Reviews for Born royal

The average rating for Born royal based on 2 reviews is 3.5 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2019-04-01 00:00:00 David Kurvach This history of the Windsors (George V and his progeny) gets a decent telling here via their actions, loves, failures, and victories. They have been an interesting family, given their unexpected succession. When the eldest son of the future Edward VII died, the next son up was the future George V. Stolid but unremarkable, he was the antithesis of his father. While his father had to wait forever to ascend to the throne and spent much of his time as a playboy, George went about his business with an understanding that he was not particularly brilliant. Instead, the first Windsor focused on discipline and hard work, traits that would endear him to his subjects as the world was charging into revolution and catastrophic war. His large family of five sons and one daughter would disappoint him in many ways, particularly the eldest, future King Edward VIII. History would repeat itself when his second son would unexpectedly take on the crown (thankfully), following his father's footsteps with the same doggedness and focus on family values. One simply wonders what would have happened if George VI hadn't been the king during WWII, given the "something's missing" attitude of his elder brother. I enjoyed reading this as there isn't much sensationalism, just a straightforward telling of each Windsor and his/her biography. Little epileptic John gets some coverage here also, along with the Mounbattens. While George V and Queen Mary always looked so foreboding, I now understand why they survived while their Russian cousins did not. Book Season = Winter (difficult times)

Review # 2 was written on 2009-06-14 00:00:00 Rhonda Rohtstein This was a fascinating foray into the lives of the Windsors as children and young adults, from their births prior to their name change through the crowning of King George VI. I was thrilled to read about Bertie (to be George VI) and Elizabeth's courtship, George V's reaction to ther murder of his cousin Tsar Nicolas II and his family (and his role in that murder!), and all sorts of sordid stuff about the young Windsors. Fun read, loads of neat pictures, and it's a real shame this book is out of print - thanks, Carol, for lending it to me! I've never read a book quite like it.