Some of the coronations she describes were particularly memorable: Seven-year-old Henry VI “looked around ‘sadly and wisely’ as the crown was placed on his head” Edward I, according to one account, “removed his crown during the ceremony and swore he would never wear it again until he had won back everything his father had lost” George II became angry during the procession because “his crimson velvet cap, which was also lined with ermine, was too large for his head and kept falling over his bulbous eyes” George IV, one witness said, made his entry into Westminster Abbey “‘buried in satin, feathers and diamonds … like some gorgeous bird of the East. According to Goodwin, the two had a full-blown love affair and connected because they had each lived through personal tragedy. Oh how I love and adore him I cannot say. Victoria confided to her diary, to feel I was, and am, loved by such an Angel as Albert was too great a delight to describe he is perfection. Tracy Borman’s short, lively sketches of kings and queens sparkle with diamond-bright detail that may inspire you to dive into more comprehensive histories. She married her husband, Prince Albert, three years later. Rose Bateman explores the marriage of Victoria and Albert, the dynastic match turned love story which would help to define an age. Crown & Sceptre: A New History of the British Monarchy, From William the Conqueror to Charles III, by Tracy Bormanīeheadings, follies, trysts and plague: Can 12 centuries’ worth of monarchs be crammed into 500 pages, about the size of a standard biography? Improbably, yes.
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