Kings & Queens: The Real Lives of the English Monarchs

by Ann MacMillan, Peter Snow, Dan Snow (foreword)

Historians and broadcasters Peter Snow and Ann MacMillan tell the real stories of the most powerful men and women in British history.

Updated for the 2023 coronation, Kings & Queens explores the lives, loves, triumphs and disasters of a monarchy that is the envy of the world. Snow and MacMillan offer a unique insight into those born to rule, whether villains or heroes – from cruel King John and warrior-king Edward III, to our newest monarch, King Charles III.

This is the story of modern civilization through the lens of those who have ruled.

Genres: History

404 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 1, 2022

Reviews

[Gavin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lots of great info from Saxon to Norman, Viking, Plantagenet, Tudor, Stuart, Hapsburg, Saxe Coburg, and Windsor.

Loses a star for the biases of the writers being apparent in some of the sections where I already know the history, so,it’s either for brevity or just really poor writing to put your own opinions without any citation.

Still enjoyable, the more modern stuff was where the opinions became a little too much. And to gloss over most of Elizabeth II to talk about her son is kinda lame.

[Glafira Osypets · Rating 5 out of 5]

A rather unique book in its own way, as it describes the life of every king or queen, starting from the Saxons. Short and engaging, covering only the most important and essential details, which makes the information easy to remember. Personally, I also discovered a lot of new things in this book, so I recommend it to anyone who wants to get a closer look at the history of the British monarchy.

[Emma Dargue · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was interesting but a good proportion of the information I already knew but gave me a better idea about the lesser known monarchs of the british isles.