Royal Childhood
Summary (from the publisher): One of the world’s few remaining working palaces, Buckingham Palace has also been home throughout its history to many royal families. What might it be like to not just visit these beautiful and historic rooms, but live amid them and pass one’s childhood there?
Published on the occasion of the annual summer opening of Buckingham Palace, Royal Childhood takes a look back at the pint-sized princes and princesses who have called the palace home. From the time of the palace's purchase as a comfortable family home by George III in 1761 to the recent happy birth of Prince George of Cambridge, the book covers all aspects of childhood, from playtime and hobbies to birthdays, school days, and public outings. Among the items used to illustrate these tales of royal childhood are many matchless treasures. But for every silver-gilt rattle and finely detailed christening gowns, there are also the childish stories written in notebooks, the birthday party menus and elaborately conceived cakes that will be familiar to any parent, and the well-loved toys that have been passed down from generation to generation. Drawing on paintings and photographs from the Royal Collection, the Royal Archives, and numerous royal toy boxes, Royal Childhood provides a fascinating look at what it’s like to grow up in a palace.
Published on the occasion of the annual summer opening of Buckingham Palace, Royal Childhood takes a look back at the pint-sized princes and princesses who have called the palace home. From the time of the palace's purchase as a comfortable family home by George III in 1761 to the recent happy birth of Prince George of Cambridge, the book covers all aspects of childhood, from playtime and hobbies to birthdays, school days, and public outings. Among the items used to illustrate these tales of royal childhood are many matchless treasures. But for every silver-gilt rattle and finely detailed christening gowns, there are also the childish stories written in notebooks, the birthday party menus and elaborately conceived cakes that will be familiar to any parent, and the well-loved toys that have been passed down from generation to generation. Drawing on paintings and photographs from the Royal Collection, the Royal Archives, and numerous royal toy boxes, Royal Childhood provides a fascinating look at what it’s like to grow up in a palace.
Review: This beautiful book offers a pictorial history of the childhood artifacts of the princes and princesses who have lived in Buckingham Palace from the time it was purchased by George III in 1761 through the birth of Prince George of Cambridge in 2013. This succinct but charming history book covers birthdays, christenings, childcare, education, toys, and clothes of the royal children through the years. The beautiful, close up photographs of the royal children's belongings through the centuries make this book feel almost like a walk through the palace's nursery archives.
I particularly loved seeing photos of the actual toys royal children played with. For instance, there are close up photos of a much beloved dolls' house that belonged to the daughters of George III in the 1780s that reveal the chair cushions and drop-leaf table of the miniature doll house. Many of the details of the royal children's lives feel quite ordinary - early writing samples, wooden blocks, and stuffed animals look like those of any child. Yet other details clearly distinguish the status of the children of the palace. For instance, Princess Elizabeth, now Queen Elizabeth II, was given a miniature thatched cottage from the people of Wales for her sixth birthday in 1932. "This came complete with electric lighting and running water as well as cutlery, utensils and furniture" (23). Impressively, this cottage, along with many other toys from previous generation, have been well maintained and are still enjoyed by the present generation of royal children. Another opulent gift was one to given to Queen Elizabeth's son, Prince Andrew: at the age of six "he was presented, by Aston Martin, with a miniature replica of the DB5 used by James Bond in the films Goldfinger and Thunderball. Not only was the car fully mobile with a top speed of ten miles per hour, it had all the gadgets famously added to the full-size vehicle in the films; rotating number plates, extendable over-riders, a pop-up bullet proof shield, machine guns concealed behind the side lights, a working smoke screen and electric water jets hidden in the rear reflectors" (112-113).
I also loved the sense of history and tradition that is reflected in the lives and belongings of the royal children. For instance, Queen Victoria commissioned a set of christening robes for her children that resembled her wedding dress. This christening outfit was worn by over 60 royal babies. "Due to the fragility of the robes, now over 170 years old, in 2008 The Queen commissioned a replica" that was worn by Prince George in 2013 (33).
My main complaint with this book, aside from its brevity, was its assumption that every reader will know the royal family tree. The book jumps about in history throughout and assumes that the reader will know which generation each child referenced comes from. Although I was able to follow along, I'm sure that other readers would not be able to so easily. However, this was a fascinating look at items from royal children's daily life and details that are often not discussed or referenced in history books. Reading this book and studying its many color photographs is the next best thing to getting to see the toys and children's items first hand in the palace.
Stars: 4
Related Titles:
- Kate: The Future Queen by Katie Nicholl
- A Year in the Life of the Duchess: Catherine, HRH the Duchess of Cambridge by Ian Lloyd
- The Real Elizabeth: An Intimate Portrait of Queen Elizabeth II by Andrew Marr
- The Queen Mother: The Official Biography by William Shawcross
Comments
Post a Comment