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A review by neeuqdrazil
Becoming Queen by Kate Williams
4.0
This is a double biography of the life of Princess Charlotte (the only legitimate child of the Prince Regent) and the life of Queen Victoria up to and slightly beyond her ascension to the throne.
Charlotte died young, in childbirth, and her death set off a rush of royal weddings, trying to produce a legitimate heir (none of George III's children had married or produced legitimate heirs, although there were dozens of Fitzes running around.) Victoria was the first (and only surviving) child of this wedding boom.
There are interesting comparisons to be made between the childhoods of Charlotte and Victoria. Charlotte was raised by staff, with little to no contact with either of her parents (she was a pawn in their battles), while Victoria, whose father died before she turned 1, was the sole focus of her mother's life (with the aim of becoming Regent, as it looked as though Victoria would inherit before her 18th birthday.)
The book itself is well written, with copious references. There are a few typos (missing capitals, etc.), but I suspect that has more to do with the ebook edition than anything else.
Charlotte died young, in childbirth, and her death set off a rush of royal weddings, trying to produce a legitimate heir (none of George III's children had married or produced legitimate heirs, although there were dozens of Fitzes running around.) Victoria was the first (and only surviving) child of this wedding boom.
There are interesting comparisons to be made between the childhoods of Charlotte and Victoria. Charlotte was raised by staff, with little to no contact with either of her parents (she was a pawn in their battles), while Victoria, whose father died before she turned 1, was the sole focus of her mother's life (with the aim of becoming Regent, as it looked as though Victoria would inherit before her 18th birthday.)
The book itself is well written, with copious references. There are a few typos (missing capitals, etc.), but I suspect that has more to do with the ebook edition than anything else.