Loved this historical account of the royal family! Very informative and easy to follow along to from start to end! Loved all of the new information I learned about the British Royal Family in this book and how the timeline plays out! Great read that I definitely recommend checking out!

Thank you to Netgalley and the Publishing Company for this Advanced Readers Copy of Power and Glory by Alexander Larman!

Power and Glory
Elizabeth II and the Rebirth of Royalty
by Alexander Larman
Pub DateApr 30 2024
St. Martin's Press
Biographies & Memoirs| History


I received a copy of Power and Glory from St. Martins Press and Netgalley for review:



In 1945, when the Royal Family sat on the balcony of Buckingham Palace to celebrate VE Day, they knew that the happiness and excitement of the day was illusory. In spite of Britain's victory in a painful war, the peace would be no easier. Following the abdication crisis, the death of King George VI, and the ascension of young Elizabeth II to the throne, the monarchy seemed doomed. Adding insult to injury, the former Edward VIII, now the Duke of Windsor, conniving and sniping from the sidelines in an attempt to regain relevance, even writing a controversial memoir, could only make matters worse. However, it remained to be seen whether Elizabeth would be able to make the monarchy a force for international pride and even love once again.


Using rare and previously unseen documents, Alexander Larman concludes his acclaimed Windsor family trilogy. As Larman chronicles events such as the Royal Wedding, George VI's death, and the discovery of the Duke of Windsor's treacherous activities during World War II, he paints a vivid picture of how the end of one sovereign's reign signaled the beginning of a new Elizabethan Age, which brought power and glory back to a monarchy in need.

I give Power and Glory five out Of five stars!


Happy Reading!

Thanks to NeyGalley for an ARC of the book!
I didn't realize when I initially requested this that it was the final in a trilogy. I've read a lot about Queen Elizabeth II and her father and uncle so I was able to jump right into the story. Overall I enjoyed the detail that Larman provided in the story, especially about David's trajectory following his abdication; I didn't realize how ostracized he had become from his family. There were a few times when I skimmed over some chapters just due to the monotony of the day to day lives of David and Wallis. Overall a good book for someone who wants to dig deeper into the Windsor family history as they transitioned between three monarchs in a very short amount of time.

I wanted to read this one, but I am unable to download the book because it is unfortunately archived.

I enjoy reading about the Royal family, especially Elizabeth II and her long reign. This was well done and I felt engaged throughout the novel. Each story was crafted with thought and insight. Highly recommend it!

I don't tend to read historical nonfiction very often, but Power and Glory was an incredibly interesting read surrounding Queen Elizabeth II. I can't say that any of the information was super shocking or brand new, but it was presented in an interesting format.

In Larman’s third book in his series about the House of Windsor and three of the last four monarchs of the United Kingdom, he explores the postwar years of Windsor rule under George VI and Elizabeth II while Edward, Duke of Windsor, lives abroad. Using previously unseen documents about the royal family, Larman’s final book sees Elizabeth II grow as the heir apparent and into her own as queen in her own right, following her young adulthood, courtship, and the early years of her marriage to Philip Duke of Edinburgh. As the family divides between the family on the throne and the abdicated former king, all three monarchs set out to leave their mark on history and restore faith in the House of Windsor and the monarch of the United Kingdom. Larman’s prose is straightforward and clear, while the quotes from these rare royal documents are fascinating to read and a real treat for readers and fans of the royal family. With a clear historical background and a lot of historical context, Larman is a masterful writer with a clear familiarity with the modern royal family and their history. A great background of Elizabeth II, her father, and her uncle, fans of the royal family are sure to enjoy this book.

A fine ending to the Windsor Trilogy and the beginning of Queen Elizabeth’s reign with the backstory of the continuing antics from her uncle and his wife.

Alexander Larman always delivers a fulsome viewpoint with many sources and credits to his research.

Larman’s books are always interesting, and Power and Glory is no exception. This is a spanning look at George VI’s final years and how his eldest daughter was able to firmly establish herself and the monarchy.

Larman’s books are for the general population; you do not need to have any in-depth information about the monarchy to enjoy this. A lot of people are interested in the monarchy but not in a “I want to know every tiny little detail about why they do what they do and when they starting do it that way” type of way, and this book gives a great introduction to the New Elizabethan Age that any reader can enjoy. This is a biography rather than a history book, but I find that makes it much more approachable.

I think that Power and Glory’s biggest strength is its breadth. Not only are we spending time with the ailing George VI and his successor, Elizabeth II, we also get to see more of the Duke of Windsor. Edward and Wallis’ story often gets separated out but it is very much intertwined.

I was hoping for a story, and I got a textbook. I hardly read any of it. It was not what I was expecting.

Thank you to Saint Martin's Press for the ARC. I also read the author's previous installment in this trilogy, The Windsors At War, but I have not read the first one which was a book focused on the abdication. So my review of this might be slightly warped by a lack of knowledge. I felt like this book did not have enough in it to make it a proper book. Everything seemed relatively low stakes and the tension was lacking. Obviously, this is history so the history is what the history is, but sometimes that does not mean there is automatically enough to make a book. Presumably, this book is about Edward, Elizabeth and George as they plan for or against Elizabeth's ascension to the throne but the book blurbs and author purports this to be far more nefarious than it actually is. This whole book felt more like it should have been condensed into one chapter.

The book starts off after the war and the people are happy for the King and Queen. In addition, on her 21st birthday, Princess Elizabeth gives her infamous speech promising to dedicate her life to the good of the monarchy.

We visit the family’s 4-month trip away to a warm environment while Britain was experiencing an extremely cold winter. This stressed the King immensely as he felt he should be with his people instead of away from them.

Princess Elizabeth and Prince Philip are continuing to be attracted to one another and the possibility of their engagement is discussed. Lascelles is adamantly against it but Mountbatten wants the marriage to happen. The King doesn’t want Elizabeth to become engaged until she is 21 years old.

We follow the incredibly bad antics of Edward and Wallis which shows their greediness and total disregard for the royal family. Reminds me of another couple in the news with the same greed and disregard. I’m sure you know who I mean.

When Bertie dies, Elizabeth is poised to become queen. She is strong and promises to dedicate her life to this. The book ends on her Coronation day.

I enjoyed yet another book about the royal family that I deeply admire. The one person that I have felt had way too much say in royal matters is Lascelles. Ugh. However, Winston Churchill, on the other hand, has always been a favorite of mine. Enjoy!

Copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Power and Glory
By Alexander Larman

This book concludes Mr. Larman's trilogy concerning the house of Windsor. The first book – "The Crown in Crisis: Countdown to the Abdication" is, as the title says, the story of Edward VIII – his ascension as king of England, his wild love for Wallis Simpson, his abdication in favor of the "woman he loved".

The second book ("The Windsors at War") details the kingship of King George VI, the younger brother who never expected to be king, and his subsequent partnership with Winston Churchill in leading the country through the horrors of World War II.

This final volume begins with the end of the war, Churchill's loss of power, the King's various health issues which eventually lead to his death, and the constant thorn in the King's side, his brother David, the Duke of Windsor. It includes the courtship and marriage of Princess Elizabeth and Philip Montbatten. In its final pages Churchill returns to power, becomes a great friend to the new and untried Queen, and helps her through the coronation.
The story of the coronation makes clear the roles – both public and private – that Elizabeth and Philip had to assume throughout their lives.

While not a big non-fiction reader, I really enjoyed reading all three of these books. They bring home the family dynamics involved both privately and publicly. Together, the three books provide a fascinating view of the British monarchy.

Thanks to the publisher for the ARC. It was a thorough look at the monarchy at the end of World War II. It takes a look at the King and Queen and their emergence from WW II and dealing with the Duke of Windsor. It also details the Windsors life in exile. The life of Elizabeth and Phillip is also discussed in detail with insights from courtiers. A good read albeit a bit dry at times

Thank you St Martin's for the review copy! I admit, as much attention and coverage that the Royal family gets, I actually don't have a strong grounding in the history of the families and the crown. I appreciate the grounding of this story in terms of examining family relationships and the placement of world war II, the challenges of that time and the role of the royal family, Elizabeth II's growing role and presence. I valued the details and development of the book.
I thought the themes on the place and presence, relevance, of the royal family was most interesting to me as I feel we are, almost 100 years later, facing a similar issue: what role does the royal family play in today's world community and in England? How do they reshape themselves to remain not just relevant but also valuable to their country and other world communities?

I enjoyed this detailed book which covers the time period during the reign of King George VI and the beginning of the reign of Queen Elizabeth II. We learn about a young Elizabeth and her wedding as well as her relationship with the King. It is also interesting to draw comparisons between the Duke of Windsor (the King’s brother) and his wife Wallis SImpson and Prince Harry and his wife Meghan. I’m always amazed when I read about royalty at how much power the high ranking staff that work for the various palaces has and how they contribute to the decisions of the Royal Family. With all the difficulties the current members of the Royal Family are experiencing and the issues regarding their relevance it was interesting to read some of the history leading up to current times. This book was well researched and well written. The author had access to an impressive wide variety of correspondence and documents from the Royal Family as well as politicians and world events from that time. It’s the third book in a series but can be read as a standalone.

Power and Glory is captivating! The book is engrossing and extremely interesting as the author reveals so many interesting facts about the lives of the Royals. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the privilege of reading an amazing book!

Power and Glory is a story of Elizabeth II and the Rebirth of Royalty by Alexander Larman.
A great insight into that period of history and such a delight to read.
Very easy reading, lots of interesting topics with plenty of detail.
I enjoyed reading this informative book which details the main events and also describes the lives of the main characters from this period of history.
A well researched book that I really enjoyed!

Thank You NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

Book three of the Windsor trilogy is an intimate portrait of the family leading to the coronation of Queen Elizabeth. This would be a great gift for those that are interested in the Royal Family history!

Huge thank you to #StMartinsPress and @netgalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.