George and Marina: Duke and Duchess of Kent

by Christopher Warwick

For eight brief years, before he was tragically killed in a mysterious air crash during the Second World War, Prince George, Duke of Kent, son of King George V and Queen Mary, and his beautiful wife, Princess Marina of Greece and Denmark, were the British monarchy’s, indeed, high society’s, most glamorous royal couple; and as golden royal icons they are still remembered. As a young man, voraciously addicted to drugs and sex, with men as much as women, marriage and parenthood for the impetuously wayward playboy prince, with his night-clubbing lifestyle and intimate liaisons, was seen as the only stabilizing influence. Enter the stylish and sophisticated Princess Marina, the cultured, artistic and multilingual youngest daughter of Prince Nicholas of Greece and his Russian-born wife, Grand Duchess Yelena Vladimirovna. As Duke and Duchess of Kent, George and Marina were the Crown’s most glittering representatives, not least in the aftermath of the Abdication of George’s adored elder brother, the briefly-reigned King Edward VIII; the man with whom he had not only shared both home and high-flying lifestyles, but who had helped cure him of his addiction to morphine and cocaine.On and off duty, the Duke and Duchess lived life to the full, and after George’s untimely death, Marina continued to do so during the twenty-six years of her widowhood. Revisiting his 1988 best-selling biography, George and Duke and Duchess of Kent, Christopher Warwick, in this revised and partly re-written study, tells their story anew.

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

187 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 1, 1988

Reviews

[BAM doesn’t answer to her real name · Rating 3 out of 5]

ROYAL READS 2024

I actually enjoyed this book. Focus was on the Greek royal family, which many of you may know had some shall we say really bad luck? But Philip the former Duke of Edinburgh is a member of this family and that’s part of what I liked, learning about his ancestors when the focus was not on him. It’s not exciting but it is informative. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in the Royal family of the UK. Different perspectives often mention facts about people and places inadvertently.

[Jean · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book has more information about Marina than George, but, of course, she lived longer. Marina (1906-1968) was the daughter of Prince Nicholas of Greece/Denmark and Grand Duchess Elena Vladiminovna of Russia. Prince George, Duke of Kent (1902-1942), was the fourth son and fifth child of King George V and Queen Mary. He was the younger brother of King Edward VII (who abdicated) and King George VI (Queen Elizabeth’s father). George attended the Royal Naval College Dartmouth and served in the Royal Navy until 1929. In 1939, he was appointed Governor General of Australia but this was cancelled because of the onset of WWII. George returned to the Navy as a Rear Admiral. In 1940, he changed to the Air Force and assumed a post at the RAF Training Command. He Married Marina 12 October 1934, and they had three children. Apparently, before and after his marriage he had a string of affairs. He died 25 August 1942 in a RAF plane crash in Scotland. There is a lot of mystery about his death.

Marina’s mother was a granddaughter of Tsar Alexander II of Russia. Her paternal uncle was Prince Andrew of Greece the father of Prince Philip, Queen Elizabeth II’s husband. Marina was eleven when they fled Greece when the Monarchy was overthrown. The King appointed her the Commandant of the WRENS (Women’s Royal Naval Service). She served in this role well into the 1960s. Queen Elizabeth frequently sent her to Africa. She was sent to Botswana when they became independent. Botswana named a hospital after her called the Princess Marina Hospital. She died in 1968 of a brain tumor.

The book was well written and researched. A lot of information about the Royal Families of England and Greece/Denmark was provided. If one is interested in the Royal Families or WWII history, this is a good book to read. Much of the book I found interesting, but, at times, I was bored with the descriptions of gowns and jewels.

I read this as an audiobook downloaded from Audible. The book was seven and half hours long. Gildart Jackson did a good job narrating the book. Jackson is a British award-winning actor and audiobook narrator. This is my first experience listening to Jackson narrate. I will keep an eye open for more books he has narrated.

[Lois · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting, readable and 75% about Princess Marina only.

[Yooperprof · Rating 3 out of 5]

Much more on Marina than George.

Discreet to the point of distraction. I was hoping for more discussion/description/analysis of George's bisexuality and addictions, and also about Marina's later relationship with acclaimed conductor Malcolm Sargant.

There are probably some gossipy revelations about George and Marina in the complete, uncensored diaries of Sir Henry "Chips" Channon - they were friends and next-door neighbors in Belgravia. The first of two volumes of the "unexpurgated" Channon diaries - covering 1918 to 1938 - are due to be published in September 2020. They should make for juicy, fun reading.

[Denise · Rating 3 out of 5]

Decent biography, more so of Marina than George who featured comparatively little. Could have used more depth and focus.

[The Audiobookworm · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5★ Audiobook⎮ With the royal wedding approaching, I’ve found myself listening to more and more royal biographies lately. I’m always searching for anything happening to do with European royalty, because one can only hear so much about Queen Victoria. Finding George and Marina: Duke and Duchess of Kent, felt like the perfect opportunity to learn more about the Greek and Danish royal houses, even if it was only through their connection to the house of Windsor.

Not long ago, I read about the wedding of George and Marina through the eyes of Rhys Bowen’s fictional character Lady Georgianna Runnoch in Royal Blood, the fourth installment in the series Her Royal Spyness. Obviously, that was a fictional account, but it was enough to pique my interest.

I’m fairly well acquainted with the life of Prince George, Duke of Kent. However, I knew very little about his wife before hearing George and Marina, especially about her life before marriage. Luckily for me, George and Marina focused heavily on Marina. I’m not sure if that was by design, since so much has already been written about the members of the House of Windsor, or if it was merely because Marina outlived her husband by more than two decades. Either way, it proved that I had chosen the right memoir for my interests.

Christopher Warwick did a fantastic job of detailing Marina’s European lineage and providing a plethora of anecdotal information on her family. This was the only time I wished I had a physical copy of this book handy. Whenever there is a long list of genealogy and the accompanying royal titles, I find it best to have at least a genealogical chart on standby. I wish it was common for audiobooks to provide downloadable PDFs outlining such information. It certainly would have helped me to cement what I was hearing. Thankfully, I already knew enough to follow along and digest what I could.

Warwick provided an even account of scandals of the time. We’ve all heard the rumors and Warwick addressed them head-on. This wasn’t necessarily an overly-flattering biography (one paying “lip service”), but I appreciated that it acknowledged both the contemporary and modern gossip surrounding the couple. It seemed more balanced than most royal biographies today, though not particularly in-depth.

George and Marina was the perfect length to scratch an intellectual itch. It held just enough information to satisfy my curiosity without boring me to death with unnecessary facts. I would recommend George and Marina to the casual historian, but it probably wouldn’t hold up to tougher standards. Unfortunately, it seems to be the only audiobook available about the couple.

Narration review: Gildart Jackson sounded like he was pulled straight from the set of The Crown. His accent and pronunciations were perfectly suited for a biography about old school royalty. Clearly a seasoned narrator, Jackson’s pace and timing kept me on the hook, something I always worry about with nonfiction titles. The audio quality wasn’t perfect, but I have to admit that it added a certain vintage vibe to the listening experience, like listening on an antique radio. ♣︎

[Raine McLeod · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you want to read about 7,000 people who share the same 8 names, do I have a book for you!

This was more about the surrounding royalty than it was about Marina and George. It obviously touched on their life together but honestly, it was 85% other people whom the book focused on.

I find royalty to be obscene, ridiculous, and utterly fascinating, but this book casually brushed over some of the most important moments in the last century and read kind of like a royal gossip twitter feed.

It wouldn’t have suffered from more focus, a linear structure, and the world would be better with fewer Georges/Edwards/Elizabeths.

[Nate · Rating 3 out of 5]

Marina was the big focus of this book with a few chapters in the middle devoted solely to George, and a chapter or two on their marriage. She was quite racy after George's death for the time and for royal women. I didn't like the lack of citations, as some statements without quotes seemed to be of dubious origin. George's partying was addressed-thank god- which some royal biographers would probably have steered clear of. Not bad if you are interested in them, but not for anyone looking for an entertaining biography

[Sharyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thanks to Rhys Bowen's Her Royal spyness series, I became interested in George, Duke of Kent, who I knew nothing about. This was a fascinating biography and it was fun to see all the real characters that show.up in the fiction book. If you are a fan of Royalty, this is a must read. The Duchess of Kent, Marina, a cousin to Prince Phillip was a beautiful, much loved woman in her own right. All of European royalty is interconnected , and the trials and tribulations of WW11 affected them all. One of the reasons I love historical fiction, is because it leads me to learn historical facts.

[Marie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I rate this book 2.5 out of 5.

I listened to this book with Audible.

Brief Summary: Providing a biographical look at the Duke and Duchess of Kent both before, during, and after their marriage. Warwick examines the historical record and first-hand accounts of the Duke and Duchess' lives and marriage.

Thoughts: I had a hard time rating this book. I did learn things about both Marina and George throughout this book. I found Marina's story more interesting because I was less familiar with her history than I was about George's simply from reading books about his other family members. However, it was boring in so many places overall I just did not like the book. For example, the book started on a bad foot for me because we spent so much time focusing on who was related to who in the royal families of Europe and quite frankly they are all so inter-related and many of them have the same name, especially after Queen Victoria's generation that it was nearly impossible to keep things straight.

Then when we finally got to the central characters of the book, it was hard to keep those people straight because they had the same ancestors and names as each other.

Overall, I think if you want a biographical look at the Duchess of Kent this is a good book to provide you with her family history and her early life. The details after her marriage and into her widowhood seem to have dropped off a bit. It's possible that Warwick had less information to work with as her children were all alive at the writing of this book. I did feel like the Duke of Kent was focused on less and there was a bit of a fixation on his interest in decorating their home for some reason I wasn't entirely clear on.

I was also unclear on whether Marina did not get along with the central members of the royal family (e.g., The Queen Mother) because she had more of a royal lineage than them (she's descended from the Romanovs. However, Warwick said that Marina did not have issues with the Duchess of Windsor who was not even aristocratic. So I'm unclear on if Marina was just being a snob or if there was some other interpersonal factor at play.

If you have an interest in the royal family this book has value, but it might not be as entertaining as some other books you might read about them.

Content Warnings

Graphically described: Gun violence, War, Addiction, Grief, Pregnancy, Death of a parent, Drug abuse, Terminal illness, Infidelity, Cancer, Classism, Death, and Medical content

minor description on page: Colonisation

[Elma Voogdt · Rating 3 out of 5]

"George and Marina: Duke and Duchess of Kent" is originally a 1988 book. However, the book I read is the 2016 rewritten version. Therefore, I cannot tell you what has been changed or added.

The book tells the story of George and Marina of Kent. Prince George, Duke of Kent, was a member of the British Royal Family and the fourth son of King George V and Queen Mary. He was a younger brother of Kings Edward VIII and George VI. Marina, Duchess of Kent, was born a Greek/Danish princess. Marina married George, Duke of Kent, in 1934. They had three children: Prince Edward (the current Duke of Kent), Princess Alexandra, and Prince Michael.

What makes the book interesting is that not much has been written about this couple. For those who have read about them in other books, this might provide some new information, but not much. The beginning of the book felt dull. This was partly because so much attention was paid to who was related to whom in the royal families of Europe. The many names that came up made it almost impossible to keep everything straight.

Finally, we arrive at the main characters, their childhood, the lead-up to their relationship, their marriage, the children, and, of course, not to forget George's tragic death at the age of 40. George died in the plane crash in Dunbeath, Scotland, on August 25, 1942, in which fourteen of the fifteen crew and passengers perished. The how and why remain a mystery to this day.

The book therefore continues with Marina as a widow. This also makes the book It's more about Marina than George. Partly because her childhood was more interesting, and she obviously lived longer than George. A noteworthy detail: The book also briefly explores the friendship between Marina and Queen Juliana. What began as a correspondence became a bond between best friends.

A very interesting story about the Kents' lives, something I didn't know much about until now. The book is described as a biography. That might be a bit of an exaggeration. A 169-page book can hardly be called an in-depth biography. But let's be grateful that someone took the time to delve into the lives of George and Marina so royalty enthusiasts can expand their knowledge. A striking feature of the book: there are no photos at all...

[Bargain Sleuth Book Reviews · Rating 3 out of 5]

For this and other reviews, visit www.bargain-sleuth.com and subscribe to my email newsletter.

There are some members of the royal family that I wanted to know more about after seeing a couple of documentaries on the House of Windsor, and the Duke and Duchess of Kent are definitely up there.

This book is mostly about Princess Marina, which makes sense because she outlived her husband by a few decades, but Prince George was one of King George V and Queen Mary’s 6 children, so you’d think it would be the other way around. Alas, it is not so.

And you can’t even say that this book is about the couple, since George doesn’t enter the picture until about 1/2 way through the book. The couple’s brief 8-year marriage flies by, until George is killed during World War II when a plane he was in crashed. I didn’t know that there was some speculation about the crash that it may have been shot down; I had only heard the story of it crashing into a mountain in the fog.

Very little attention is given to George’s dalliances with men or his addiction to drugs and alcohol. Surprisingly, it was the Prince of Wales, the future Edward VIII, who tended to him for months while he broke his addiction. It is said that their father, George V, praised Edward for saving his other son, and it was the only time the king had something positive to say to his heir.

Marina was a very stylish woman who was also committed to charitable works. She came from as distinguished lineage as her husband, as princess to Greece and Denmark. She was a second cousin to the younger Prince Philip, who later became the Duke of Edinburgh when he married Princess Elizabeth, later the queen. The main problem with this book is because of the ancestry of both subjects, when you listen to the book as I did, it seemed like a lot of name dropping. I wish there were an accompanying PDF with a family tree to keep it all straight.

I’ve read or listened or seen better accounts of George and Marina’s life, but this was still worth a listen. Because it was free with my Audible Plus subscription, it was well worth my time. 🙂

[Carolyn Harris · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book provided an overview of George and Marina's lives and their place within their wider extended families. Warwick provides an especially detailed account of Marina's connections to Europe's royal houses, particularly the Romanovs. Both of Marina's grandmothers made narrow escapes from the Russian Revolution. Marina's fashion sense and George's flair for interior decoration are also covered. I would have been interested to read more detail and a broader range of sources about their Commonwealth tours, especially George in Canada during WWII and Marina in Ghana. Interesting but could have been more detailed.

[Tara Crisan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Two Redeeming Qualities

This book purports to be about a marriage! I was halfway through it before I met the groom! The author bounces from families -partcularly hard to keep up with when there are so many George's, Edwards and Victorias-and time period. But I was introduced to Princess Marina. A woman who was the Eleanor Roosevelt and Jackie Kennedy of her day wearing simple cotton frocks in poor countries and making her own during the war. Yet, she was famous for her simplicity, elegance and style. And like both first ladies was much loved. It is unfortunate history has ignored this woman.

[Colleen Baldwin-Hayter · Rating 5 out of 5]

A True Royal Love Story

I listened to this book on Audible.

Really enjoyed listening to this book. I wasn't all that familiar with the Duke and Duchess of Kent and it gave a look into all areas of their lives. Their story was a royal love story that has had little saturation by the British media.

I learned more of the history of the European royal families and how they are joined. I enjoy the historic connections to our current royal family.

I recommend this book for those interested in the history of the royal family.

[Vincent Solomeno · Rating 3 out of 5]

Christopher Warwick's "George and Marina" is a competently executed biography of Prince George The Duke of Kent and his wife Princess Marina of Greece and Denmark. I was not surprised that Mr. Warwick failed to examine the more controversial and contested elements of Kent's life. To say the biography is "white washed" is to go too far. I enjoyed the read and learned more about two people who typically feature in biographies but rarely take center stage.

[Simone · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was the biography of all the people AROUND George and Marina; I don’t really feel like I learned many details about G&M's lives…. Not a lot to say I guess.

It was a litany of names and dates and sadly I was confused from start to finish - I am familiar with the British Royal Family and the various branches of that tree, but NOT the Greek one!!!

[Susan Liston · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is quite short and rudimentary. Just the facts, ma'am, although they didn't avoid a couple of rather colorful anecdotes about George's alleged bi-sexuality. I do have the Greek royal family a bit straighter in my mind but I can't say I have been inside the head of George or Marina. But a dual bio that's 169 pages long isn't going to accomplish that in the first place.

[Renee · Rating 3 out of 5]

A charming biography of the previous Duke and Duchess of Kent. It is more about Marina largely because her early life was more interesting and she lived longer. Warwick mentions some of the rumors about their lovers, but the book is not gossipy or salacious. I enjoyed Jackson's narration. He had a touch of jolliness that suited the lighter tone of the book.

[Susan Baranoff · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was interesting to read two different takes on the Mountbattens back to back. Each author highlights what they think is important. I think I preferred the Lownie book just a bit more, but each gets 4 stars from me. If you are a Royal Watcher you'll probably like this one.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very interesting and enjoyable read about the life of the Kents, who I didn't know very much about.

[Kathryn Kirby · Rating 5 out of 5]

must read

very interesting book I found some other subjects to read from this book, I recommend this book. a must read

[Edith Isidoro · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a good book

I found this to be a very interesting read. I learned more about the royal families of Europe and how they are tied together.

[Larry · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book expands upon what one might gather from a Wikipedia article, but I still do not feel that I knew the person who Princess Marina was nor Prince George.

[Joanne Munro]

Dreadful writing. Long meandering sentences making it hard to follow. He leaps from one subject to another and one decade to another. I did not finish.

[Diana Cheal · Rating 3 out of 5]

Much more on Marina than on George, which was interesting. No primary sources included but maybe they had not yet been available.

[Shannon Turner · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting Story in Need of Better Editing

Good for anyone interested in the branches of the British Royal Family. The editing is sloppy at times, but the story remains intact.

[Pamela Hamilton · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am fed up with authors who call the monarch the King or Queen of "England". They are monarch of United Kingdom and Commonwealth countries!!!

[Deborah Hill · Rating 3 out of 5]

Strictly for history buffs who are particularly interested in the British Royal Family.

[Rosemary Hazard · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting book of two people who were the media darlings of their time; young, royal, good looking, elegant, and part of the party scene, the Duke and Duchess of Kent embodied the British version of F. Scott Fitzgerald's of glittering society types. Marina, who I knew very little about, was fleshed out a bit more but I always felt like I was glimpsing her through a window by the author's narrative, and she was a rather normal person who lived an anything but normal life. George, the Duke of Kent, was an interesting and seemingly conflicted man who danced between duty and finding a purpose to his life, only to have that life ended too early. It would have been interesting to see how the rest of his life would have played out had he not died tragically young.