this was a great conclusion in this series, it had everything that I was hoping for and glad it had that overall historical feel that I was looking for in a nonfiction book. Alexander Larman does a great job in writing this and you could tell the passion and research that was going on in that world.

This is an absolutely wonderful book about Queen Elizabeth II and how she and her family has helped breathe new life into the Royal Family. Alexander Larman has been helping us to see the Royals as human for a while now, and this end to his trilogy about the House of Windsor is the perfect ending to that series. I enjoyed this book about the humans that make up the Royal family.

The amazing continuation of the story of the royal family from the end of WWII to Elizabeth II’s coronation. As with the last book, the emphasis is on the Duke and Duchess of Windsor and not Elizabeth and Philip.

“I am not a monarchist,” Larman writes in his Introduction to Power and Glory. Yet at their best, the royal family exhibited virtues such that when he finished writing this book, Larman wanted to leap onto a table and shout, “God Save the Queen!”

I have been riveted by all three volumes of Larman’s trilogy, beginning with The Crown in Crisis, about the turmoil created with the abdication of Edward VIII, and continuing with The Windsors at War, set during WWII with the new king juggling the threat of Nazi Germany and keeping his ex-king Nazi sympathizer brother out of trouble. Power and Glory finishes the series with the end of the war, England in economic crisis and the king in failing health and Princess Elizabeth coming into adulthood and assuming the throne.

Sure, I knew the basic facts from other books and television series and such. Yet Larman’s narrative is so compelling and accessible, with some snarky humor tossed in, and the political intrigues so interesting, I couldn’t stop reading. In fact, I would love to spend a week and reread the entire trilogy nonstop.

Throughout this time in history, the Duke of Windsor continued to bemoan and complain about the loss of the perks of being royalty, the lack of funds necessary to keep up the lifestyle to which he had been accustomed, and the lack of a permanent home, preferably where he didn’t need to pay taxes. And, he continued to press for Wallis’ reception by the royal family and given the title Her Royal Highness. He claimed she had made him deliriously happy, without either ever seeming happy with their lot in life. Apparently, love isn’t everything. So, the Duke and Duchess got creative with what was apparently insurance fraud. Then the Duke decided to write his biography for easy money, except he was unable to concentrate on getting it done.

Meanwhile, King George VI had exhausted his health during the war, with additional harm from taking up smoking as self-medication for stress. He was dealing with the end of US financial support and rebuilding the British economy and repairing all the war damage. Churchill was out; Atlee and the Labor party were in and the king’s role in government was diminished. There was some question as to the point of a royal family. The king was pretty cranky, even mistreating a corgi. Meantime, the Duke of Windsor fantasized about assuming the role of regent at the King’s death, for obviously Elizabeth was too young for the job.

His daughter Elizabeth was the king’s main support, but she had fallen for her distant cousin Phillip Mountbatten. Philip was handsome, but was not quite up to standards–brusk, informal, shabby, poor, and a Greek citizen to boot. The family whisked the princess away on a tour which did nothing for the king’s health but showed Elizabeth was firm in her love choice.

Elizabeth got her man. In fact, she ‘got’ several other notable men, including President Truman and Winston Churchill, both love-struck. What a gal! And, she not only took on the mantle of queen with aplomb, she showed herself to be serious and informed and ready.

And so the book ends with the beginning of the reign of Elizabeth II, just six months before I was born, and which ended while the author was writing.

Thanks to the publisher for a free book.

This is the last book in the trilogy that Mr. Larman has written on the British Royal Family.
I thoroughly enjoyed it. Well researched and an interesting look at a pivotal time.
I highly recommend this book.
I voluntarily reviewed an advance reader copy of this book.

“I declare before you all that my whole life whether it be long or short shall be devoted to your service and the service of our great imperial family to which we all belong.”
Queen Elizabeth II in her twenty-first birthday speech

Mr Larman has delivered the final title in his trilogy about the British royal family and it’s as highly readable as the previous books. The research that must have been undertaken… it comes across that it must have been exhaustive, and the result has been a very informative, intriguing, and enjoyable series.

Recommended to BRF fans as well as those interested in history.



Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the DRC

An incredibly interesting and well-written non-fiction book about the House of Windsor and all of its characters. I had NOT read the first two books in the series and although this one can stand alone I do feel it would benefit readers to read all three books.

The author's research was thorough and well executed, and the book was easy to follow and enjoyable to read. It's always fascinating o read about a family that is so very different from most of our own and the author has done a great job bringing us inside the mystery and intrigue of the British royal family.

Synopsis (From Netgalley, the provider of the book to review)
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All This I Elizabeth II and the Rebirth of Royalty will be the new book from Alexander Larman, author of The Crown in Crisis and The Windsors at War, and the conclusion of Larman's ' Windsor's trilogy' .

It will begin with the fallout from the revelation of the Duke of Windsor's wartime treachery, and will end with the Coronation of Elizabeth II on 2 June 1953. In between, it will depict a monarchy - and a country - struggling to cope with the aftermath of World War Two, in an era where old certainties have been replaced by the rise of a new, uncertain world, and where love, tragedy and modernity battle for supremacy.

All This I Promise will use the same previously unseen and rare sources as Larman's previous books , including the Royal Archives at Windsor Castle, the Churchill College Archives and the Balliol Archives, as well as the Clement Attlee Archives at the Bodleian in Oxford and the Parliamentary Archives in London.

New material will include extensive unpublished correspondence between major members of the Royal Family including George VI, Princess Elizabeth and the Duke of Windsor, the Prime Ministers Clement Attlee and Winston Churchill, and previously unseen diaries and memoranda from courtiers, personal secretaries and leading politicians, exploring everything from the King's declining health to the (often negative) reactions to Elizabeth's marriage to Prince Philip and Coronation.

All This I Promise will offer the same intricately researched and incisively written account of Britain's most famous family as Larman's previous books but with a panoramic and epic international scale. It will explore everything from the end of British rule in India to the foundation of the United Nations and the crucial role that monarchy played in the ever-shifting era - as well, naturally, as the way in which the Duke and Duchess of Windsor attempted to return to relevance, whatever the cost might be to the wider Royal Family.

I loved The Crown and love books about the Royal Family and this one did not disappoint – lots of new information that an individual reader or a book club will want to share and discuss with others. ERII will undoubtedly be known as the greatest ruler of Great Britain and this book does not argue the point – fabulous read. #shortbutsweetrevews

(I don't think I have read the previous two books in the trilogy - this book works as a stand-alone.)

Power and Glory: Elizabeth II and the Rebirth of Royalty by Alexander Larman is a great nonfiction that is the third book covering the House of Windsor.

I have now read all three books, and while one does not have to read the previous books, or any of them in chronological order, they are so interesting and informative…so why not?

This book roughly starts and covers 1945 onward. I liked that the author pulled from a lot of different types of sources and media to create this layout of a history. It helps keep things interesting and moving along.

This is for anyone that is interested in British history as well as history of the Royal family.

4/5 stars

Thank you NG and St Martins Press for this wonderful arc and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion.

I am posting this review to my GR and Bookbub accounts immediately and will post it to my Amazon, Instagram, and B&N accounts upon publication on 4/30/24.