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Princess Alice: Countess of Athlone
She would have made a magnificent queen - she certainly was a splendid princess. Princess Alice was the daughter of Queen Victoria's youngest son, Prince Leopold, Duke of Albany. She grew up under the watchful eye of Queen Victoria and in 1904 married Prince Alexander of Teck, afterwards known as the Earl of Athlone, Queen Mary's brother. Renowned for her beauty, elegance and vivacity, she was for the remainder of her long life one of the most popular and energetic members of the Royal Family. In 1923 Lord Athlone was appointed Governor General of South Africa and his wife was at his side through some of that country's most turbulent years. When he was appointed Governor General of Canada during the Second World War, Princess Alice won the hearts of Canadians as well. An informative portrait of a dutiful and charming royal, perfect for anyone interested in the history of the British monarchy. Theo Aronson is the author of over twenty works of royal historical biography, published in eleven languages. Among the widely read are Grandmama of Europe, The King in Love, Napoleon and Josephine and a biography of Princess Margaret. In the course of researching and writing these books he has interviewed major and minor members of Britain's royal family and members of the royal households, as well as various officials, servants, friends and others whose lives are in some way connected with the monarchy.
582 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 1, 1981
188 people are currently reading
175 people want to read
About the author
Theo Aronson
24 books33 followersTheo Aronson is an historical biographer specialising in the Royal Houses of Europe. Among his many widely read books are "The Golden Bees: The Story of the Bonapartes," "Grandmama of Europe" and "Royal Family: Years of Transition."
His books have been published in Britain, the United States, France, Germany, Spain, Italy, Holland and Belgium.
Theo Aronson lives in an eighteenth-century stone house in Frome, Somerset.
His books have been published in Britain, the United States, France, Germany, Spain, Italy, Holland and Belgium.
Theo Aronson lives in an eighteenth-century stone house in Frome, Somerset.
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Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
December 19, 2021
Aronson always does a good job. What a fascinating woman who experienced such a lot!
November 1, 2013
Not only do we not have completely elegant and wonderful royalty like Princess Alice around anymore, we don't have cool authors like Theo Aronson. The world is a dimmer place.
February 24, 2021
I enjoyed this 'look behind the curtain' into the life of the British royal family. The book is replete with dozens and dozens of names and relationships of the royal family and its history. There is, as most people know, a very close and wide German lineage which became a serious problem during the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries because of two world wars, among other military actions.
Alice was, according to the author, an amazing woman who somehow managed to adhere to all the traditions and expectations of her station in life and also be a trail blazer (pun intended, you'll understand if you read the book) as a woman and a role model. Lots and lots of interesting details and descriptions of people, places and things to keep the reader's interest and educate at the same time.
The author alludes - very obliquely - to Princess Alice's personality traits, particularly a tendency to speak plainly at times. I felt the author was so enamored of her subject that she may have muted or down-played what could have been a very imperious women at times. If there was "another side" to the princess, the author seemed loath to expose it. That's just a personal suspicion so I may have to read more about this lady from other sources who might be more objective.
One of the advantages of reading about many topics and people is the panorama of opportunities to learn more about a subject from a variety of viewpoints.
Alice was, according to the author, an amazing woman who somehow managed to adhere to all the traditions and expectations of her station in life and also be a trail blazer (pun intended, you'll understand if you read the book) as a woman and a role model. Lots and lots of interesting details and descriptions of people, places and things to keep the reader's interest and educate at the same time.
The author alludes - very obliquely - to Princess Alice's personality traits, particularly a tendency to speak plainly at times. I felt the author was so enamored of her subject that she may have muted or down-played what could have been a very imperious women at times. If there was "another side" to the princess, the author seemed loath to expose it. That's just a personal suspicion so I may have to read more about this lady from other sources who might be more objective.
One of the advantages of reading about many topics and people is the panorama of opportunities to learn more about a subject from a variety of viewpoints.
August 24, 2017
I enjoyed reading Theo Aronson's biography of Princess Alice, Countess of Athlone. Aronson captures Alice's personality - her enthusiasm for travel and meeting people from all walks of life, her energy and infectious sense of humour. The chapters about Alice's time as vice-regal consort of Canada were interesting as Aronson discusses how the Earl and Countess of Athlone provided refuge for the Dutch royal family during the Second World War and hosted the Quebec Conferences for the allied leaders. I would have been interested to read more about Alice's relationship with her children and the impact of her son's premature death from hemophilia. Alice displayed resilience in the face of adversity and I would have liked to have read more about this aspect of her character. A fascinating read.
December 27, 2020
Incredible book, enjoyed reading it!
Wow! I think Princess Alice sounds like a perfect human being. And I almost didn't buy the book because I had never heard of her. She was a granddaughter of Queen Victoria through her father, Prince Leopold who died from hemophilia. What energy, kindness, stamina, leadership skills, beauty, humor and tact she had. The author researched this meticulously and it was fascinating. A few terrible misspellings in the book such as Lord Lome instead of Lorne but I doubt that was the author's fault. I might have given it five stars if the Amazon version had had pictures and better editing.
Wow! I think Princess Alice sounds like a perfect human being. And I almost didn't buy the book because I had never heard of her. She was a granddaughter of Queen Victoria through her father, Prince Leopold who died from hemophilia. What energy, kindness, stamina, leadership skills, beauty, humor and tact she had. The author researched this meticulously and it was fascinating. A few terrible misspellings in the book such as Lord Lome instead of Lorne but I doubt that was the author's fault. I might have given it five stars if the Amazon version had had pictures and better editing.
February 22, 2021
Informative and great biography of Princess Alice who despite tragedy and trial throughout her long life still perservered and became one of the enduring remenants of Queen Victoria's reign. (She was the last grandchild of Queen Victoria to die). Within this book she comes across as a loveable and funny woman who endured the changing of the ages from horse drawn carriages to nuclear power and more mechanisation. Theo Aronson writes really well and you get a great sense of Princess Alice's character and her relationships with those closest to her. It was really good and I learned a lot.
November 10, 2017
An interesting and enjoyable read about the lifeof last surviving grandchild of Queen Victoria and the longest lived British Princess. I hadn't realised how she fitted in the British royal family let alone the wider European royal families. These relationships were the most interesting parts of the book rather than her travels.
December 18, 2018
EXTREMELY detailed and well-written.
Fascinating subject I knew very little about before reading.
Fascinating subject I knew very little about before reading.
March 1, 2020
Fascinating account of her life especially as she lived through so much change in society and technology. She comes across as a person I'd like to have met.
March 13, 2020
I never heard of her before but she sounds awesome!
August 25, 2025
Wait I absolutely loved it!✨
December 17, 2023
Alice was born during the reign of Queen Victoria and remained at the forefront all the way to Queen Elizabeth II. With her husband as Governor-General of South Africa and Canada, she was heavily involved in to politics of the day. She's what could be considered background royals - not the mainline but always included, rounding out the usual narrative and providing connections between the European royal families.
February 24, 2017
A wonderful insight into the life of a lesser-known member of the British Royal Family.
February 23, 2015
Sycophantic and fawning, this book just descends into a love-fest for its subject and becomes nearly unreadable. Aronson has always shown a lot of fondness for his royal subjects, but this one crossed the line and ended up as a paean to the perfection that was Princess Alice. The fact that from the author's notes it appears that he interviewed her personally might be an explanation.
Princess Alice lived through a very interesting century of life and was involved or an observer of a lot of history. It would have been nice if Aronson had scaled back his admiration enough to let Alice's involvement speak for itself. Instead, he indulges in so many adoring adjectives and whitewashes any of Alice's involvement in more complex issues, particularly her time as Vice Regent of South Africa. I cannot buy that people loved her everywhere she went, so I can't trust any of what is claimed. By the end of the book, it becomes a travelogue of all the places Alice traveled and cutesy anecdotes.
People who lead perfect lives are boring and unbelievable. There's mentions of tragedies (notably her father and sons' deaths due to hemophilia and her brother's involvement with Germany in WWI and WWII), but none of these are really grounded in the narrative. Rather, the tragedy is mentioned and brushed aside.
I started this book out interested, gradually got exasperated, and ended up skimming towards hoping that something would pull me back in. I like most of Aronson's work, but in this one he forgets to balance the good with anything that could possibly be offensive to his Fairytale Princess. It's a pity, because Alice seems to have led an interesting life.
Princess Alice lived through a very interesting century of life and was involved or an observer of a lot of history. It would have been nice if Aronson had scaled back his admiration enough to let Alice's involvement speak for itself. Instead, he indulges in so many adoring adjectives and whitewashes any of Alice's involvement in more complex issues, particularly her time as Vice Regent of South Africa. I cannot buy that people loved her everywhere she went, so I can't trust any of what is claimed. By the end of the book, it becomes a travelogue of all the places Alice traveled and cutesy anecdotes.
People who lead perfect lives are boring and unbelievable. There's mentions of tragedies (notably her father and sons' deaths due to hemophilia and her brother's involvement with Germany in WWI and WWII), but none of these are really grounded in the narrative. Rather, the tragedy is mentioned and brushed aside.
I started this book out interested, gradually got exasperated, and ended up skimming towards hoping that something would pull me back in. I like most of Aronson's work, but in this one he forgets to balance the good with anything that could possibly be offensive to his Fairytale Princess. It's a pity, because Alice seems to have led an interesting life.
January 16, 2016
A remarkable life. A must read for British history fans.
A remarkable life. She comes across the pages so vividly I wish I had known her. Her accessibility makes you feel like you could have been her friend. It makes me wish I had been her friend. The anecdotes and first hand accounts of someone that lived through that era are priceless. It is easy to see the Monarchy as merely figureheads to a bygone era but this book gives us such a vivid account of the duties and responsibilities she carried out with grace and verve. I have been on an Aronson binge read lately and will continue to do so until I work my way through all of them. So far this is my favorite. I cannot recommend this highly enough. A must read for anyone interested in British history. Gbash
A remarkable life. She comes across the pages so vividly I wish I had known her. Her accessibility makes you feel like you could have been her friend. It makes me wish I had been her friend. The anecdotes and first hand accounts of someone that lived through that era are priceless. It is easy to see the Monarchy as merely figureheads to a bygone era but this book gives us such a vivid account of the duties and responsibilities she carried out with grace and verve. I have been on an Aronson binge read lately and will continue to do so until I work my way through all of them. So far this is my favorite. I cannot recommend this highly enough. A must read for anyone interested in British history. Gbash
March 24, 2015
I enjoyed so much this focus on Princess Alice. Seeing in her life and work, connections to so many other biographies I've enjoyed, powerfully fleshes out a long swathe of British 19th & 20th century history.
April 29, 2015
Princess alice
Interesting story about one of Queen Victoria s granddaughters. A woman who lived to 96 years, her life tells the reader a great deal about the 20th century and life as a royal.
Interesting story about one of Queen Victoria s granddaughters. A woman who lived to 96 years, her life tells the reader a great deal about the 20th century and life as a royal.
May 24, 2016
What a remarkable story of a lady who, having been born during the reign of Queen Victoria saw incredible change in a turbulent world. A real example of Royal dignity, she appears to have embraced the life into which she was born and would have been an amazing person to know
July 10, 2016
HRH Princess Alice
HRH Princess Alice later Countess of Athlone was an amazing woman. I found reading her story very enjoyable. She was loved and respected by many for she was Royal but she had the common touch. Theo Aronson did a fabulous job bring Princess Alice to life for me.
HRH Princess Alice later Countess of Athlone was an amazing woman. I found reading her story very enjoyable. She was loved and respected by many for she was Royal but she had the common touch. Theo Aronson did a fabulous job bring Princess Alice to life for me.
November 28, 2016
Excellent narration
This is second book I have read by this author, first being three mistresses of Edward VII. Detail, flow, use of language make them excellent & will continue to read more by the author. Superb narration of our history
This is second book I have read by this author, first being three mistresses of Edward VII. Detail, flow, use of language make them excellent & will continue to read more by the author. Superb narration of our history
January 29, 2015
Wonderful
Very interesting and about someone you rarely hear about. Life totally devoted to service and country. She saw the world.
Very interesting and about someone you rarely hear about. Life totally devoted to service and country. She saw the world.
May 5, 2015
Excellent biography, with fascinating history spanning almost 100 years.
March 21, 2016
An interesting book when they were in England. The beginning as well was nice. The author seems to fawn over her. Surely she had some negatives. It got boring in Canada and South Africa
June 9, 2016
Good history of the royals
Worth the read. Is lengthy and at times monotonous, but its a great resource when attempting to understand how the various royal families link up.
Worth the read. Is lengthy and at times monotonous, but its a great resource when attempting to understand how the various royal families link up.
Want to read
June 26, 2016Renowned for her beauty, elegance and vivacity, she was for the remainder of her long life one of the most popular and energetic members of the Royal Family. #memoirs #royalty
July 8, 2016
Interesting if rather sycophantic and 'whitewashed' account of the life and times of Queen Victoria's granddaughter.
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews