Love Letters of Kings and Queens

by Daniel Smith

Tender, moving, heartfelt and warm (and sporadically scandalous and outrageous too), these are the private messages between people in love. Yet they are also correspondence between the rulers of nations.

From Henry VIII's lovelorn notes to Anne Boleyn and George IV's impassioned notes to his secret wife, to Queen Victoria's tender letters to Prince Albert and Edward VIII's extraordinary correspondence with Wallis Simpson - these letters depict romantic love from its budding passion to the comfort and understanding of a long union (and occasionally beyond to resentment and recrimination), all set against the background of great affairs of state, wars and the strictures of royal duty.

Here is a chance to glimpse behind the pomp and ceremony, the carefully curated images of royal splendour and decorum, to see the passions, hopes, jealousies and loneliness of kings and queens throughout history. By turns tender, moving, heartfelt and warm (and sporadically scandalous and outrageous too), these are the private messages between people in love. Yet they are also correspondence between the rulers of nations, whose actions (and passions) changed the course of history, for good and bad.

This morning I received your dear, dear letter of the 21st. How happy do you make me with your love! Oh! my Angel Albert, I am quite enchanted with it! I do not deserve such love! Never, never did I think I could be loved so much. Queen Victoria to Prince Albert (28 November 1839)

Genres: Nonfiction

352 pages, Hardcover

Published February 4, 2021

About the author

Librarian Note: There are more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

Reviews

[Chantelle Hazelden · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a book that if you love history (and of course adore a bit of romance) you will definitely want to read.

Edited well by Daniel Smith, I found myself thoroughly engrossed with it all.

With each set of love letters comes a brief biography of those Royals that are being mentioned, giving the reader a real insight into what might have been happening at the time when those love letters were being composed.

I'll admit that I had to google certain words from the past as I wasn't sure what they meant but I also found myself narrating to myself in my head as I read the letters in a 'dear diary' sort of way.

Beautiful and touching.

I feel as though I could easily flick back through and read the letters again from time to time.

[Nicola Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book, expertly edited by Daniel Smith, takes us on a journey through royal love letters. Beginning with Edward II and Isabella of France in 1325, and ending with Edward VIII and Wallis Simpson in 1937, this is a fascinating look at how some of the most well known Kings and Queens communicated with each other.

Each section has a brief biography of the main players, followed by a selection of their letters. It's quite illuminating to bear witness to some of the most interesting matches in history, even if some of them were not exactly love matches. Indeed, upon the death of Mary I, her husband, Philip II of Spain, commented to his sister that he "felt a reasonable regret for her death". Well, if that's not true love then I don't know what is!

Of course, one of the most famous royal relationships was that of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. She never got over his premature death and it was very moving to read of her agonising cry of "Oh, My dear Darling!" as he passed away.

Perhaps the most intriguing for me were the letters between Edward and Mrs Simpson. History has her pegged as a wicked woman who stole our king but her letters perhaps show us a alternate viewpoint. Either way, I enjoyed reading their missives and the little quirks in the way they addressed and wrote to each other.

Love Letters of Kings and Queens is a real treat for any royalist and anyone who enjoys reading historical letters, and it's the ideal book to dip in and out of.

[Jennifer Hill · Rating 4 out of 5]

‘Love Letters of Kings and Queens’ covers letters from Queens and Kings to their loved ones over the ages. From Henry the Eighth to Napoleon Bonaparte to Marie Antoinette’s great niece, Marie Louise. Editor, Daniel Smith covers many of the letters over time from the Royals, from the 13th Century to the 20th Century.

If you like history, it’s worth checking this one out. He goes into in-depth detail about the relationships and their lives with each chapter.

I loved reading and getting a glimpse into all the letters between the Royals and their loved ones. I got a better understanding of the relationships between them through their letters to each other. You really get a feel for their passion and longing for each other with each letter. You get a real insight into their lives and who they are as a person. I also got a better understanding of how things were when they were torn apart; what it was like to be a Royal and how things were during those times.

‘Love Letters of Kings and Queens’ is a heartwarming and fascinating read. It’s great for people who are fans of The Other Boleyn Girl or The Crown.

[Jessica · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fascinating look into romance and proof that no matter who you are, love and obsession consumes us all.

[Pat · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an unusual read for me - a surprise Mother’s Day gift and I truly enjoyed it. I was unsure how to review the book as some of the initial letters were challenging to read as the language was old English. However there was so much to this book and the amount of in-depth history by Daniel Smith made it very readable. I loved the letters by Napoleon. His constant need to be reassured by Josephine made his seem very vulnerable when he was invading Europe. I loved the idea that Victoria often hit Albert and had no idea that George VI had a sham marriage. This book was full of intriguing facts.

[Becca]

Love Letters of Kings and Queens is an interesting insight into the thoughts and feelings (primarily of love!) of past rulers. It adds an extra level of depth to the historical figures we’ve all read about, making them seem more ‘real’.

The introductions to each letter provide context and I really enjoyed the miniature history lesson behind the writers of each letter. I had heard and read of them, but a lot of whom I wasn’t entirely sure where they placed in history. I definitely found this really informative and a good addition to the book.

I found this element of nosiness fascinating and gaining an insight into the past ‘reality’ of the lives and relationships of the Kings and Queens was enjoyable. It was surprising how quickly things can sour and alter between two people, but a lot of it made sense in such high tension situations.

As discussed by Daniel in the introduction, it is interesting to see these highly remembered and recognised people in a more ‘human’ light, with their own issues and problems. It’s humbling to know that we all have the same fundamentals at heart and it really opened my eyes to looking past the ‘front’ and the facade that is often portrayed by us all.