Gilded Youth: A History of Growing Up In the Royal Family: From the Plantagenets to the Cambridges

by Tom Quinn

A colorful, fascinating look at growing up in the royal family over the centuries, from the Plantagenets and Tudors to the Windsors and Cambridges.

For as long as the British royal family has existed, their children have been brought up in ways that seem bizarre and eccentric to the rest of us—the royal family’s obsession with making their children tough and independent as early as possible, often by delegating their parental duties to staff, goes back centuries.

Gilded Youth looks at centuries of growing up aristocratic and royal—from Edward VII smashing up his schoolroom to Prince Andrew peeing on a stable lad’s shoes; from Princess Margaret putting horse manure in a footman’s pockets to Diana Spencer wearing crop tops, kissing a local village boy, and drinking cider in a bus shelter; from a teenage Prince Harry throwing up in the street to Prince William becoming completely obsessed with doing the right thing regardless of the feelings of his younger brother.

Even Queen Elizabeth herself reacted oddly to her upbringing, becoming in many ways obsessively compulsive—as a child she insisted her shoes should always be positioned in the same place, her lunch set out exactly the same way each day, and that for tea she have jam pennies (small rounds of bread and jam), which she was still eating every afternoon into her nineties.

The younger generation seem to insist they want a normal or ordinary upbringing for their children—because that goes down well with the public—but this is just window dressing. Gilded Youth looks at how, when it comes to their children, the British royal family is still behaving much as they did in the past.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Royalty, Biography, British Literature, Adult

304 pages, Hardcover

Published December 5, 2023

Reviews

[❀⊱RoryReads⊰❀ · Rating 1 out of 5]

1 Star Absolute Garbage

So poorly researched it's ridiculous!

The author says that Lord Mountbatten engineered the marriage of Charles and Diana, "He pushed hard for Charles to marry Diana and he always made the point that is was important to marry the right sort of person to ensure he had a son and heir." And this: "Long after the marriage of Elizabeth and Philip and then later between Prince Charles and Diana, Mountbatten still boasted of how he had made both matches." This is quite a feat for dead man, boasting about a marriage that took place after he was assassinated. Mountbatten was killed on August 27, 1979. Charles and Diana didn't start dating until the summer of 1980 (Yes, I know they had met before that, but Charles was dating Diana's sister at the time) and married in 1981. It's also well known that Mountbatten wanted his granddaughter to marry Prince Charles, but he died before he could accomplish this aim.

The author also, for the sake of making his claims more scandalous, hints that two members of the Bowes-Lyon family were put away because they were mad. The truth is the two girls were institutionalized because they were developmentally disabled. The story is sad enough, why make up salacious lies about it?

I could go on, but I just want to put this trash fire behind me.

What a mess!

[Tamara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Feeling a bit sorry for Edward VII who wasn't as bad as the author says he was.

While purporting to be a history of growing up in the royal family, it's highly selective in which individuals are covered. It would have been interesting to see the children of Anne, Andrew, and Edward included ---

[Marie Kruse · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting book about the monarchy through the centuries. Not much has changed, children raised by nannies, children growing up and repeating the patterns of their parents. Interesting to me is how much Prince Phillip and his son, Andrew, are so much alike! The biggest challenge they face now is the media.

[Carolyn · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wanted to like this book but I was irritated by some of the lack of fact checking. Some alleged conversations could not have taken place because the people involved were dead by the time the events occurred.

[MR K J GILBERT · Rating 1 out of 5]

Rubbish don't waste your money

[Anne · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed the historical perspective and the gossipy bits of info, but overall the book was repetitive and had a rather negative and snarky tone.

[Michelle Ardillo · Rating 3 out of 5]

See my full review at http://michelleardillo.com/2024/09/22...

[False · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book’s opening chapters reveal practices in place for centuries within the royal family of Great Britain—sending children away from the home to be tutored or housed (or both) and despite studying behaviors that repeatedly show up over the generations: loss of stature from inbreeding, placing your child’s rearing into the hands of sociopaths, the unspoken sense of entitlement and being above the law, it’s amazing how many of these practices are still in place to this day.
One seldom finds a book about the children of royalty written for adults other than about a specific child or set of siblings. This puts the raising of royal children into a larger historical context and shows how traditions like leaving the kids to be raised by nannies and boarding schools came about over time from the Middle Ages to the present.

I was amazed at the honesty and sometimes blunt statements made by 'friends', staff and classmates in the telling of this book. It is sad that people born into a class system don't realize the pitfalls until later. You have to feel pity for the offspring of the offspring… these unhappy souls.
Two things: apparently William and Kate tried for more “hands on” raising—nothing radical like sending their children to State run schools, but after a few months, to quote from the author, they needed to “get on with their own lives” and then the massive staffing began. I’m not listening all of it here, but the author does, and you would be floored to know how many people are on payroll just to meet their needs. Another reveal, for me anyway, was the interview with and admitting to a love affair in her youth between Princess Diana and someone of her class. The spin at the time of her engagements were quotes from her saying she knew she had a fate waiting for her and she needed to “keep herself tidy,” and that she had been checked and was virginal. Not true. Why create such a lie in the early 1980’s? Worse yet, the grand elders: Diana’s maternal grandmother, the Queen Mother and Lord Mountbatten deemed Diana an appropriate choice for the future King, knowing all along about his affair with a married woman and telling her to “accept it,” that “every aristocratic male” does this.

The author even calls Diana “middle class” for having the expectations of a loving, loyal husband; Diana who descended from an older Aristocratic family of England than those “German upstarts.” POV. Point of view. Isn’t it?

[Helen · Rating 1 out of 5]

I'm only coming to the end of Chapter 2 now feel compelled to point our the following stream of consciousness:

- Author seems convinced that historically women "stayed home" and girls "learned to help their mothers cook and clean" as if that was all women did, and that the men "went out to work" like most industries weren't home-based and a family affair prior to the early 19th century.

- Has to name drop Prince Andrew any time there's any reference to bad behavior. The man's a pompous twat don't get me wrong. But he's only been accused of impropriety by a highly unreliable woman who herself groomed & trafficked girls, and who he maintains he never met.

- Insists the British royals frequently married their first cousins because of ... the Hapsburghs ?! Apparently Charles I was a weakling due to this (his parents James & Anne of Denmark were 5th cousins at best) and he hasn't even mentioned the consanguinity laws

- Apparently Harry suffered WAY more from Diana's death than Prince William. Give me a break, just because Prince William doesn't air his dirty laundry in public doesn't mean he suffered any less.

- We're calling Prince Andrew a hedonist again "in his pursuit of pleasure, Charles [II] has been matched by only one other royal male: Prince Andrew". Are you shitting me? What about Edward VIII's self centered pursuit of love, glamour and leisure? Henry VIII's constant feasting & tournaments, balls, opulence and hunting instead of focusing on governance? George IV draining the treasury to fund his mistresses, art, fashion, pavilion, wine, and gambling, and alienated his own people who saw him as a self indulgent spendthrift? Since we've already dragged the Hapsburghs into it - why not include Charles II of Spain or even Louis XV? Plenty were far more hedonistic than Prince freaking Andrew with his teddy bears and peeling house paint. Even Harry Markle is far more hedonistic (drugs, alcohol, strip poker, chasing fortune, pursuing own vendettas & placing own personal desires above duty - see also "She lets you do whatever you want" & Lion King premieres over fallen Marines...)

Further update:
I wouldn't bother with this book. The latter stuff is all conjecture based on other people's books, anonymous "staff" who've all conveniently passed away, and apparently lots of notes taken from Netflix's The Crown.

[Connie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book delves into the ways of how child rearing in royal families has pretty much remained the same of the years. Queen Victoria was a tyrant of a mother who was mean and cruel to her children demanding that she be the one to make decisions about their own children even down to naming them. Most parents had little interest in their children leaving their care and upbringing to hired nannies, governesses, and tutors.

This is a fascinating depiction of the royals through the ages: their short lives; mental and physical liabilities; indifferent parents; cruelties to children; and spouses who hated one another.

But then we got to Queen Elizabeth II and her marriage to Prince Philip and her 4 children. To appease her husband, she gave into him when it came to education of the children resulting in the terrible time that Prince Charles had at Gourdonstoun by being bullied and mistreated by other students. Charles’s marriage to Diana was doomed from the start due to their age difference and the fact that he was in love with someone else. Diana did her best to impart love to her sons, William and Harry, leaving them devastated at her untimely death.

Then William and Kate, along with their 3 children are discussed with some enlightening facts pointed out that as much as they want to be hands-on parents, they still need lots of staff to help.

Lastly, we see Harry and Meghan discussed, along with their 2 children. Their marriage is different in that she is a strong and determined woman and Harry has never really had a goal in life, thus his need of her.

All in all, I was very interested in every bit of this book and feel I have learned even more of the royal families throughout history. Well done. Enjoy and learn, Readers!

Copy provided by Edelweiss in exchange for a fair and honest review.

[Becca Brasier · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting issue of looking at the way a person is raised and how it affects the job they are born to do. It would appear that the current model doesn't work very well especially for those not destined to the throne. However, the cogs are turning and the machine has worked for so long, no one appears to be keen to stop it. The most amazing thing to me is that much of what is said by the parents from each generation means a different thing for one at their caste level verse mine. Example: "I want the children to have normal childhood." This has an entirely different connotation for someone of my middle class background, than it does for someone from an aristocratic background. The fact that I would interpret it to mean that these aristocrats want their children to be raised like my children is not true at all, but it does serve the purpose of making me think they value my level of living and the way my children are raised. Interesting read.

[Phoebe · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is one of the most depressing nonfiction books I've read yet it's fascinating in its detail. The premise is basically that growing up royal isn't all it's perceived to be, and that the dysfunctionality is something that has been passed down from generation to generation--a kind of curse or doom that goes with the territory--dysfunctional parenting produces dysfunctional children who themselves grow up to be poor parents. Even the Prince and Princess of Wales, who seem so wholesome and hands-on, are here pronounced to be struggling too. Kate might once have wanted to try, but the establishment, the 'firm" has expectations that don't allow for any life that doesn't include multitudes of "staff" to accomplish everyday life. Completely absorbing and hard to put down, but don't expect to feel cheery once finished. Adult.

[Rex Reads 📚📖⚔️ · Rating 4 out of 5]

I gave this book 3.75 stars.
Well this book was very heavy on new knowledge of the royal family I did not know. They literally were repulsive how they treated their children from the 1500 and present at times still. I know childrearing back then was not frowned upon at all. The fact the parents basically did not exist in the children’s lives at all is very repulsive to me. Half the reason why some of the royal family were a disastrous piece of work when they were king or queen. I will say at times this book was undaunted with repetitiveness at times. Still I loved the history aspect as always.

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun and fascinating look at growing up royal. The author explores the differences and troubles growing up as the heir versus growing up "the spare." Also explores the use of nannies throughout the ages, sending children off to war (very early history) and away to school, and includes a lot of possibly questionable new facts (Diana was not a virgin on her wedding night?). A quick read, with some laugh out loud moments. A new and refreshing look on the royals, and Quinn's portrayal of Meghan Markle is what I've been saying all along.

[Dona · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting book and look into child rearing in the royal families. I have always heard that upper class European children were basically raised by “staff” and this book probes the ramifications of this. It certainly seems to leave an emotional detachment or inability to bond with your own children. The first part of the book, looking into royals from centuries ago, was a little dull but when we got into more modern times it became fascinating. Who will ever forget Queen Elizabeth shaking her small sons hand upon returning from a month’s long foreign visit?

[Marcea · Rating 2 out of 5]

Interesting information but it is so repetitive it got annoying. How many times does the author have to mention Queen Victoria’s “wicked uncles,” Prince Harry moving to the US and not getting along with his father and Prince Andrew’s escapades. If those references were in their appropriate time period it would be one thing. But mentioning Andrew when talking about 1600s royalty is a bit over the top.

[Kathy Moberg · Rating 1 out of 5]

Why did I read this? At least it was a library book and I skimmed. I think I was hooked by the title with the idea of comparing royal childhoods from the Plantagenets on. The older history isn't all tht well done and things don't pick up a lot. There is some dishy gossip but it is usually mean-spirited. There is so much repetition, too. You could make a deadly drinking game downing shots every time Quinn uses the word damaged. Ugh.

[Samantha Ringo · Rating 1 out of 5]

It had a promising start but slowly became a disappointment. There were multiple inaccuracies and I had to completely skip the Harry and Meghan section because it started to read like one of those trashy British tabloids. Almost as if the author had a personal vendetta. The potential was there but the execution failed.

[Claire Binkley · Rating 3 out of 5]

I vaguely remember enough of my royal history to place the various people into context with this book.

I finished it now but I'll probably have to look more at it tomorrow or the day after for the bibliography &c since I've lost energy.

The horses on the cover made me happy. I still didn't quite catch who the people on them were, but maybe next time I read the book I'll see who they were.

[Andrea · Rating 1 out of 5]

One of the most poorly written books I have read...meandering and repetitive. Doesn't Simon and Schuster have editors anymore? If the repetitions were removed there is just about enough material for a Vanity Fair article.

[Marilyn · Rating 2 out of 5]

Don’t want to risk being repetitive (big theme among the reviewers)😄 but one “fact” struck me: how could Henry, Duke of Gloucester, have died of AIDS in 1974? The disease, I believe, was not identified until 1983?

[Josie · Rating 1 out of 5]

Quinn repeated things throughout the book. Very tiresome. Most of the opinions, especially on the modern royals, seem to be his own theories and views. The book lacked specific details. He had lots of generalizations without much support. I did not learn anything that I didn't already know.

[Jenny · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed it, although I don't think much additional information was gained from previous reads. I think I expected more on the family from prior to Victoria, but instead it was more on the current royals

[Suzanne Mitchell · Rating 2 out of 5]

When an author makes assertions about events that occurred after the person in question passed away, it becomes difficult to take him seriously. Writing and research at this level is equivalent to that of elementary school.

[Julie_Davis · Rating 3 out of 5]

This author clearly is not a fan of the royal families. Are there any “perfect” parents out there? Interesting take on parenting styles, or lack thereof, but are forgetting that adults make their own decisions/destiny.

[Gay Lynn · Rating 2 out of 5]

Repetitive - where was the editor?

[Gina Schade · Rating 3 out of 5]

There were interesting parts, but the author repeated himself several times or rehashed material that is already widely known.

[Tracie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Mostly older stories and gossip gathered together in one volume.

[Linda H · Rating 5 out of 5]

Unlike others, I enjoyed this book. Read it in less than one day as it was an easy read. The author does repeat things but I didn't mind the repetition.

[Grace · Rating 2 out of 5]

I mostly slogged through this book because it was really not super historical and seemed mean spirited and snippy.