Synopses & Reviews
In 1936, the British monarchy faced the greatest threats to its survival in the modern eraand#151;the crisis of abdication and the menace of Nazism. The fate of the country rested in the hands of George Vand#8217;s sorely unequipped sons:
and#149;a stammering King George VI, terrified that the world might discover he was unfit to rule
and#149;a dull-witted Prince Henry, who wanted only a quiet life in the army
and#149;the too-glamorous Prince George, the Duke of Kentand#151;a reformed hedonist who found new purpose in the RAF and would become the first royal to die in a mysterious plane crash
and#149;the Duke of Windsor, formerly King Edward VIII, deemed a Nazi-sympathizer and traitor to his own countryand#151;a man who had given it all up for love
Princes at War is a riveting portrait of these four very different men miscast by fate, one of whom had to save the monarchy at a moment when kings and princes from across Europe were washing up on Englandand#8217;s shores as the old order was overturned. Scandal and conspiracy swirled around the palace and its courtiers, among them dangerous cousins from across Europeand#8217;s royal families, gold-digging American socialite Wallis Simpson, and the Kingand#8217;s Lord Steward, upon whose estate Hitlerand#8217;s deputy Rudolf Hess parachuted (seemingly by coincidence) as London burned under the Luftwaffeand#8217;s tireless raids.
Deborah Cadbury draws on new research, personal accounts from the royal archives, and other never-before-revealed sources to create a dazzling sequel to The Kingand#8217;s Speech and tell the true and thrilling drama of Great Britain at war and of a staggering transformation for its monarchy.
About the Author
Deborah Cadbury is the author of seven acclaimed books including Seven Wonders of the Industrial World, for which the accompanying series received a BAFTA nomination for Best Series; The Feminization of Nature; The Dinosaur Hunters; The Lost King of France; Space Race; and Chocolate Wars. Before turning to writing full time, she worked for thirty years as a BBC TV producer and executive producer and has won numerous international awards, including an Emmy Award. She lives in London.