at age 12, David was shipped off to naval school, an exercise in humiliation, suffering, and misery that probably destroyed what little confidence he had up to that point. David's experience in naval school reminds me intensely of what I learned about Prince Charles's experience at Gordonstoun boarding school from watching The Crown. In both cases, the father had found it an overall positive experience that became a cherished memory through the gilded lens of time, and so shipped the son off over his objections, with gay disregard for the obvious (to the audience) fact that son was nothing like father and not remotely cut out for that sort of life. And in both cases, it was an emotionally crippling disaster for the son. Add to all this the lifelong distance and coldness of their mother, who had all the maternal feelings of a frying pan, and it's no wonder David fled into the arms of not one but two domineering women who could be the mother figure he sorely missed.
On Prince Bertie, aka King George VI: Even if you haven't seen or read The King's Speech, you're bound to develop a few warm feelings for Bertie even if you don't like him much at first. Forced by his brother's abdication to accept a throne for which he was woefully ill-suited and unprepared (not that David was much better suited for it), unlike his brother, he did not shirk his duty and soldiered on. He endeared himself to the British people as a stalwart wartime king who did not shirk from bombs, but regularly toured the rubble and was present when Buckingham Palace itself was bombed during the Blitz.
ETA: Right after vreading this book, I started watching Season 3 of The Crown, and in S3:E2 Prince Phillip says to Elizabeth, repeating what Tommy Lascelles had once told him to explain how the House of Windsor produces children who are total opposites, "For every Queen Victoria, there's an Edward VII; for every George V, there's a Prince Eddy, for every George VI, there's an Edward VIII... and for every Lillibet, there's a Margaret." I was so happy I had vread the book, so I understood in great detail exactly what that statement meant.
Queen Mary was the bridge between two celebrated ruling queens of England and two great eras: Her great-aunt, Queen Victoria, and her granddaughter, Queen Elizabeth II. Though never a ruling Queen herself, but only a Queen Consort, she was a grand and much-admired figure who inspired great loyalty and love in the British people for over 50 years. As Queen or Queen Mother, she was the preeminent lady of England through two world wars, the constitutional crisis created by her eldest son's scandalous abdication of the throne, and the shaking of the monarchies of Europe to their very foundations. Look at it this way: she was born two years after the end of the American Civil War, and lived to see the post-war modernization of the early 1950s. That's a lot of change in a lifetime.
The first thing I noticed about young Princess May, as she was known in her youth, is how she was raised in a world of strong women and weak men. She herself was an intelligent and intellectually curious young woman, and she was surrounded by formidable women, starting with her charismatic and commanding mother, a woman of prodigious charm and even more prodigious appetites. On the other hand, the men in her life consistently seem like inconvenient but necessary accessories, not unlike hothouse flowers, whose care must be constant and whose inevitable foibles must be ignored if possible and accommodated when necessary. So from an early age, she was exposed to the notion that women were the ones who generally got things done in life, and the less the menfolk interfered, the better. It was more than a notion for her – it was the simple reality of her life. It seems the best the women in her extended family could hope for was that their men would just basically behave and not create scandals or bankrupt the family. That's not to say the women of the family were paragons – May's own mother Princess Mary Adelaide had such a passion for living beyond her modest means (the Tecks were of royal blood but it didn't come with wealth) that the family was in constant debt, and an auspicious marriage higher up the royal line was the means by which both her parents hoped to escape penury.
May inherited her mother's charisma and regal bearing, and between herself and her husband, she was generally the one who excited more public excitement and admiration. It was said by some in the royal household that they had never seen a more queenly Queen, and that included the long-reigning and beloved Queen Victoria. And yet as Queen, she was such an ardent believer in the august power of the reigning monarch that she subscribed wholeheartedly to the idea that all, including his own wife, must defer to the King in all things. It must have been privately frustrating for her to know she was more intelligent, more capable, and more resilient than the men around her who were getting all the credit, but she never let it show. She was instead known for her utterly unflappable poise, her reserved but gracious nature, and her elegant figure.
On Prince David, aka King Edward VIII: Once you learn a little about the upbringing of the royal children, David's infamous abdication and the helpless adoration for Wallis Simpson that triggered it become easier to understand. The childhoods of the royal children, particularly the two oldest, David and Bertie, was an absolute tragedy, and it in no way prepared either David or Bertie to be king. Both were average children to begin with, were deprived of any parental affection, cut off from any experiences that might have helped build confidence, continually bullied and belittled by their father, and given at best a half-assed education that did nothing to prepare them for the responsibilities of a monarch. On top of that, poor David literally spent the first three years of his life being physically abused by his nanny until she was found out and sacked. Then, at age 12, David was shipped off to naval school, an exercise in humiliation, suffering, and misery that probably destroyed what little confidence he had up to that point. David's experience in naval school reminds me intensely of what I learned about Prince Charles's experience at Gordonstoun boarding school from watching The Crown. In both cases, the father had found it an overall positive experience that became a cherished memory through the gilded lens of time, and so shipped the son off over his objections, with gay disregard for the obvious (to the audience) fact that son was nothing like father and not remotely cut out for that sort of life. And in both cases, it was an emotionally crippling disaster for the son. Add to all this the lifelong distance and coldness of their mother, who had all the maternal feelings of a frying pan, and it's no wonder David fled into the arms of not one but two domineering women who could be the mother figure he sorely missed.
On Prince Bertie, aka King George VI: Even if you haven't seen or read The King's Speech, you're bound to develop a few warm feelings for Bertie even if you don't like him much at first. Forced by his brother's abdication to accept a throne for which he was woefully ill-suited and unprepared (not that David was much better suited for it), unlike his brother, he did not shirk his duty and soldiered on. He endeared himself to the British people as a stalwart wartime king who did not shirk from bombs, but regularly toured the rubble and was present when Buckingham Palace itself was bombed during the Blitz.
October 8, 2015
For people who like this sort of thing, this is the sort of thing they will like. I love this sort of thing and I loved this book.
Read
August 19, 2019Listened to 6 of 14+ hours. Could not continue. Very boring. Like a history book and a bit pretentious.
October 4, 2018
Towards the end of this book - and the end of Queen Mary’s life - Anne Edwards refers to the “imperturbability of their queen” being their one constancy (World War II was hanging over everyone’s head like a Poe-ish pendulum). Edwards definitely capatures this aspect of the Queen. She was like a clay sculpture. Her early years, with an unsure family life and few prospects, molded her; marriage into the royal family glazed her then was like the kiln. She remained throughout her life a statue that was dazzling, stately, hard, cold, glittering, calculating, proper, a cultural touchstone, a line in the sand between generations, uninteresting on purpose, an iceberg (with much beneath the waters), unchanging, constant. There was the Victorian and Edwardian ages; perhaps we should refer to her age as Marian. Corrie James’s narration is perfect.
June 2, 2021
I need to be upfront straight away - while I found Monarch by Anne Edwards interesting, I also found it irritating and frustrating in equal measure. Her portrait of Queen Mary is a flat and mostly uninspiring work that doesn't do justice to its subject, and is a poor return on the massive amount of time it must have taken her to complete.
My biggest gripe, and as biography this is its biggest weakness, was its limited analysis and synthesis of the facts and background information. I don't feel I know Queen Mary any better now than I did before I started - the prim, duty-obsessed, and emotionally repressed matron - no new insights and no expelling of the myths (with the exception of her being a kleptomaniac). At times the book felt like a repetitive child's journal..."The Duke of Windsor visited bomb sites in the East end of London with Queen Mary on October 7", is a typical uninspiring line. No attempt at a deeper analysis of his mother's implacable opposition and pathological blindness towards her children (particularly David); every opportunity to explore this and attempt to understand their relationship is missed.
The book was written in the 1980s, which partly explains some of its deficits, as well as the fact that new information has emerged about the royal family and the Duke of Windsor since then. But even after making allowances, this is a pretty uninspiring work.
And finally, my biggest gripe is the American obsession with using the terms 'English' and 'British' interchangeably; this really was annoying, as well as lazy. Can't recommend this book, and so far this year is my most disappointing read.
© Koplowitz 2016
My biggest gripe, and as biography this is its biggest weakness, was its limited analysis and synthesis of the facts and background information. I don't feel I know Queen Mary any better now than I did before I started - the prim, duty-obsessed, and emotionally repressed matron - no new insights and no expelling of the myths (with the exception of her being a kleptomaniac). At times the book felt like a repetitive child's journal..."The Duke of Windsor visited bomb sites in the East end of London with Queen Mary on October 7", is a typical uninspiring line. No attempt at a deeper analysis of his mother's implacable opposition and pathological blindness towards her children (particularly David); every opportunity to explore this and attempt to understand their relationship is missed.
The book was written in the 1980s, which partly explains some of its deficits, as well as the fact that new information has emerged about the royal family and the Duke of Windsor since then. But even after making allowances, this is a pretty uninspiring work.
And finally, my biggest gripe is the American obsession with using the terms 'English' and 'British' interchangeably; this really was annoying, as well as lazy. Can't recommend this book, and so far this year is my most disappointing read.
© Koplowitz 2016
July 24, 2010
Extremely well-researched biography of Queen Mary (known as "May") who was the grandmother of the current queen Elizabeth II of England. From her impoverished (but noble) family, to her engagements to two brothers, her marriage to George V (son of Queen Victoria) and the birth of her six children, the reader is told the details right down to what outfits she wore and the food she ate. This was a member of royalty (and ultimately a queen) who took her position in society and in British culture seriously no matter what outside influences swirled around her. She became the epitome of Victorian manners, fashion and position and was admired by other royals and the common people as well. I was immersed in the story but many times had to go back and review the genealogy listing on the inside front/back covers so I could remember who was who in the story. Most of the royals in Europe in the late 1800's were related to one another. They'd come on state visits during coronations, weddings, funerals etc. And there were LOTS of them! So be advised that there may be times when you have to re-read a passage or two to understand the family placements. A very good book!
November 3, 2019
When I signed up for Audible I was in a rush (as always). A free book came along with the membership and I delayed for multiple months before I woke up to the fact that I was paying for an unused membership. I have plenty of those -- magazines, face masks, beauty -- they all show up unrequested each month and join the pile. But for some reason the idea of paying for unlistened to books caught my attention. But not enough to really think about how to recklessly spend my free credit. For some reason this popped up, recommended. And there it sat for another three months before I finally hit play.
Thus, this was a soothing backdrop to cooking, cleaning and mindless commutes to work. I can't say I learned a lot, nor that I cared a lot. But it was well-articulated by the reader and seemingly well researched. But what do I know? I treated it as a version of NPR white noise.
Thus, this was a soothing backdrop to cooking, cleaning and mindless commutes to work. I can't say I learned a lot, nor that I cared a lot. But it was well-articulated by the reader and seemingly well researched. But what do I know? I treated it as a version of NPR white noise.
March 30, 2018
Edwards does a good job of describing a lost age. However, she dwells a bit too much, for my taste, on descriptions of the priceless jewels, the glamorous clothing, and the pomp and circumstance of royal funerals, weddings, and coronations — and not enough on the fascinating historical developments in world history that marked Queen Mary’s life. Nevertheless, Edwards paints an interesting portrait of this woman who, while deeply committed to the constitutional monarchy of England and revered by her subjects, was cold and mostly emotionally inaccessible to those who knew her best. One comes away from the book with an impression of a woman who, at all times in her life, knew she would be the subject of study after she was gone, and did everything in her life with that in mind.
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