Matriarch: Queen Mary and the House of Windsor [Hardcover]

Anne Edwards (Author)

Product Details

• Hardcover: 527 pages
• Publisher: William Morrow; 1st edition (1984)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0688035116
• ISBN-13: 978-0688035112
• Product Dimensions: 9.6 x 6.5 x 1.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #461,328 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This is a very well researched and most interesting read., April 12, 2002

By 

David Logan (Brisbane, Australia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Matriarch: Queen Mary and the House of Windsor (Paperback)

Queen Mary was the consort of King George V and the paternal grandmother of Queen Elizabeth II. She was a great influence on Queen Elizabeth II and the resemblance between Queen Mary and her famous granddaughter is uncanny. Queen Mary was the daughter of one of Queen Victoria's cousins, Princess Mary Adelaide of Cambridge. Queen Mary's father was the Duke of Teck (a morganatic son of the heir apparent to the throne of the Kingdom of Wuerttemberg - now part of modern Germany). Queen Mary was destined to marry Prince Albert Victor, Duke of Clarence and Avondale (eldest son of Edward VII and Queen Alexandra) but he died before any marriage could take place. Queen Victoria wanted this marriage badly. Queen Mary at this time was Her Serene Highness, Princess Victoria Mary of Teck. To have lost the heir to the throne of England was a great loss. Queen Victoria knew that this Princess was worth keeping and soon Prince Albert Victor's younger brother George was married off to his late brother's fiancee. They eventually became King George V and Queen Mary on the death of King Edward VII in 1910. The marriage was a success and for Princess Victoria Mary of Teck it was a great rise from Serene Highness to Royal Highness and eventually Queen Consort. Queen Mary herself had a very interesting early family life. Her brothers were interesting characters as well as her parents. One of her brothers married King George V's cousin HRH Princess Alice, Countess of Athlone while another caused Queen Mary much embarrassment with his gambling and other dubious activities. Queen Mary came from German stock and it is interesting to read about her German relatives. Her own married life is of much interest and of course her children are well known. She was the granddaughter-in-law of Queen Victoria, the daughter-in-law of Edward VII and Queen Alexandra, the wife of George V and the mother of King Edward VIII and King George VI. Her life spanned a most turbulent period and she was a solid rock in the life of the British Royal family, providing a sense of security to the British Monarchy particularly during the abdication crisis. This is a very well researched book. It is well worth the read.

12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Royal Watchers will love it., October 29, 2000

By 

Jessica E. Bowen (Marlborough, MA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Matriarch: Queen Mary and the House of Windsor (Hardcover)

Anne Edwards is terrific and this book is no exception. It tells the story Queen Mary, the grandmother of the current queen Elizabeth, who rose from a minor royal relative to the queen consort of England. The path was difficult and almost lost - like Catherine of Aragon, she was betrothed to the heir who died prematurely (Edward, the whispered would-be Jack the Ripper) but married his brother instead. One of the most interesting episodes in the book is when her son, Edward VIII, chose love over duty, devastating his mother who had raised him to chose duty to the country over all else.

For real royal watchers, one of the things that sets this work above others in the genre, is the details of the clothing and jewelry worn by Queen Mary and the other royals. Mary was apparently not shy about wearing jewels that befit her station and these details are revealed to the reader. For every royal wedding, funeral and other occasion, Edwards takes time to desribe the clothing worn by the principals. If you've bought People Magazine to see the fashions of Diana, you need to read this book. It's much better that People magazine. Photos (b&w) are included as well.

9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars A poor biography of Queen Mary - there's a much better one out there:, July 26, 2006

By 

SusieQ (New York) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Matriarch: Queen Mary and the House of Windsor (Paperback)

This biography isn't nearly --no, make that, doesn't even come close-- to being as excellent as James Pope-Hennessey's QUEEN MARY (1959). While it's true QUEEN MARY was written almost 50 years ago, and while it's true that Mr. Pope-Hennessey was writing an "official" biography, it is chock full of interesting information and is backed by thorough research and excellent writing. From that biography you will really begin to understand Queen Mary's character, beginning with her difficult childhood to her arranged marriage, (which happily became a love match), and, her supportive role in the British Royal Family during and after the crisis of Edward VIII's abdication. She was truly a pillar of strength during every emotional crisis and helped make George V the best King he could be.

Unfortunately, in MATRIARCH, author Anne Edwards resorts to wondering in the very first chapter whether Mary's first fiance the Duke of Clarence was Jack the Ripper - actually hinting that this could be possible. Ms. Edwards completely ignores Mary's entire childhood (although that childhood was the reason for her stalwart, somewhat unbending personality), jumping instead right into her first brief engagement to the Duke of Clarence. There's none of the thorough research or insightful exploration of the characters of the old Royal family in MATRIARCH; no exploration of Mary's personality and what went into forming it. MATRIARCH is made up of mostly ancient gossip and sloppy rumors, regurgitated in biographical form. What a comedown from the high quality of Pope-Hennessey's biography!

I recommend that the reader purchase or borrow the Pope-Hennessey biography. Don't waste your time with this weak, trash version of her life; go to the biography that tells you who Queen Mary really was and why.