Fascinating Books about the British Royal Family
or what to read while you wait for the next season of The Crown
If you’re a fan of the British royal family, there’s no shortage of reading you can do around the subject. Whether you’re after memoir, biography, or fiction inspired by the royals, you’ll find something with these books about the royal family.
Coffee Table Books About the Royal Family
Buckingham Palace by Ashley Hicks
Fans of the Royal Family will be fascinated by this beautifully illustrated guide to Buckingham (pronounced Bucking-um) Palace, written by Ashley Hicks, who’s an interior designer and an artist.
HRH by Elizabeth Holmes
This coffee table book showcases the style of four iconic women. It earned a starred review from Booklist, and this is what they said: “The photos are stunning, but the best parts are the behind-the-scenes fashion tidbits sprinkled throughout the text… author Holmes’ narrative effortlessly pulls us through the sweep of history, from WWII to Megxit, outfit by outfit. This is a visual feast suitable for fashionistas and royal watchers alike.”
Fiction Inspired by the Royal Family
Before the Crown by Flora Harding
This 2020 novel imagines the meeting and early courtship of Princes Elizabeth and a handsome naval officer named Philip. His suitability as her future husband is questioned, but they are determined.
The Gown by Jennifer Robson
This dual narrative novel alternates between London in 1947 and Toronto in 2016, and imagines the life and legacy of a woman chosen to help creat Princess Elizabeth’s wedding gown.
The Other Windsor Girl by Georgie Blalock
George VI had two daughters: sensible, dutiful Elizabeth, and her younger, rebellious, glamorous sister, Margaret — whose post-war life Georgie Blalock explores through the eyes of a fictional lady-in-waiting in this historical novel.
The Windsor Knot by S J Bennett
This delightful cosy mystery imagines Her Majesty as an amateur sleuth. When a scandalous murder occurs at an exclusive supper event, the Queen enlists her Private Secretary’s help to track down the perpetrator. It turns out Queen Elizabeth has been solving mysteries for years — and we’ll get more of her in future instalments of this new series.
Biographies of Members of the Royal Family
The Queen by Matthew Dennison
Hot off the press in June this year, this biography of the Queen gives a “worthy and balanced overview” of her life and is “especially good on her childhood”, says the Times.
Elizabeth & Margaret by Andrew Morton
Andrew Morton, a well established biographer of royals and other prominent public figures, explores the relationship between the two very different sisters in detail in this 2021 book.
The Duke by Ian Lloyd
Published shortly before Prince Philip passed away, this biography was carefully researched in interviews with friends, family, and members of the Royal Court. We learn of his eccentricities and varied interests, from jazz to UFOs.
The Diana Chronicles by Tina Brown
To understand the current context and history behind the Oprah interview, it’s really important to know the Diana story. Tina Brown’s book is one of two well regarded biographies — alongside Andrew Morton’s — and the podcast You’re Wrong About used both extensively for their excellent, five-part deep dive into the Charles and Diana marriage.
Prince William by Penny Junor
A list of books on the Royal Family wouldn’t be complete without a biography of Prince William, but oddly there don’t seem to be many recent biographies of the kind that Andrew Morton, for example, wrote about his father. This one is from 2013, but is still worth the read if you are taking a deep dive into the Heir.
Finding Freedom by Obid Scobie and Carolyn Durand
If you’re #TeamMeghan, this is probably the book about Megxit that you’ll want to pick up. Published last summer, it tells Harry and Meghan’s side of the story.
Meghan and Harry by Lady Colin Campbell
Depending whom you talk to, this book is a more neutral, or more pro-Royal, account of the Meghan and Harry love story and subsequent departure. Vanity Fair put it like this:”If Finding Freedom is about the making of a modern royal family, Campbell’s book could be read as the outrage in response to the making of a modern royal family.”
Memoirs about Life with the Royal Family
Lady in Waiting by Anne Glennconner
Anne Glenconner was Lady in Waiting to Princess Margaret for many years, and has lived her own fascinating life, with heartbreaks and difficulties as well as privilege and adventure. The Times called her bestselling memoir “gentle, wise, unpretentious, but above all inspiring”.
The Windsor Diaries by Alathea Fitzalan Howard
These wartime diaries take us behind the scenes of the Royal Family alongside a teenager Alathea, sent to spend the war years at Windsor Great Park, where she befriended the young Princesses.
