Customer Reviews

Witness of a Century

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Frankland did a cursory job in his biography of Arthur. His exploits in Egypt under General Garnet Wolsey were not as in depth as I would have liked, but did a good job in his relationship with Queen Victoria. Arthur lived through some of the most turbulent times in Britain and Frankland did an admirable job in bringing those events with the aspect of Arthur in them. If someone is an Anglophile or even more so a fan of royalty or Queen victoria then they will enjoy Frankland's biography

This was a good biogaphy on the Duke of Connaught, the author has done an excellent job in explaining/detailing Prince Arthur's miltary and then later, diplomatic career. However, the author did not focus enough, in my view, on his relationships with his family; particularly his children and grandchildren.

At the time this biography was published the Queen Mother; Princess Alice, Duchess of Glouster; and Queen Ingrid of Denmark were still alive; couldn't the author arrange an interview with any of these three individuals? If not, there was always the Royal Swedish Archives; he could have searched for any letters, etc. belonging to Crown Princess Margaret of Sweden.

Also the author did not mention that Queen Elizabeth was his godaughter, and he barely mentioned the Duke's reaction to the abdication of King Edward VIII. Finally, although he did not live to meet Queen Margrethe, he must have gained knowledge of her birth in 1940 through various sources (Crown Princess Louise of Sweden for an example) before he died in 1942.