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King's Counsellor
- Abdication and War: The Diaries of Sir Alan Lascelles
- Narrated by: Pip Torrens
- Length: 14 hrs and 21 mins
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Publisher's summary
The diaries of 'Tommy' Lascelles - as featured in the Netflix hit The Crown.
As Assistant Private Secretary to four monarchs, 'Tommy' Lascelles had a ringside seat from which to observe the workings of the royal household and Downing Street during the first half of the 20th century.
These fascinating diaries begin with Edward VIII's abdication and end with George VI's death and his daughter Elizabeth's Coronation. In between we see George VI at work and play, a portrait more intimate than any other previously published.
This compelling account also includes Princess Margaret's relationship with Peter Townsend, and throws an intriguing new light on the way in which King George VI and Winston Churchill worked together during the Second World War.
Lascelles was a fine writer - like most of the best diaries his are a delight to listen to as well as being invaluable history.
Critic reviews
"Brilliantly entertaining and historically priceless." (Spectator)
"Fascinating...as much a contribution to royal legend as to the history of the war." (Daily Telegraph)
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- Length: 17 hrs and 49 mins
- Unabridged
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On Winston Churchill’s first day as prime minister, Adolf Hitler invaded Holland and Belgium. Poland and Czechoslovakia had already fallen, and the Dunkirk evacuation was just two weeks away. For the next 12 months, Hitler would wage a relentless bombing campaign, killing 45,000 Britons. It was up to Churchill to hold his country together and persuade President Franklin Roosevelt that Britain was a worthy ally - and willing to fight to the end. In The Splendid and the Vile, Erik Larson shows how Churchill taught the British people "the art of being fearless."
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John Lee’s narration is a struggle
- By Leslie Rathjens on 03-05-20
By: Erik Larson
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Eleanor
- By: David Michaelis
- Narrated by: Gabra Zackman
- Length: 19 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
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In the first single-volume cradle-to-grave portrait in six decades, acclaimed biographer David Michaelis delivers a stunning account of Eleanor Roosevelt’s remarkable life of transformation. An orphaned niece of President Theodore Roosevelt, she converted her Gilded Age childhood of denial and secrecy into an irreconcilable marriage with her ambitious fifth cousin Franklin. Franklin Roosevelt transformed Eleanor from a settlement house volunteer on New York’s Lower East Side into a matching partner in New York’s most important power couple in a generation.
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Stands apart from other biographies of ER
- By Debra Malone on 11-20-20
By: David Michaelis
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Lady Catherine, the Earl, and the Real Downton Abbey
- By: The Countess of Carnarvon
- Narrated by: Wanda McCaddon
- Length: 10 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
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Lady Catherine, the Earl, and the Real Downton Abbey tells the story behind Highclere Castle, the setting for Julian Fellowes’s Emmy Award-winning PBS show Downton Abbey, and the life of one of its most famous inhabitants, Catherine Wendell.
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Not what was advertised
- By Jessica C Anderson on 09-10-19
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Fall
- The Mysterious Life and Death of Robert Maxwell, Britain's Most Notorious Media Baron
- By: John Preston
- Narrated by: Simon Bubb
- Length: 11 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
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In February 1991, Robert Maxwell triumphantly sailed into Manhattan harbor on his yacht, the Lady Ghislaine, to buy the ailing New York Daily News. Taxi drivers stopped their cabs to shake his hand, children asked for his autograph, and patrons of the hottest restaurant in Manhattan gave him a standing ovation while he dined. Ten months later, Maxwell disappeared off that same yacht in the middle of the night and was later found dead in the water. As John Preston reveals in this revealing biography, Maxwell’s death was as mysterious as his remarkable life.
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Don't make men like this anymore
- By Sylvia on 04-06-21
By: John Preston
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The Churchills: In Love and War
- By: Mary S. Lovell
- Narrated by: Anne Flosnik
- Length: 21 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
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The first Duke of Marlborough (1650-1722) was a soldier of such genius that a lavish palace, Blenheim, was built to honor his triumphs. Succeeding generations of Churchills sometimes achieved distinction but also included profligates and womanizers, and were saddled with the ruinous upkeep of Blenheim. The Churchills were an extraordinary family: ambitious, impecunious, impulsive, brave, and arrogant. Winston - recently voted "The Greatest Briton" - dominates them all. His failures and triumphs are revealed in the context of a poignant and sometimes tragic private life.
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Grand! In it's own wonderful way.
- By Cookie on 12-05-11
By: Mary S. Lovell
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Queen Mary
- The Official Biography
- By: James Pope-Hennessy, Hugo Vickers
- Narrated by: Gareth Armstrong
- Length: 24 hrs and 37 mins
- Unabridged
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When Queen Mary died in 1953, James Pope-Hennessy was commissioned to write an official biography of her - unusual for a queen consort. Queen Mary's life, contrary to popular belief, was essentially dramatic, and she played a far more important and influential role in the affairs of the British monarchy than her public image might have otherwise suggested. Using material from the Royal Archives, private papers, and Queen Mary's personal diaries and letters, Pope-Hennessy's biography was a remarkable portrait of a remarkable woman and received rave reviews across the press.
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Excellent! UPDATED review after 2nd listen.
- By Geri A on 07-31-21
By: James Pope-Hennessy, and others
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The Crown in Crisis
- Countdown to the Abdication
- By: Alexander Larman
- Narrated by: Richard Trinder
- Length: 11 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
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On December 10, 1936, King Edward VIII brought a great international drama to a close when he abdicated, renouncing the throne of the United Kingdom for himself and his heirs. Alexander Larman’s The Crown in Crisis will treat listeners to a new, thrilling view of this legendary story. Informed by revelatory archival material, as well as by interviews with many of Edward’s and Wallis’ close friends, Larman creates an hour-by-hour, day-by-day suspenseful narrative that brings listeners up to the point where the microphone is turned on and the king speaks to his subjects.
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Interesting book undermined by narrator
- By CPWISE on 02-09-21
By: Alexander Larman
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The Crown: The Official Companion, Volume 1
- Elizabeth II, Winston Churchill, and the Making of a Young Queen (1947-1955)
- By: Robert Lacey
- Narrated by: Alex Jennings
- Length: 7 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
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Starring Claire Foy as Queen Elizabeth II and John Lithgow as Winston Churchill, Netflix's original series The Crown, created by Peter Morgan and growing out of his Oscar-winning movie The Queen starring Helen Mirren, paints a unique and intimate portrait of Britain's longest-reigning monarch. This official companion to the show's first season is an in-depth exploration of the early years of Elizabeth II's time as queen, complete with extensive research and additional material.
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If you like The Crown
- By E F on 10-23-17
By: Robert Lacey
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Hitler
- The Memoir of a Nazi Insider Who Turned Against the Fuhrer
- By: Ernst Hanfstaengl
- Narrated by: Robin Sachs
- Length: 11 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
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An intimate friend of Adolf Hitler’s who turned against him during the Nazi rise to power delves into the character of one of history’s most evil dictators. Of American and German parentage, Ernst Hanfstaengl graduated from Harvard and ran the family business in New York for a dozen years before returning to Germany in 1921. By chance he heard a then little-known Adolf Hitler speaking in a Munich beer hall and, mesmerized by his extraordinary oratorical power, was convinced the man would some day come to power. As Hitler’s fanatical theories and ideas hardened, however, he surrounded himself with rabid extremists...
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Once a Nazi, always a Nazi
- By Alan on 04-10-13
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December 11, 1936. The King of England, Edward VIII, has given up his crown, foregoing his duty for the love of Wallis Simpson, an American divorcee. Their courtship has been dogged by controversy and scandal, but with Edward's abdication, they can live happily ever after.
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All That is Glamour can be Rotten
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The grandfather of Queen Elizabeth II, King George V reigned over the British Empire from 1910 to 1936, a period of unprecedented international turbulence. Yet no one could deny that as a young man, George seemed uninspired. As his biographer Harold Nicolson famously put it, "he did nothing at all but kill animals and stick in stamps.” The contrast between him and his flamboyant, hedonistic, playboy father Edward VII could hardly have been greater.
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great but long listen
- By aleks r on 02-23-22
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Once a King
- The Lost Memoir of Edward VIII
- By: Jane Marguerite Tippett
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Using never before seen sources, Once a King is a fresh, revelatory and gripping insight into the Duke of Windsor - King Edward VIII - who gave up the throne to marry the woman he loved, twice divorced American Wallis Simpson. Considering Edward VIII's travels and interests as Prince of Wales as well as his relationship with Wallis Simpson and the course of events leading up to his abdication and subsequent exile, Once a King offers a previously unexplored lens through which we encounter two of the twentieth century's most iconic Royal figures: the Duke and Duchess of Windsor.
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Highly Recommended
- By JT on 11-12-23
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Henry ‘Chips’ Channon: The Diaries (Volume 1)
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Born in Chicago in 1897, 'Chips' Channon settled in England after the Great War, married into the immensely wealthy Guinness family, and served as Conservative MP for Southend-on-Sea from 1935 until his death in 1958. His career was unremarkable. His diaries are quite the opposite. Elegant, gossipy and bitchy by turns, they are the unfettered observations of a man who went everywhere and who knew everybody.
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Diary of a man on the Wrong Side of History
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17 Carnations
- The Royals, the Nazis and the Biggest Cover-Up in History
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For fans of the Netflix series The Crown, a meticulously researched historical tour de force about the secret ties among Franklin D. Roosevelt, Winston Churchill, the Duke of Windsor, and Adolf Hitler before, during, and after World War II. Andrew Morton tells the story of the feckless Edward VIII, later Duke of Windsor, his American wife, Wallis Simpson, the bizarre wartime Nazi plot to make him a puppet king after the invasion of Britain, and the attempted cover-up by Churchill, General Eisenhower, and King George VI of the duke's relations with Hitler.
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Dangerous fools
- By Vivien Tarkirk-Smith on 03-23-15
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The Mountbattens
- The Lives and Loves of Dickie and Edwina Mountbatten
- By: Andrew Lownie
- Narrated by: Shaun Grindell
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The intimate story of a unique marriage spanning the heights of British glamour and power that descends into infidelity, manipulation, and disaster through the heart of the 20th century.
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He oughta be ashamed!
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Traitor King
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December 11, 1936. The King of England, Edward VIII, has given up his crown, foregoing his duty for the love of Wallis Simpson, an American divorcee. Their courtship has been dogged by controversy and scandal, but with Edward's abdication, they can live happily ever after.
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All That is Glamour can be Rotten
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George V
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The grandfather of Queen Elizabeth II, King George V reigned over the British Empire from 1910 to 1936, a period of unprecedented international turbulence. Yet no one could deny that as a young man, George seemed uninspired. As his biographer Harold Nicolson famously put it, "he did nothing at all but kill animals and stick in stamps.” The contrast between him and his flamboyant, hedonistic, playboy father Edward VII could hardly have been greater.
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great but long listen
- By aleks r on 02-23-22
By: Jane Ridley
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Once a King
- The Lost Memoir of Edward VIII
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Using never before seen sources, Once a King is a fresh, revelatory and gripping insight into the Duke of Windsor - King Edward VIII - who gave up the throne to marry the woman he loved, twice divorced American Wallis Simpson. Considering Edward VIII's travels and interests as Prince of Wales as well as his relationship with Wallis Simpson and the course of events leading up to his abdication and subsequent exile, Once a King offers a previously unexplored lens through which we encounter two of the twentieth century's most iconic Royal figures: the Duke and Duchess of Windsor.
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Highly Recommended
- By JT on 11-12-23
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Henry ‘Chips’ Channon: The Diaries (Volume 1)
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Born in Chicago in 1897, 'Chips' Channon settled in England after the Great War, married into the immensely wealthy Guinness family, and served as Conservative MP for Southend-on-Sea from 1935 until his death in 1958. His career was unremarkable. His diaries are quite the opposite. Elegant, gossipy and bitchy by turns, they are the unfettered observations of a man who went everywhere and who knew everybody.
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Diary of a man on the Wrong Side of History
- By Last Lemming on 07-20-22
By: Chips Channon
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17 Carnations
- The Royals, the Nazis and the Biggest Cover-Up in History
- By: Andrew Morton
- Narrated by: James Langton
- Length: 11 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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For fans of the Netflix series The Crown, a meticulously researched historical tour de force about the secret ties among Franklin D. Roosevelt, Winston Churchill, the Duke of Windsor, and Adolf Hitler before, during, and after World War II. Andrew Morton tells the story of the feckless Edward VIII, later Duke of Windsor, his American wife, Wallis Simpson, the bizarre wartime Nazi plot to make him a puppet king after the invasion of Britain, and the attempted cover-up by Churchill, General Eisenhower, and King George VI of the duke's relations with Hitler.
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Dangerous fools
- By Vivien Tarkirk-Smith on 03-23-15
By: Andrew Morton
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The Mountbattens
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The intimate story of a unique marriage spanning the heights of British glamour and power that descends into infidelity, manipulation, and disaster through the heart of the 20th century.
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He oughta be ashamed!
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The Windsors at War
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At the beginning of 1937, the British monarchy was in a state of turmoil. The previous king, Edward VIII, had abdicated the throne, leaving his unprepared and terrified brother Bertie to become George VI, surrounded by a gaggle of courtiers and politicians who barely thought him up to the job. Meanwhile, as the now-Duke of Windsor awaited the decree that would allow him to marry his mistress Wallis Simpson, he took an increased interest in the expansionist plans of Adolf Hitler. He may even have gone so far as to betray his country in the process.
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The Historical background
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Power and Glory
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Alexander Larman completes his acclaimed Windsor family trilogy, using rare and previously unseen documents to illuminate their unique family dynamic. Through his chronicling of events like the Royal Wedding, George VI’s death and the discovery of the Duke of Windsor’s treacherous activities in WWII, Larman paints a vivid portrait of the end of one sovereign’s reign and the beginning of another’s that heralded a new Elizabethan Age which would bring power and glory back to a monarchy desperately in need of it.
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Yawn
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End of a Berlin Diary
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A radio broadcaster and journalist for Edward R. Murrow at CBS, William L. Shirer was new to the world of broadcast journalism when he began keeping a diary while on assignment in Europe during the 1930s. Shirer’s Berlin Diary, which is considered the first full record of what was happening in Germany during the rise of the Third Reich, appeared in 1941. Shirer returned to the European front in 1944 to cover the end of the war. End of a Berlin Diary chronicles this year-long study of Germany after Hitler.
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Mr Shrier might is an excellent Historian but pass
- By Clarence Nelson on 07-19-20
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The Crown in Crisis
- Countdown to the Abdication
- By: Alexander Larman
- Narrated by: Richard Trinder
- Length: 11 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
On December 10, 1936, King Edward VIII brought a great international drama to a close when he abdicated, renouncing the throne of the United Kingdom for himself and his heirs. Alexander Larman’s The Crown in Crisis will treat listeners to a new, thrilling view of this legendary story. Informed by revelatory archival material, as well as by interviews with many of Edward’s and Wallis’ close friends, Larman creates an hour-by-hour, day-by-day suspenseful narrative that brings listeners up to the point where the microphone is turned on and the king speaks to his subjects.
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Interesting book undermined by narrator
- By CPWISE on 02-09-21
By: Alexander Larman
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Edward VII
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- Unabridged
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Story
Edward, Prince of Wales, better known as "Bertie", was the eldest son of Queen Victoria. Charming and dissolute, he was a larger-than-life personality with king-size appetites. A lifelong womanizer, Bertie conducted his countless liaisons against the glittering backdrop of London society, Europe, and the stately homes of England in the second half of the 19th century. Bertie's lovers were beautiful, spirited society women who embraced a wide field of occupations.
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Narrator
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By: Catharine Arnold
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Daughter of Empire
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Few families can boast of not one but two saints among their ancestors, a great-aunt who was the last tsarina of Russia, a father who was Grace Kelly's pinup, and a grandmother who was not only a princess but could also argue the finer points of naval law. Pamela Mountbatten entered a remarkable family when she was born at the very end of the Roaring Twenties.
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Beautifully Impressive Narrative of Aristocracy
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By: Pamela Hicks
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The Secret Royals
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Overall
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For the first time, The Secret Royals uncovers the remarkable relationship between the royal family and the intelligence community, from the reign of Queen Victoria to the death of Princess Diana. In an enthralling narrative, Richard J. Aldrich and Rory Cormac show how the British secret services grew out of persistent attempts to assassinate Victoria and then operated on a private and informal basis, drawing on close personal relationships between senior spies, the aristocracy and the monarchy.
By: Richard J. Aldrich, and others
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Bertie: A Life of Edward VII
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Overall
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Entertaining and different, this is an enjoyable study of a flawed yet characterful Prince of Wales seen through the eyes of the women in his life. Edward Vll, who gave his name to the Edwardian Age and died in 1911, was King of England for the final 10 years of his life. He was 59 when at last he came to the throne. Known as Bertie, the eldest son of Victoria and Albert, he was bullied by both his parents.
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I cried when I finished
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Queen of Our Times
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Overall
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Story
Shy but with a steely self-confidence; inscrutable despite ten decades in the public eye; unflappable; devout; indulgent; outwardly reserved, inwardly passionate; unsentimental; inquisitive; young at heart. All of these describe Her Royal Highness Queen Elizabeth II, who has reigned through more seismic social change than any monarch since 1066. Robert Hardman has already examined the Queen as a modern monarch and her role as a stateswoman abroad. Now, he wraps up the full story of one of the undisputed greats in a thousand years of monarchy.
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Fascinating With Disappointing End
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The Real Wallis Simpson
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- By: Anna Pasternak
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- Unabridged
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Wallis Simpson is known as the woman at the center of the most scandalous love affair of the 20th century, but in this surprising new biography, best-selling author Anna Pasternak redeems a women wronged by history with new information revealed by those who were close to the couple - presenting Wallis as a convenient scapegoat to rid England of a king deemed unworthy to rule.
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worst narrator ever
- By jill yate on 03-31-19
By: Anna Pasternak
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Queen Mary
- The Official Biography
- By: James Pope-Hennessy, Hugo Vickers
- Narrated by: Gareth Armstrong
- Length: 24 hrs and 37 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
When Queen Mary died in 1953, James Pope-Hennessy was commissioned to write an official biography of her - unusual for a queen consort. Queen Mary's life, contrary to popular belief, was essentially dramatic, and she played a far more important and influential role in the affairs of the British monarchy than her public image might have otherwise suggested. Using material from the Royal Archives, private papers, and Queen Mary's personal diaries and letters, Pope-Hennessy's biography was a remarkable portrait of a remarkable woman and received rave reviews across the press.
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Excellent! UPDATED review after 2nd listen.
- By Geri A on 07-31-21
By: James Pope-Hennessy, and others
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Heiresses
- The Lives of the Million Dollar Babies
- By: Laura Thompson
- Narrated by: Laura Thompson
- Length: 13 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
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Story
Heiresses: Surely they are among the luckiest women on earth. Are they not to be envied, with their private jets and Chanel wardrobes and endless funds? Yet all too often those gilded lives have been beset with trauma and despair. Before the 20th century a wife’s inheritance was the property of her husband, making her vulnerable to kidnap, forced marriages, even confinement in an asylum. And in modern times, heiresses fell victim to fortune-hunters who squandered their millions.
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Too much fluff
- By JESSICA BAUER on 09-02-22
By: Laura Thompson
What listeners say about King's Counsellor
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Amazon Customer
- 11-30-23
Wonderful narration by Pip
I think the book still would have been interesting, but Pip Torren’s narration made it 10000x more so. Super performance that kept me engaged and often chuckling.
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- USA
- 06-14-22
For fans of history or “The Crown.”
If you’re interested in the “goings on” in the court of St. James during WW2 or a fan of Pip Torrens’ work in Netflix’s “The Crown”, you’ll enjoy this reading.
Pip’s voice is easy, unstrained and his acting ability adds character to the writing. I’ve listened to this several times, sometimes just as background noise. I wish Pip would do more Audible books.
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1 person found this helpful
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- Amazon Customer
- 02-11-24
Pip Torrens is the Best
Love this book, but honestly I'd listen to Pip Torrens read the phone book.
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- Tarotgal8205
- 01-19-23
Fascinating diary, brilliantly read
I found Tommy Lascelles intriguing on The Crown and wanted to see behind the curtain.
I was not disappointed. Pip Torrens, who portrayed Sir Tommy on The Crown, is one of the two best narrators ever. His Winston Churchill impression is spot on. A thoroughly enjoyable, insightful and entertaining listen.
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- Geri A
- 12-30-22
The best PERIOD.
Narration, the best! No one could have read/recorded this book any better! All-around, enjoyed immensely.
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- localcolor
- 10-09-21
Loved this Book
A fascinating life led by a very interesting man living in consequential times. The narration is excellently done. Highly recommended.
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- LuluBelle
- 09-29-23
*****Sir Alan Lascelles and Pip Torrens are splendid!
As someone previously alluded, Pip Torrens gave an unforgettable performance in the role of Sir Alan Lascelles in “The Crown” on Netflix. Even if you’ve not had the pleasure of watching this excellent drama, if you enjoying history, and especially the history of Great Britain and the monarchy, this book is definitely one you should consider. What a coup it was to engage Torrens to read this book! The letters of Sir Lascelles narrated by Mr Torrens were thoroughly enjoyable from the first minute until the very sad moment when the book ended. I don’t think I’ve ever felt so sad when a book ended. I wish there were more men of Lascelles stature and character today. Torren’s performance while reading these letters brought Lascelles to life. And what an interesting life it was!
In a slightly different note, if you think you have a good command of the English language and have the ability to express yourself well, this book may challenge that notion. Sir Lascelles’ prose and delightful humor are unparalleled and on a par with the “greats.” Completely gutted I can’t listen to this fine audiobook again for the first time, however it won’t be the last! Listening to Torrens read “Tommy’s” letters was an antidote to the current state of affairs so I will need this book often! Too bad we can’t give more than 5 stars! I’d give it 10 easily.
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- Sarah C.
- 07-20-22
Interesting and Entertaining
Sir Henry Ponsonby was famous as Queen Victoria's private secretary (Lascelles even mentions him twice), but less well-known (unless you're into British Royal Family History) is Sir Alan Lascelles, who served four members of the British Royal family during the early 20th century and oversaw some of the most turbulent moments in the Windsor family as well. Initially part of the Prince of Wales' (Edward VIII) staff, he left after despairing over David's behavior and joined the staff of the Governor General of Canada. He later returned to England to serve King George V, then Edward VIII before his abdication. He stayed on during the reign of King George VI and his daughter Elizabeth II before retiring in 1953.
His diaries are fascinating. They mention everyone of note in England during the war like Viscount Edward Halifax, Field Marshal Smuts, Sir Winston Churchill, Louis Mountbatten, etc. Because he was assistant private secretary and later private secretary to the king, Lascelles interacted with many people and was in on lots of information that the public wasn't, such as war plans for offensives and how George VI handled the stresses of wartime. But he also writes about his family and how he tries to see them as much as he can despite his duties, He sympathized with George VI and seemed to like Churchill overall, which made sense since he both interacted with and observed both men daily.
I have only two major issues with this audiobook and that has to do with Pip Torrens' reading. I think his voice is very appropriate and would match closely to Lascelles' (probably why he was chosen among many other reasons to play Lascelles in The Crown) but he reads too darn fast. Sentences run into each other and you can't always tell if he's finished a sentence. I tried slowing the speed down (which I rarely do) and that somewhat helped but it's still too fast for my taste. Same with how he read the notes and footnotes Lascelles later made about events. There was a part where Lascelles waxed upon his relationship and views of the Duke of Windsor following his death and subsequent obituary. I didn't realize it wasn't part of the entry until a good deal in. I'd say Torrens should preface things like that with "Footnote" which sometimes happen but not always. If he slowed down a good deal and let a little more pauses between entries and notes, it might help as well.
Overall, it was Torrens' fast pace that prevent me from being highly enthusiastic about this book. But I do recommend it nevertheless for the fascinating information and unique viewpoint of a man perfectly situated to give it. Additionally, I recommend Behind the Throne: A Domestic History of the British Royal Household by Adrian Tinniswood, which also offers perspectives on serving the British Royal Family, albeit over six hundred years but with similar stories.
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- chinenye didigu
- 05-30-23
Nice bit of history
Enjoyed it, well read, an important time in British history told by an impartial man. Of course with the usual biases for someone from that era.
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- Sweet Lady
- 06-04-22
Wonderful story.
The narration was perfect. I enjoyed hearing about the point of view of someone who had a ringside seat to history being made.
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