The Young and Lonely King

by Jane Lane

The Young and Lonely King charts the life of Prince Charles, Duke of Albany, an embattled boy who was baptised in anticipation of an early death. The result is a historical tale that is steeped in tragedy as Jane Lane brings to life a man masked in misery. From the death of his brother, Henry, which left him lonely, vulnerable and under the influence of Buckingham, to his disastrous marriage with Henrietta Maria, a spoilt, capricious woman, this is a very human tale about a very human king.

248 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1969

About the author

Jane Lane (1905 – 1978) was the pen name of Elaine Kidner Dakers, an English historical novelist and biographer distantly related to the Jane Lane who aided Charles II after his defeat at Worcester. She is best known for her books about the Stuart period and 18th century Scotland, written from a Catholic and Royalist perspective. A State of Mind is unique among her books, being set in a dystopian future.

The Tablet described her as "one of the few contemporary writers who excel both as novelists and historians."

Reviews

[Ellede · Rating 5 out of 5]

It’s a long time since I read this, but I remember it very fondly - Charles I was my teenage hero - and as being a pretty accurate work,overall, though possibly pushing his family’s indifference too hard. I’m raising my eyebrows at the summary’s description of his marriage as disastrous. Politically, yes (but any Catholic princess would have drawn the same hostility, whether she was politically active or not) but personally, after Buckingham’s death, Charles and Henrietta fell in love and stayed that way the rest of their lives. It’s a good book, entirely sympathetic to him; my only disappointment at the time was the end line, which while not a spoiler (who, reading it, *wouldn’t* already know Charles I’s fate?) seemed a completely unnecessary foreshadowing.

[Maria Pignataro · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is excellent. It's easy to read and gives an excellent view of what it was like for Charles as a young boy