The British Monarchy for Dummies

by Philip Wilkinson

Includes insights into the lives of the current royal familyBritain's heritage told through the colourful lives of its kings and queens

The monarchy is at the heart of British life. If you're going to understand Britain and its history, you need to understand the story of its royal family. This lively guide walks you through the history of the British monarchy from the earliest times to the present day and covers the colourful characters, extraordinary events, power struggles, and politics that have shaped one of the most famous institutions in the world.

DiscoverThe origins of the British monarchyHow the monarchy worksThe relationship between the royal family and the general publicHow the role of the monarch has changed over timeWhat the monarch and the rest of the royal family do all day

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Historical, Reference, Royalty, World History

380 pages, Paperback

First published November 24, 2006

About the author

Philip Wilkinson (born 1955) is the author of non-fiction books for children and adults. He was educated at Corpus Christi College, Oxford. He worked as an editor prior to becoming an author.

He specializes in works on history, the arts, religion, and architecture and has written over forty titles.

Reviews

[Christa]

A good jumping off platform if you want to dig deeper. This is basic but informative and I definitely learned new things. I had some trouble with the large amount of glaring typos though, like saying a certain queen was the wife of her mother and father. The editor was laying down on the job apparently.

[Katharine]

At times, wished there was a bit more detail; however, I realize that if that happened it would continue happening with every new morsel and the book would end up being (literally) thousands of pages long. Fantastic resource for a basic understanding of the British Royal Houses and the overall British Monarchy.

[Heather]

Picked this book up so that I could wrap my head around my family history. I have now deemed my ancestors as "INCESTORS!" Geez, it is amazing that I could even be born at all with the intermarriages. Talk about a genetic nightmare!

[Kim]

It was an interesting way to read a very dry subject and it was easy to look up specific monarchs although I thought there could be more specifics on some of the more interesting kings and queens.

[Katy]

Great book to learn the basics of the British Monarchy. I wish they would have included some simple border maps of the locations they frequently mention along with the "Cheat Sheet" list of rulers.

[Makenzie]

Really great read for beginners but some factual errors that can be confusing. But overall good read.

[Chris Miskimins]

Great read. Lots of fun.

[Nate]

I love this book. Simple informative and straightforward. Covers monarchs 600-now including private lives, politics and army things, residences, everything.

[Karen]

Loved the book, it is written with humour and gives tonnes of information.