208 pages

5 stars

King George III was certainly having problems – with the Americans, with his wandering brothers and with his mental health. He was of a nervous disposition and he and his Queen Charlotte believed strongly in decorum and tradition. When both of his brothers married secretly without his permission – and to commoners ! - he banished them. He pushed the Royal Marriages Act of 1772 through Parliament in hopes of keeping his many children in line as well as the rest of his siblings.

He and Queen Charlotte had fifteen children! And they all survived birth. This book discusses their six daughters.

Charlotte, Princess Royal, was not considered to be attractive or pretty, but she was very intelligent. She was quick to anger and had to write out apologies frequently. The princesses were all raised in a closed and insular court, away from their brothers. The years were passing Charlotte by and she still wasn't married. No wonder because the princesses were so overprotected. Her mother was a micro-manager. She did get a rather stubborn and somewhat deranged suitor (in his mind only), named Stone who was a commoner. He wrote the queen, he showed up at the palace...He wasn't even worth consideration, of course. She needed to be out of the palace.

Royal had to wait until she was thirty to finally marry. She was married to Frederick, Duke of Wurttemberg, who recently escaped Russia with his three children, while his ex-wife remained as a “guest” of Tsarina Catherine (the Great). She was very happy with Frederick.

The book then goes on to discuss a similar dilemma with the second daughter, Augusta, and her seemingly dwindling prospects for marriage and so on down the line of all the sisters.

This is a very well written and interesting book. I have never read anything about George and Charlotte's children before and found the material to be both entertaining and enlightening. I am very glad I had the opportunity to read this book. I liked it better than the last one of Ms. Curzon's books that I have read. I also really got a kick out of the little aside comments the author would interject here and there. They were a hoot.

I want to thank NetGalley and Pen & Sword/Pen & Sword History for forwarding to me a copy of this very nice book for me to read, enjoy and review.