In this hilarious book that takes history seriously, a British actor and comedian introduces England’s earliest kings and queens, who were mostly as silly and weird in real life as they appear today in their portraits, revealing a story of narcissists, inadequate self-control, excessive beheadings, uncivil wars and more.

"No British monarch has had a tougher act to follow. Now, after seventy years of waiting and preparation, King Charles III is not just the head of the most famous family in the world. He is the custodian of a thousand-year-old institution which must redefine its place in the digital age while others insist on rewriting the past. With unrivaled access to the king, the royal family, and the court, leading royal authority Robert Hardman brings us the...

"Since William the Conqueror, duke of Normandy, crossed the English Channel in 1066 to defeat King Harold II and unite England's various kingdoms, forty-one kings and queens have sat on Britain's throne: "shining examples of royal power and majesty alongside a rogue's gallery of weak, lazy, or evil monarchs," as Tracy Borman evocatively describes them in her sparkling chronicle, Crown & Sceptre. Ironically, during very few of these 955 years has the...

A history focused on the monarchs’ intimate daily lives that “furnishes readers with a ‘Hey, did you know…?’ on almost every page” (The New York Times Book Review).
England’s Tudor monarchs—Henry VII, Henry VIII, Edward VI, Mary I, and Elizabeth I—are perhaps the most celebrated of history’s royal families. But for all we know about them, their lives away from the public...

David Starkey examines the story of the English crown from the fall of Rome to the 1660s. Starkey covers nearly 250 years, from Charles II to Victoria. Replete with infidelities, betrayals, and rivalries, English history emerges as a compelling family saga.

“Helen Castor has an exhilarating narrative gift. . . . Readers will love this book, finding it wholly absorbing and rewarding.” —Hilary Mantel, Booker Prize-winning author of Wolf Hall 

In the tradition of Antonia Fraser, David Starkey, and Alison Weir, prize-winning historian Helen Castor delivers a compelling, eye-opening examination of women and power in England, witnessed through

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Meghan Markle's trajectory from unknown actress to world icon is remarkable. After a childhood spent on Hollywood film sets, she fought hard for stardom. But even when she landed her breakthrough role, her lifelong dream of celebrity remained elusive. In 2016 she created the ultimate fairy-tale ending: she captivated her very own prince. Finally, the world was her stage. The British Royal Family believed that the dizzy success of the Sussex wedding,...

Extensively updated with brand new chapters and images chronicling Meghan Markle's life after the royal wedding, this revised edition of renowned royal biographer Andrew Morton's New York Times bestselling biography is a comprehensive look at the American actress who--like Princess Diana before her--threw the British monarchy into turmoil. When Meghan Markle and Prince Harry went on a blind date in 2016, little did they know that the resulting whirlwind...

Queen Elizabeth II was known for order and tradition. Behind the stoicism was a leader who oversaw an unprecedented reign spanning seven decades. She quietly revolutionized the royal family, leaving the monarchy stronger than she found it.