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16 reviews for:
Princes at War: The Bitter Battle Inside Britain's Royal Family in the Darkest Days of WWII
Deborah Cadbury
4.08 AVERAGE
16 reviews for:
Princes at War: The Bitter Battle Inside Britain's Royal Family in the Darkest Days of WWII
Deborah Cadbury
4.08 AVERAGE
jcoppolo's review against another edition
George VI was clearly a better person than me - I would have booted the Duke of Windsor into the English Channel.
msdlpierce7530's review against another edition
5.0
Great read
A little dated but very well written. I learned a lot and was enlightened about the Royal family and all that they did during the war.
A little dated but very well written. I learned a lot and was enlightened about the Royal family and all that they did during the war.
numbuh12's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
4.0
librarianonparade's review against another edition
4.0
Poor George VI. 'All happy families are alike; each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way', Tolstoy once wrote - but the British royal family during WW2 was definitely uniquely unhappy. Unexpectedly becoming king when he felt constitutionally unsuited and incapable is one thing - that's happened before. Becoming king when his predecessor was still alive and had in fact given up the throne for an immensely unsuitable woman, causing a constitutional crisis on the way, and was subsequently gallivanting around the globe as a rogue agent causing upset and strife within and without the family, that's pretty unique in monarchistic terms. Enduring all of this in the midst of the most vicious and widespread conflict the world has ever known? Poor George VI.
If George VI comes out of this book as an unsung hero, Edward VIII or the Duke of Windsor as he is better known, is most definitely cast as the villain of the piece. Deborah Cadbury clearly has little sympathy, patience or liking for his behaviour, and whilst she hesitates as describing Windsor's antics as outright treasonous, he did little to support his brother or family during this most difficult of times, unlike his younger brothers the Dukes of Gloucester and Kent. The Duke of Windsor does not emerge from these pages with any credit to his name.
Most histories of WW2 focus on the military or political angle, so I found this narrative told from the Royal Family's point of view especially interesting, and Cadbury writes with real pathos and flair. Much as Churchill did, George VI served as a focal point for the nation, a source of unity and strength, a figurehead as much as a leader. He rose to the occasion magnificently, and it would not be far off the mark to say he gave his life for his country. Certainly the stresses of wartime prematurely aged him and contributed to his early death. Whilst Wallis Simpson may have been a trial and a tragedy for George VI, one almost has cause to thank her - reading this book one shudders to imagine what WW2 would have been like with the Duke of Windsor on the throne!
If George VI comes out of this book as an unsung hero, Edward VIII or the Duke of Windsor as he is better known, is most definitely cast as the villain of the piece. Deborah Cadbury clearly has little sympathy, patience or liking for his behaviour, and whilst she hesitates as describing Windsor's antics as outright treasonous, he did little to support his brother or family during this most difficult of times, unlike his younger brothers the Dukes of Gloucester and Kent. The Duke of Windsor does not emerge from these pages with any credit to his name.
Most histories of WW2 focus on the military or political angle, so I found this narrative told from the Royal Family's point of view especially interesting, and Cadbury writes with real pathos and flair. Much as Churchill did, George VI served as a focal point for the nation, a source of unity and strength, a figurehead as much as a leader. He rose to the occasion magnificently, and it would not be far off the mark to say he gave his life for his country. Certainly the stresses of wartime prematurely aged him and contributed to his early death. Whilst Wallis Simpson may have been a trial and a tragedy for George VI, one almost has cause to thank her - reading this book one shudders to imagine what WW2 would have been like with the Duke of Windsor on the throne!
caidyn's review against another edition
4.0
As all of you know by now, I love the royal family and find it fascinating. I haven't read much about this era, though. The title says it all, really. It's about the four brothers -- the King, Duke of Windsor, Duke of Gloucester, and Duke of Kent -- and their struggles as a family. The book starts with the abdication of Edward VIII so he became the Duke of Windsor, which sent ripples through the whole family. And then there's Nazism involved and just everything else that you can imagine with WWII. I really enjoyed this book and it gave me a really good overview of the personal history of WWII.