Customer Reviews

The Royals (not for sale in the UK)

5 star:		(31)
4 star:		(16)
3 star:		(16)
2 star:		(8)
1 star:		(19)

 

 

I tried to purchase this book through Amazon, but I was told that it could not be shipped to UK addresses. This is apparently due to an official ban imposed by the British Government. By chance, I then found a copy when browsing in a local 'bargain' bookshop; the book cannot be obtained from large bookstore chains in the UK such as Waterstones etc. I found it to be reasonably well researched, and far more intelligently written than articles one might read about 'the royals' in the British tabloids. Ms Kelley rightly indicates throughout her book the huge amounts of money that the various post- war debacles of the Mountbatten- Windsor family have cost the British people. How ironic, then, that we are the only people in the world who are officially not allowed to read this book! What do the international community think about this? Opinions please!

Having read this book I feel that it has been unfairly maligned. It is neither a trashing of the individuals in the house of Windsor nor is it a tabloid-esque scandal sheet. Ms. Kelly paints a complex psychological portrait of the members of the royal family in a way that does not excuse their well documented ill-behavior but rather allows the reader to have insight into their personal motivations. In a way the royal family of Britain are painted as very real and human characters with flaws and many emotional injuries. I wonder if the negative reaction to this book is due to the timing of its release and the fact that the narrative humanizes characters that Britain, for the sake of its history and system of governance, needs to be more that human. And for the rest of the world to serve as a mirror for our fantasies. For me this book elicited pathos for this family--the queen's coldness and inhumanity caused by the early death of her father and the trauma of the second world war with all of the incipient pressures that would befall her. (what a potentially terrifying childhood knowing that your destiny may require you to "save the nation" though the strength of your character). As for Charles (for whom I personally had a storng antipathy towards prior to reading this book) the childhood he had left him quite incapable of being a loving sympathetic man despite the fact that he apparently has a tremendous need to be so. Diana was bound to be crushed by the institution of royalty and the monarchy. Her "loony' behavior makes perfect sense when you consider that she as a 19 year old girl had just steeped though the looking glass and into a world with no allies. Also, don't kid yourself, while there some epistemological problems and some quotes must clearly be fabricated, a technique of historians going back to Herodotous, this is an exceedingly well crafted book.

The outraged royalists crying "shame" on Kitty should take a reality check- particularly the reviewer from Dublin who expressed such contempt for Miss Kelly. Is Princess Margaret to be defended after issuing such public statements as "The Irish are all pigs?" Yes, this book was a cold, hard slap in the face of the house of Windsor- and this reader has no sympathy. I felt that Miss Kelly's book showed the house of Windsor to be what it is- a crumbling institution that serves no purpose, except for the amusement of the tabloids. Miss Kelly presented a portrait of self serving parasites out of touch with their land and people, and she did it with skill. It was a fast paced, entertaining read, not always unsympathetic, but always fascinating. A revealing portrait of those who consider themselves our "betters," but, sadly and obviously, are not.

Every book must be judged on its own terms. Having just read Ms. Kelley's book, I accept it for what the author obviously intended it to be - tabloid gossip (which has its place in our society) wrapped it the aura of solid historical research. The book succeeds well as an exhaustive collection of passed down whispers and carefully extracted negative opinions and mean-spirited, flip comments from dozens of interview subjects. However, it fails very seriously as any kind of reliable or astute presentation of historical facts - let alone a fair or reliable interpretation of these events. It's rather distressing to read so many comments here on Amazon from people who think they have received an education in historical fact from Ms. Kelley's book.

My name is Michael John Sullivan and I am a scholar of royal history. My latest book, "A FATAL PASSION - The Story of the Uncrowned Last Empress of Russia", covers much the same territory as Kelley's. But it doesn't take a specialist to find the many factual errors Kelley has made. A trip to the history department of any local community college could have set matters correct on a number of issues. It's really astonishing that with all the resourses Ms. Kelley had at her disposal and all the assistance and money she received that a simple check of facts could not have been conducted.

To detail everything incorrect would take far too much space here, but let's just take the first page of her beginning chapter (2) after the introduction - and the very first point that she attempts to make in the book. Kelley writes on page 5 that until l9l7 "many English kings never spoke the King's English. They spoke only German . . .

This is utterly absurd! George I spoke German when the House of Hanover was imported to England at the beginning of the l8th Century, but his son learned English, and his grandson George III by the time of the American Revolution was a thorough Englishman. The monarchs of England may have kept marrying German spouses, but the children were brought up intensely British and spoke English as their first and foremost tongue. George IV was as English as Nigel Bruce, and Queen Victoria was obviously not a German-speaking monarch, nor her son, the very British Edward VII.

How on earth Kelley can begin her book with such a ludicrous and false premise is beyond credibility. She obviously wants to impress the importance of the changing of the Royal Family's name from a German one in l9l7 to a created English one - but in so doing she totally fabricates and distorts and starts the reader off with a completely false sense of English Royal history. Her tendency to dispense with facts continues throughout the book as gossip is championed at the expense of simple, logical explanation - should the proper facts not be ignored. Dates, names, and relationships time and again are incorrectly stated.

What a shame. When a small press tightly budgets a minor book, such oversights can be explained away. But what is the excuse of a multi-million dollar project such as this that had everyone from the CEO of Time-Warner on down being credited by Kelley in her introduction as having been deeply involved. History can be both fascinating AND correct, and it was sad that Kelley couldn't achieve both.

What a fun book and that's all it is. There is nothing new in this book, well maybe a few things, but nothing that is going to make you drop open your mouth in shock. I've read other reviews here, and I'm finding people are taking this book much too seriously. It's just fun, Everyone loves a little gossip and that's all this is. Read it and have fun with it, don't start harping on what is real and what isn't. Just read, laugh and enjoy. Nothing in here is really nasty...to anyone. The only reason it was banned in the UK is because it would be real easy for the ROYALS to sue Ms. Kelly. I have to give this book five stars, it's just too rich...and really some fun reading. By the way the cover is GREAT! Pick it up, have a cup of tea, and enjoy. It's worth it!!! Trust me.

This book was definitely a page turner. Some of the gossip is pretty unbelievable but written in a way that is believable! No wonder the Royals banned this in Britain. Maybe most of this stuff is true? A real interesting read and a lot of trashy, gossip (a good book to take to the beach).

I picked the darn thing up at 8 PM one night and couldn't put it down until 7AM the following morning!

It "reads like a tabloid"---well, D'UH!

If you're looking for a serious, scholarly study on the House of Windsor, pass this little baby up. If you're looking for the dirt, the grim, the whispered secrets, and gossip galore, this book is for you.

(Dormouse's word of advice: Just don't read it the night before a job interview...not good, not good at all.)

I have read Ms. Kelly's writing before so I anxiously awaited this book and was not disappointed. She puts you in the middle of events. Her words describe so vividly the royals that at times one has the tendancy to practice a curtsey! I was saddened, angered, overjoyed, laughing and thoroughly immersed in the book. I would highly recommend it to everyone. This is her grestest work of the written word.

"The Royals" is a book every monarchist and republican should read. If the monarchy is to survive, this is the book that clearly states what its faults are and how the monarchy can become more human. Republicans will find plenty of arguments for their point of view as well. The book's most important aspect, I think, is that it makes the Windsors appear remarkably human. Here is King Edward VIII, whose love cost him the throne; the unsure George VI; the cold and aloof Elizabeth II; the brave and tragic Princess Diana; and many other people. The reason why Kitty Kelley is so reviled in some circles is because she paints people as they are, not the way the official version makes it out to be. I think that the book's biggest argument is that the old ceremonies and etiquette need to be updated before they bring down the monarchy. The book is very detailed, giving a good look at the humans behind the glamour.

Having previously enjoyed books by Kitty Kelley about Frank Sinatra,

Nancy Raegan and the Bush Family, I was excited to come across

the taped version of a book she wrote in 1997: THE ROYALS . . . it

continues in the tradition of her other works; i.e., being very

gossipy . . . I'm not sure how much of this was the truth, but I

nevertheless had fun in a guilty pleasure way reading how Prince

Charles snatched one last rendezvous with Camilla Parker-Bowles

on the eve of his marriage to Diana Spencer . . . how both Charles

and Diana were unfaithful during their marriage . . . how Diana used

bulimia to keep her shape, etc.

Others member of the Royal Family are likewise covered, though

in not quite so much detail . . . you'll "learn" all you wanted to know

(and some you probably didn't) about such other notables as the

Queen Mother, Andy and Fergie, Prince Philip, and Prince Edward.

Kelley's narration added to my enjoyment of THE ROYALS.