# Recommend me a book on the royal family?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-a-book-on-the-royal-family/273662>\
**Category:** Cafe Society\
**Created:** [November 8, 2004, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-a-book-on-the-royal-family/273662 "2004-11-08T16:51:34Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\
**Post date:** [November 8, 2004, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-a-book-on-the-royal-family/273662/1 "2004-11-08T16:51:34Z")

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After watching Masterpiece Theatre last night (and having watched Elizabeth a few weekends ago), I realize that I know next to nothing about the British Royal Family.

Does anyone know of a decent book that’s easy to read, is only one volume, has genological charts, and covers at least everyone from William the Conquerer on? “British Royalty for Dummies” is exactly the kind of thing I’m looking for.

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**Author:** ![august9](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/7993a0/32.png) [@august9](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/august9)\
**Post date:** [November 8, 2004, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-a-book-on-the-royal-family/273662/2 "2004-11-08T18:14:51Z")

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I’m really only bumping this thread as I would like to know of such a book to. I do think though, that in such a book, the account of each king/queen would be quite brief, and that a short(ish) on british history would be quite as good - at least as an overwiev.

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**Author:** ![Anne\_Neville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Anne\_Neville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anne_Neville)\
**Post date:** [November 8, 2004, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-a-book-on-the-royal-family/273662/3 "2004-11-08T18:31:34Z")

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I like Antonia Fraser’s Lives of the Kings and Queens of England.

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**Author:** ![Cliffy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/59ef9b/32.png) [@Cliffy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cliffy)\
**Post date:** [November 8, 2004, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-a-book-on-the-royal-family/273662/4 "2004-11-08T19:15:42Z")

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Any good edition of the Complete Works of Shakespeare would have some info on the throne from Richard II through James I.

–Cliffy