The Complete Idiot's Guide to British Royalty

by Richard Buskin

You're no idiot, of course. You know that Charles is the Prince of Wales, that Princes William and Harry are "the heir and the spare," and that Queen Elizabeth is a ship. But when it comes to knowing who's who in the British monarchy, you think that the Windsors are a family on a TV miniseries. Don't change the channel yet! The Complete Idiot's Guide to British Royalty helps you make sense of the world's longest-running soap opera--and illustrates how the behavior of current royal rulers pales in comparison to that of their colorful predecessors. In this Complete Idiot's Guide, you get:

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Reference, British Literature, Royalty

332 pages, Paperback

First published November 11, 1997

About the author

A New York Times bestselling author, Richard Buskin is also a full-time freelance journalist, specializing in pop culture, music, film, television, and sociopolitical affairs. Since the early-Eighties, he has conducted interviews and written regular feature articles for a wide variety of publications in the US, the UK, France, Germany, Japan and Australia, dealing with all aspects of the entertainment business: the artistic, the technical and the entrepreneurial.

A native of London, England, who relocated to America in 1995, Richard has had his work published in newspapers ranging from the New York Post and the Sydney Morning Herald to Britain's Observer, Independent and Daily Mail, as well as magazines such as Playboy (US, Brazilian, Czech, French, Japanese and Polish editions), Stern (Germany) and Paris Match (France). He has also written for numerous music publications around the world, including Billboard, Spin, Musician, Mix, Musik Express, Melody Maker, Sound On Sound and Performance (for which he was a senior editor and UK bureau chief), and movie journals such as Film Review and Films & Filming, in addition to authoring/co-authoring more than 20 non-fiction books.

Among these are Inside Tracks: A First-Hand History of Popular Music from the World's Greatest Record Producers and Engineers (Avon Books, 1999); Blonde Heat: The Sizzling Screen Career of Marilyn Monroe (Billboard Books, 2001); Sheryl Crow: No Fool to This Game (Billboard Books, 2002); Phyllis Diller´s autobiography, Like a Lampshade in a Whorehouse: My Life in Comedy (Penguin/Tarcher, 2005); Effortless Style with celebrity fashion stylist June Ambrose (Simon & Schuster, 2006); Dream in Color: How the Sánchez Sisters are Making History in Congress with Congresswomen Linda and Loretta Sánchez (Grand Central, 2008); Die Trying: One Man's Quest to Conquer the Seven Summits with mountaineer Bo Parfet (Amacom, 2009); One from the Hart with actress Stefanie Powers (uncredited, Simon & Schuster, 2010); It's Not Really About the Hair with Tabatha Coffey, star of Bravo's hit TV reality show Tabatha's Salon Takeover (HarperCollins, 2011); Whitney Houston: The Voice, The Music, The Inspiration with musician/producer Narada Michael Walden (Insight Editions, 2012); and Classic Tracks: The Real Stories Behind 68 Seminal Recordings (Sample Magic, 2012). A co-author and consulting editor on the Billboard Illustrated Encyclopedia of Music (2003) and the Definitive Illustrated Encyclopedia of Rock (Flame Tree, 2006), Richard is presently involved in the planning and writing of several new books.

Richard Buskin has provided sleeve notes for records and videos; penned narrative material for DVD; written press releases and publicity bios for the likes of Aerosmith and Michael Jackson; served as a researcher and on-screen entertainment expert for television networks in the US and the UK; lectured journalism students at Chicago’s Northwestern University, as well as PACE program students at National-Louis University; and been interviewed on numerous TV and radio shows, including CBS's Entertainment Tonight, A&E's Biography, E! Entertainment's True Hollywood Story, AMC's Backstory and the BBC Television News. He lives in Chicago.

Reviews

[Chantel · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book has a lot of history in it and not much of the present-day royalty especially since it was written in 1998. It wasn't exactly what I expected and I did skim over a lot of the ancient history but it was very informative and I found the last 200 years that it covered the most interesting. The book contains six parts and each part has a few sections.

Part 1 is titled by Royal Command. Section 1 British reserve her majesty and company. How Britain's royal family is perceived at home and in America, and what it needs to do to survive. Section to all in the family. The roots of the British monarchy, a quick look at the different royal dynasties, and details about the line of succession. Section 3 Royal customs, regal trappings. The traditions and ornaments that distinguish the Royals, as well as humorous slip ups that have annoyed or embarrassed of them. Section for down on one knee, decorated with honor. The origins of the royal honor system and descriptions of the different accolades, as well as a quiz to test how much you've learned so far. Section 5 the Di Revolution, sprucing up those Royals. The colorful ancestry and troubled childhood of Lady Diana Spencer, as well as the princess' impact on the royal family and the general public.

Part 2. Divide and conquer (802-1216) section 6 prizefights. Anglo Saxons vs the Great Danes. The struggles between the kings of Wessex and aggressive Vikings for possession of the English throne. Section 7 the French are coming. The Norman reign. The successful takeover of William the Conqueror, the violence squabbles between his sons, and greed that leads to civil war. Section 8. Lust for power. The day of the Angevins. The murder of an arch bishop, the adventures of richard the lionheart, and and attempt to limit royal power.

Part 3. Medieval mischief. (1216 - 1485) Section 9 trouble in the isles. The Plantagenets. The misrule of one monarch and the murder of another, together with deadly disease, protracted war, & a peasant revolt. Section 10 rule of the Lancastrian hands. The abdication of Richard the second, the heroic victories of Henry the fifth, and the tragic fate of Joan of Arc. Section 11 a large dose of treachery. The Yorkist dynasty. Two families slug it out for the English throne, the little princes are murdered in the bloody tower, Richard the third is widely reviled, and you get to test your royal knowledge.

Part 4. Soft beds, hard battles (1485 -1625)
Section 12 takeover of the House of Tudor. Imposters pretend to be the heir to the throne, Cabot discovers part of North America, and some tactical marriages strengthen the English monarchy. Section 13 don't lose your head. The turbulent reign of Henry the eighth. The impatience and tyranny of one of England's most famous sovereigns, including his splits with the Church of Rome and eventful relationships with six brave wives. Section 14 blood and guts. That feminine touch. Women at last ascend to the throne, and one has the shortest reign in history while her callous successor executes those who don't share her beliefs. Section 15 like a virgin. Shrewd Queen Bess. Elizabeth the first's friendships with Sir Walter Raleigh and the Earl of Essex. Her treatment of Mary, Queen of Scots. And her victory over the Spanish Armada. Section 16 headaches in Parliament. The turn of the Stuarts. Scottish ascension to the English throne, a plot to blow up the King and Parliament, the colonization of North America, and another quiz to see if you've been paying attention.

Part 5 anarchy in the UK. Monarchy under siege (1625 - 1837) section 17 absolute power. The king and Mr Cromwell. Charles the first's misrule leads to the loss of his head, the rise of Oliver Cromwell, and an English Republic. Section 18 come back, all is forgiven. Return of the monarchy. The Merry Monarch's amorous adventures and deceptive deeds, James the second's flee into exile, and the limited rule of a husband and wife team. Section 19. Power plays in the empire building. Sickly Queen Anne contends with naked ambition, party politics take precedence over royal rule, and the English and Scottish Thrones unite. Section 20 a spell of German domination. The Hanoverians. Some Germans rule over a country they despise, George the third loses the American colonies before going mad, & a succession of Kings hate their own sons.

Part 6 a bunch of posers. The figurehead monarchy since 1837. Section 21 not amused. The long, long reign of Queen Victoria. The strict morals and troubled private life of Britain's longest reigning monarch, as well as the romantic escapades of her wayward son. Section 22 mass media monarchs. Those radio and TV Windsors. The wartime heroics of George's 5th and 6th, the abdication and Nazi affiliations of Edward the eighth, and some difficult early times for Elizabeth the second and her sister. Section 23 the family firm. A rundown of the backgrounds, leisure interests, charitable work, and financial standing of some of today's best known Royals. Section 24 Charles. The man who would be king. The Prince of Wales' miserable childhood, clashes with his father, freewheeling bachelor years, & a marriage to Princess Diana. Section 25 the party's over. Broken marriages, shattered dreams. The numerous scandals that have rocked the House of Windsor, the death and funeral of the People's princess, the situation as it stands for Prince Charles, William, and Harry, and one final quiz to prove your Royals prowess.

The remaining 61 pages of the book are reference sections. Section A is a timeline. The kings and queens. The full, chronological list of all of the monarchs of England and, later, the United Kingdom and Great Britain, including birth dates and the years in which they reigned. Section B contains royal family trees. Easy, at-a-glance depictions of who's related to whom within all of the many different English royal dynasties. Section C recommended reading. A selected bibliography. A list of books to enhance your knowledge of the British monarchy. Section D notable battles. A fist clenching, sword throwing look at the famous battles through centuries of Royals. Section E royal residences a look at the splendor of the royal residences, many of which you can visit. Section F. Those big screen Royals. A comprehensive listing of the Royals as seen through the eyes of Hollywood. Section F Palace parlance glossary. A compendium of the uniquely royal or archaic English terms from the definitions sidebars. Section 8. Are you a complete idiot? Quiz answers. The answers that will confirm whether or not you've learned anything from this book. The final section is an index.

[Dianne · Rating 3 out of 5]

A lot of interesting history, but too much focus on Princess Diana. The book was published in 1998, and Diana died in 1997 so I suppose that's to be expected.

[Michael Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

The rather stupid marketing-inspired titles aside, this series is often above average in quality and usefulness. Buskin, however, is not an historian but a journalist who especially covered Princess Diana, as well as an author of pop biographies of subjects like Marilyn Monroe and John Lennon, so one might not expect much. His work, while generally accurate — though he manages, through poor proofreading, to attribute the parentage of Elizabeth II to Edward VIII and Mrs. Warfield in the lineage chart at the back — and reasonably well written, does tend to cuteness and witty asides. For the rank novice in matters royal, however, this is a serviceable primer on the history, traditions, and scandals of 1,200 years of the monarchy in Britain.

[Sara W · Rating 4 out of 5]

Despite the title, this is actually a great resource. I use this book to supplement the historical fiction I read. It's especially helpful for the chapter about the kings prior to William the Conqueror. It's got a lot about the modern british monarchy that I could live without, but if I'm trying to remember the difference between Henry IV and Henry V (or any of the other monarchs), this is a great book to turn to for refreshing my memory.

[Michelle Elizabeth · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is the only edition and it's a 1997. It never ran in UK because of legal ramifications.

[colleen · Rating 3 out of 5]

read 08.01.05