The Great Survivors: How Monarchy Made It Into The 21st Century by Peter Conradi (Alma Books hardback £20, eBook £12.50 plus VAT) (From Gazette & Herald)

The Great Survivors: How Monarchy Made It Into The 21st Century by Peter Conradi (Alma Books hardback £20, eBook £12.50 plus VAT)

9:10am Wednesday 6th June 2012 in Books By Bill Spence

BRITAIN has the oldest monarchy in Europe and is still a solid institution although, as in its European cohorts, there have been scandals and public revelations threatening its future.

This book, which is very easy to read, compares our monarchy with its European counterparts giving us details of how they are run, financed, the life of their heirs, family members and their marriages; the connection they have with parliament and their relationship with the press.

The stories are intimate and we learn new details of royal romances, indiscretions, blunders, as well as their successes and we see people often struggling with a future they have little choice over.

It almost reads like a novel as we follow the families of Belgium, France, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, the Netherlands, Spain and Luxembourg, and whether you are a royalist or not it will enthral you.

The author points out that the state of the monarchy today has survived because of the flexibility of the monarchs and their strength of character as they try to adjust to the ways of their subjects; it works because the head of state is truly above politics and unifies the people.

The world is envious of our British pomp and ceremony and we, especially in this Jubilee year, should be proud of both it and our royal past. This book deals with history in the making and is truly excellent.