The Georgian Princesses [Illustrated] [Hardcover]

John Van der Kiste (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 25, 2000

A detailed, chronological account of the princesses and consort Queens of the Georgian era, from Sophia (mother of George I) who died shortly before she would have become Queen, to Adelaide, consort to William IV, whose failure to provide an heir ensured the succession passed to his niece, Queen Victoria. During this period, an array of colorful personalities came and went--George I's ill-fated wife, Sophia Dorothea of Celle, who was imprisoned for adultery. The equally tragic Caroline Matilda, Queen of Denmark and sister of George III, who married an incipient schizophrenic, saw her lover put to death, and was divorced and imprisoned, released after pressure from her brother, only to die from typhoid or scarlet fever at 23. This book also looks at the life of the astute Caroline, consort of George II, who during the years of Robert Walpole's premiership was Queen regnant in all but name.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 235 pages
• Publisher: Sutton Publishing; illustrated edition edition (July 25, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0750923105
• ISBN-13: 978-0750923101
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 6.4 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,474,347 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

John Van der Kiste read Librarianship at Ealing Technical College, where he edited the students' journal Stamp Out. He has published over forty books, including titles on historical biography, local history and true crime, music, fiction, and edited a Christmas anthology. He lives in Devon.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

27 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars No one writes royal bios like Van der Kiste, August 22, 2001

By 

Moe811 (New York USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Georgian Princesses (Hardcover)

I have read many royal biographies and no one has as good a feel for them as this author. In this book he takes on the much overlooked wives, sisters, and daughters of the Georges. He brings these nebulous princesses to life changing them from background shadows to real people. The women are every bit as interesting as their royal brothers. I had always heard about the much pitied Royal Nunnery as the daughters of George the III were called. Those that married, did so fairly late in life, and those that didn't certainly seemed to do quite alot of living as soon as they were out of their parents' sight. There were many other brave, eccentric and/or scandalous women in the family and Van der Kiste does his best to describe them all.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Georgian Princesses, October 9, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: The Georgian Princesses (Hardcover)

I really enjoyed this book and found it fascinating to read about so many women who in other books are often only referred to as "wife" or "daughter" of someone else. Finally, I got to learn about who these women really were!

Some reviewers found the fact that so many women had the same names confusing. It is a bit, but we can hardly fault the author for that! He does use nicknames when that will help to differentiate. And, the family trees were invaluable in keeping everyone straight. I didn't find the names a drawback at all. But, anyone who reads about royal/noble families will be accustomed to this.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Interesting Chronicles of Little Known Royal Women, September 10, 2003

By 

John D. Cofield - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Georgian Princesses (Paperback)

The Georgian Princesses describes the lives of many of the women of Britain's House of Hanover in the 18th and early 19th centuries. In their lifetimes these women were regarded as mere pawns on the European chessboard of alliances and power politics. They were married off to men they scarcely knew and who in many cases were extremely unpleasant companions and expected to make the best of it. Most of the time all we now know of these women are their names on various genealogical charts. John Van Der Kiste has resurrected these royal ladies and given them new life.

Most of these women turn out to have had fairly sunny and mild dispositions. They were rarely given much education and had few inner resources to fall back on when their lives and marriages soured, as they so often did. Nevertheless they seem to have borne their lot with dignity most of the time, and sometimes they were able to find consolation in religion or in extramarital affairs. I felt the sorriest for Caroline Matilda, sister of George III and known as Denmark's "Queen of Tears" for the suffering she underwent at the hands of a schizophrenic husband. I liked George II's consort Caroline of Anspach and Electress Sophia of Hanover (the progenitress of the family) the best for their sharp intelligence and senses of humor.

Because so many of these women have similar names it can be confusing separating the Sophia Dorotheas and the Sophia Charlottes from the Carolines and Louises, but the genealogical charts at the front help a lot. Also, I felt some of the women got short shrift and were barely mentioned at all. Nevertheless, Van Der Kiste has turned out a very satisfying volume.