A Brief History of the House of Windsor (Brief History

by Michael Paterson

This Brief History tells the story of The House of Windsor. Starting with George V and going through Charles, Prince of Wales, all the way to Queen Elizabeth II. Plus it will touch on the next generations of the monarchy, with Prince William, Duchess Kate, and their son. The book will shed light on the fine line trodden between custom and modernity, grandeur and thrift, and influence and neutrality that has left this royal family more secure and appealing than ever.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Biography, Audiobook

288 pages, Paperback

First published August 6, 2013

Reviews

[Mom · Rating 2 out of 5]

As with the last book that I read, this book is verbose and dry. At the outset, I found the subject interesting and felt that I could look beyond this setback, but as I read further and especially when I got to the chapter on Prince Charles, I found that it could not redeem itself. This is supposed to be a brief history on the Royals, however it runs on about some things in the history and barely grazes the surface in other cases. Also, the author is very opinionated and injects his feelings and views into the book, which negates the book as a source of history since history deals with facts and not someone's opinions. I would not recommend this book to anyone who wants historical facts about the Royals.

[Eileen Carter · Rating 3 out of 5]

Intersting

I found this book to be very interesting. It was filled with facts that while some were known others weren't. Each chapter is a different King or queen and was very in-depth on the information.

[Christopher White · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Warm Review of History and Culture

Four star opinion of significant heritage and history. The book promotes a subjective opinion (while illustrating perceptive ☺). The work was appreciated.

[Teena in Toronto · Rating 3 out of 5]

I find the Royals interesting and thought this would be a fun read.

The book started by telling us that the Windsors came into being in 1917 during World War I ... that's when King George V changed his family name from Saxe-Coburg-Gotha to the less German-sounding Windsor. What follows is a chapter on the last four kings and queens and the two future kings:

* George V (1910 to 1936)
* Edward VIII (January to December 1936) - he abdicated for the woman he loved
* George VI (1936 to 1952) - the king in The King's Speech
* Elizabeth II (1952 to present)
* Prince Charles
* Prince William

Though dry at times, I liked that the author gave a high level background on them and wasn't too detailed. But I also liked that sometimes it read kind of gossipy ... he wasn't kind sometimes in describing the Royals as dumb, spoiled and self-serving. But he also told of positive qualities and the good the Royals do/did.

It was interesting to read how the Royals were raised and educated and how that's changed over the years ... things are so different for William and Harry than they were for the those in the past. Royals weren't allowed to laugh or even smile in public ... now the young Royals are having fun at concerts and sporting events. The rules are less strict in finding a spouse.

Blog review post: http://www.teenaintoronto.com/2015/01...

[Simone · Rating 5 out of 5]

I needed a break from the book I am currently reading so when I came across this one I thought it would fit the bill nicely: short, informative and entertaining. It was perfect for me; detailed enough to be interesting throughout, but not too heavy on politics, dates, treaties, and wars.

I’m a Royalphile and I’ve read many bios on the Royal Family, but so far none about Queen Mary and George V so I especially enjoyed the section that covered their reign. As for the rest of the group, although I can’t say I learned anything new, I was engaged all the way through since I am naturally so drawn to the topic.

[Pam · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really interesting about:
George V
Edward III
George VI
Elizabeth II
Charles, Prince of Wales
William (and Kate)