Crowned in a Far Country

Crowned in a Far Country; Portrait of Eight Royal Brides is a 2007 book by Her Royal Highness, Princess Michael Kent on eight royal princess who had to leave their country of birth upon marrying and take up life in a foreign court.

Princess Sophie of Anhalt-Zerbst, Catherine the Great of Russia

Archduchess Maria Antonia, Queen Marie Antoinette of France

Archduchess Maria Carolina, Queen of Naples and Sicily

Archduchess Maria Leopoldina, Empress of Brazil

Eugenie de Montijo, Empress of the French

Victoria, Princess Royal, Empress Frederick III of Germany

Princess Alexandra and Dagmar of Denmark, Queen of the United Kingdom and Empress Maria Feodorovna of Russia

I give this book a 2/5. I have read HRH Princess Michael of Kent's other book The Serpent and the Moon before and I did not particularly like her writing style - this book in no way changes my mind. The research was shallow and riddled with contradictions - i.e. she says that Empress Eugenie only had one true love and then later talks about how she had two admirers or that Alexandra learned her intense dislike for Germany through her Father and then later says that the Princess of Wales got it from her Mother. HRH also says rather far fetched things such as "the Prince Imperial went on a noble mission to conquer a few troublesome African tribes". Shallow and superficial, the connection between these eight women are a loose as the construct of this book.

Royal Babylon: The Alarming History of European Royalty

Royal Babylon: The Alarming History of European Royalty is a 2001 book written by Karl Shaw on the scandalous lives of European Royalty from the Romanovs of Russia to the Hanovers of Great Britain.

I give this book 1.5/5. You must forgive me, my little Duckies, for not writing a formal review but the book does not have a particular narrative in which to follow. Which was one of its many, many faults. Now this is not the first time I've read a book on the naughtier bits of Europe's past royals (I greatly enjoyed reading Eleanor Herman's Sex With Kings) but this book left me with a bitter taste in my mouth. Does EVERY king need to be mentally incapacitated? If a king had an interesting hobby, then that is obviously a sign of mental illness. Apparently there is no such thing as a beautiful royal bride, they all must be hideous, both inside and out. The British Royal family are all a bunch of inbreeding, hicks. Now do not get me wrong, I understand that being royal does not automatically make you an angel beyond reproach but he doesn't need to be so disrespectful! He also makes claims which are loosely supported and might infuriate some i.e. George V of the United Kingdom was actually a bigamist and embarked on many affairs while married to Mary of Teck! This is not the way you want go if a little monarchist fun is what you're looking for.

Princess Victoria Melita: Grand Duchess Cyril of Russia (1876-1936)

Princess Victoria Melita: Grand Duchess Cyril of Russia 1876-1936 is a 2004 biography on Princess Victoria Melita of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, Grand Duchess of Hesse and by the Rhine and then later Grand Duchess Cyril of Russia by John Van der Kiste.

Born on November 25, 1876, Victoria Melita was the second daughter of Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh, second son of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, and Grand Duchess Maria Alexandrovna of Russia, only daughter of Tsar Alexander II of Russia and Marie of Hesse and by the Rhine. She was named Victoria after her grandmother and Melita because she was born in Malta. In the family she was known as "Ducky". Only a year younger than her elder sister, Marie "Missy", many mistook Victoria Melita to be elder of the pair because she was taller and more serious of the two. Both sisters were opposites in both appearance and personality. Marie was blonde and care free while Victoria was dark haired and broody. Both remain devoted to each other for the rest of their lives.

Victoria Melita's parents marriage was unhappy, the only happiness in Maria Alexandrovna's life was children. She was a strict parent who raised her children with an iron fist but it was apparent to all that they were the joy of her life. In 1889, the family moved to Coburg where Alfred was heir to his childless uncle, Ernest, (he would eventually succeed in 1893). Maria Alexandrovna, who blamed all her woes in her marriage on Great Britain, became a complete Germanophile and forced her beliefs on her daughters. None of her daughters appreciated it. Maria Alexandrovna decided to marry her daughters off while they were young before they could "properly think". After marrying Missy off to Crown Prince Ferdinand of Romania, it was decided the Ducky should marry her first cousin, Grand Duke Ernest of Hesse and by the Rhine.

The marriage started off harmoniously and the couple managed to produce a daughter, named Elisabeth. The couple threw magnificent parties and their household was the considered the merriest house in Europe. But it was all a facade. Ducky and Ernest fought continuously about her inattention to duty and his lack of affection., the fights often becoming violent in nature. The couple did try to rekindle the earlier happiness of their marriage but the result was only a stillborn son. Queen Victoria felt bad for the unhappiness of the couple but refused to grant them a divorce for Elisabeth's sake. The old Queen's death in 1901 but an end to any opposition to the divorce. Elisabeth, who was devoted to her Father, had a dislike of her Mother saying, "Mama says she loves me, but you [Ernest] do love me". Elisabeth's death in 1903 severed any link between Hesse and Victoria Melita.

Ducky had first met Grand Duke Cyril Vladimirovna of Russia in 1891 while attending the funeral of Grand Duchess Alexandra Georgievna of Russia. It was there that they fell in love and after her divorce, she began visiting him regularly. His parents disapproved of the whole affair and Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna told her son to end it. In 1904, during the Russo-Japanese war, Cyril was on active service when his ship was blown up at Port Arthur. He was one of the few survivors and the experience made him more determined than ever to have Ducky. Against the expressed wishes of the Tsar, whose wife, Alexandra, was the sister of the Grand Duke of Hesse, he married Victoria Melita on October 8, 1905. Cyril subsequently lost his place in the succession and his rights and property in Russia. Their two daughters, Maria and Kira, were born during their exile in France.

Nicholas II was eventually forced to reinstate Cyril in the line of succession, who became third in line for the throne upon his return in 1910. Ducky was now Grand Duchess Victoria Feodorovna of Russia. Ducky held great parties in St. Petersburg and eventually formed a rival court to that of the Tsarina. When the first World War broke out in 1914, Victoria Feodorovna worked as a nurse for the Red Cross. As the war began to turn south for Russia, Ducky joined a movement to have the Tsarina dealt with and to save the monarchy. It was too late; the Russian Revolution broke out in 1917 and a year later Tsar, his wife and five children were murdered at Ekaterinburg. The then pregnant Victoria Feodorovna fled with her family abroad - escaping that terrible fate.

Grand Duke Vladimir Kirillovich of Russia was born on August 30, 1917, while his family was staying in Finland. The family of five would have difficulty finding a home for the next decade. In 1923, Cyril suffered a mental breakdown. To get him out of his stupor, Victoria supported him in claim for the Russian throne, it was met with a cold reception by the rest of the Romanov family. Still, the couple remained devoted to each other and were happy in their family unit. Then in 1933, Ducky discovered that Cyril had had an affair while in Paris. She was heartbroken and never forgave him for it. Victoria Melita died in 1936 after suffering her stroke. While her husband had been unfaithful, he was devastated by her loss. He died only 2 years later.

I give this book a 2/5. This book was not one of John van der Kiste's best. The book hardly touches on Ernie's alleged homosexuality and it marginalizes little Ella (which might actually be how Victoria Melita truly did feel about her daughter from her first marriage). I can't say much to this book whether for or against it. All in all, rather dull and plain, something hardly worth noticing.

Kings of the Hellenes: The Greek Kings 1863-1974

Kings of the Hellenes: The Greek Kings 1863-1974 is a book by John van der Kiste on the Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glucksburg dynasty that ruled Greece for nearly 100 years; from the first King of the Hellenes, George I, to the last, Constantine II.

In 1821, having just gained independence from the Ottomen Turks, the fledgling nation of Greece reached out to the European powers for a King. Prince Otto of Bavaria, King Otho of Greece, was chased out by 1862 and the nation was again looking for a ruler. Many in Greece wanted Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh, the second son of Queen Victoria, but he was already designated as the future Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. The crown fell into the hands of the Danish Prince, William, who took the name of George upon his ascension.

George's reign would prove to be a successful one when compared to his predecessor. While Otto believed that the King's power was absolute, George was a constitutional king who signed documents before he even reads them. Another aspect where George succeeded and Otto did not was in producing a dynasty. In 1867, George married Grand Duchess Olga Constantinovna of Russia. The happy marriage produced 8 children. During George's long reign, he expanded the nations borders by winning wars against the Turks in the first Balkan War  and then defeating Bulgaria in the second Balkan War. On March 18, 1913, 2 weeks short of his being on the throne for 50 years, George was assassinated by Alexandros Schinas.

George's eldest son, named Constantine after the last Byzantine Emperor, ascended the throne 44. A studious man, Constantine had already won the hearts of the Greek people during the Balkan Wars. In 1914, the first World War broke out across Europe. Constantine wished for Greece to remain neutral putting him in conflict with his minister,Venizelos, who was pro-German. The Kings neutrality also put him at odds with the Allies who repeatedly threatened him to join their cause and slandered his wife, Queen Sophie, for being the German Kaiser's sister. In 1917, King Constantine and Queen Sophie left Greece after the Allies threatened to bombard Athens, leaving their second son, Alexander, as king (his elder brother, George, was deemed too German for the government's tastes).

Alexander was a puppet King and his reign was a short one. In 1919, he married Aspasia Manos, the daughter of the Master of the Horse. All of Greece was scandalized, not least his parents, but he was happy and months later she was pregnant. Alexander died after infection set in from a monkey bite. Despite his parents pleading, the government would not let them see their son before he died on October 25, 1920. Alexander's daughter, Alexandra, was born 5 months after his death.

Constantine was brought back to Greece, welcomed back with open arms. His popularity soon waned as the Greece continued its disastrous war in Asian Minor against the Turks. After an army revolt in 1922, Constantine left Greece for the second time. He died of a broken heart in 1936 in Palermo, Italy, having never returned to Greece. George II was married to Elisabeth of Roumania, while his sister, Helen, was married to King Carol II of Roumania. Neither marriage was happy and George's marriage was childless. During the second World War, George left Greece after an increasingly intolerable communist republican government and his brother, the third son of Constantine I and Sophie of Prussia to wear the crown, Paul, succeed him in 1947. The republican kept growing as King Paul and Queen Frederica, born Princess Frederica of Hanover, were criticized for meddling too much. Paul died of cancer in 1964 and was succeeded by his eldest son.

Constantine II would be the last Greek King. He was forced to leave Greece in 1974 after a failed coup against putschist government. He and his wife, Anne Marie of Denmark, currently reside in London.

I give this book a 2/5. The book focuses heavily on George I's reign and how the kingdom was born while neglecting Paul and Constantine II's and how the monarchy was abolished. John van der Kiste's odd usage of names do not help this book at all. He will say "Alice said this" without ever having mentioned her before. It didn't matter too much to me seeing as I had some knowledge of the Greek royal family but to a beginner they would have certainly been lost. With not enough information for a season historian but too specific for the proverbial "noob", this book is rather lack luster.

The Last Romantic: A Biography of Queen Marie of Roumania

The Last Romantic is a 1986 biography written by Hannah Pakula on Marie of Edinburgh, Queen of Roumania.

In 1871, Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh, is introduced to Grand Duchess Maria Alexandrovna of Russia, only [surviving] daughter of Tsar Alexander II of Russia and Tsarina Maria Alexandrovna of Russia (nee Princee Marie of Hesse and by the Rhine). Having already been scared off by Elisabeth of Wied, the second son of Queen Victoria proposed to the Grand Duchess, against the wishes of both his Mother and hers. They married on January 23, 1874. Maria Alexandrovna's was an unhappy in England where she was placed behind the Princess of Wales in order of importance, despite Maria Alexandrovna being the daughter of an Emperor (styled Her Imperial Highness) while Alexandra was only the daughter of the King of Denmark (styled Her Royal Highness). The Duchess of Edinburgh was also unhappy in her marriage, once referring to herself as "[Alfred's] official mistress". Her one comfort in such a life was her children.

Marie Alexandra Victoria, nicknamed "Missy" in the family, was born on October 29, 1875, Alfred and Marie's second child and first daughter. She was preceded by her parents only son, Alfred ("Young Affie"), and three younger sisters, Victoria Melita ("Ducky"), Alexandra ("Sandra") and Beatrice ("Baby Bea"). Raised first in England, Marie never lost her love for the country. Because of her Father's naval career, Missy often spent time abroad, particularly at Malta where her cousin, George, Duke of York, was stationed. George fell in love with the prettiest of the Edinburgh girls and sought her hand in marriage. Alfred and his older brother, Edward, agreed but their wives did not. Before Missy could make any decisions for herself, Maria Alexandrovna planned for Missy to meet Crown Prince Ferdinand of Roumania.

Ferdinand Victor Albert Meinrad, or "Nando" as he was known in the family, was born on August 24, 1865, the second son of  Leopold of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen and Infanta Antonia of Portugal. His uncle, King Carol I of Roumania, had been married to Elisabeth of Wied (the same woman Alfred had rejected all those years ago), for a number of years but the only fruit of their union, Princess Marie of Roumania, had died in 1874, so he needed an heir. Having become familiar with the situation in Roumania, Ferdinand's older brother, William, renounced his rights to the Romanian throne in favor of his younger brother. Unaccustomed to life in Roumania and lonely, Ferdinand grew close to his Aunt's lady-in-waiting, Elena Vacarescu. Elisabeth, believing Elena to be the reincarnation of her deceased daugther, encouraged the romance, knowing full well that such a match would never be permitted by the King. Once Carol discovered what was going on between the Crown Prince and the cout lady, he had the Queen exiled to Neuwied and Elena to Paris. Ferdinand was duly sent to Europe to find a bride. The 27 year old Crown Prince married the 17 year old English Princess on January 10, 1893.

If Missy and Nando had little in common before their marriage, things became even worse after they married. Nando was a timid man who never stood up for his wife against his Aunt. Missy gave birth her first child, a boy named Carol after his great-uncle, on October 15, 1893. A girl, named Elisabeth, came the next year. Both children were snatched up by Queen Elisabeth, often known by her pen name as Carmen Sylva. In 1897, while Ferdinand was recovering from an illness, Missy was given a new aide-de-camp by the name of Zizi Cantacuzene. The two subsequently began an affair and like the Elena Vacarescu affair, King Carol ended it quickly. Pregnant, Missy demanded to give birth in Coburg - where her Mother was now Duchess. Missy gave birth to Marie ("Mignon") on January 6, 1900.

In 1899, Young Affie died in Meran after living a wasted life. The next year, Missy's Father succumbed to lung cancer after years of dissipation. The following year, Queen Victoria died to be reunited with her beloved Albert. Ducky had been married to Grand Duke Ernest of Hesse since 1894, a plan that had gone according to the wishes of the Duke of Edinburgh, but the two were illmatched and had long hoped for a divorce. Now that the chief opposition to the divorce was gone, the couple duly separated and Victoria Melita went to the open arms of Grand Duke Kirill Vladimirovich of Russia. Unfortunately for Ducky and her main man, Ernest sister was Tsarina Alexandra Feodorovna of Russia who had her husband strip the Grand Duke of his title. Missy named her next child, a boy, Nicholas after the Tsar to try and placate him. There were rumors that Nicholas was the son of Missy's close friend, Waldorf Astor, although Pakula refutes this.

Missy began an affair with Barbo Stirbey at the beginning of the century, a love affair that would be the loves of both their lives. Missy's favorite child, Ileana, was born in 1909 and there were many rumors abound that her biological father was Stirbey but Pakula says otherwise. The matter is entirely different when it comes to Prince Mircea who was born in 1913 - whom it is generally assumed among historians that Stirbey is the Father. Mircea was born just before the outbreak of the First World War.

Roumania had earned itself some recognition in the first and second Balkan Wars but it was no where near ready for a full scale war. As with many royal families, the Great War divided the Romanian royal family in two. Carol and Elisabeth both avowed German while Missy stayed true to her roots. Romania, however, stayed neutral for the first few years of the war. Carol's sudden death in 1914 made Ferdinand King but it was plain to all that the actually ruler of Romania was Queen Marie. Despite going against his bloodline and heritage, Ferdinand joined the war on the sides of the Entente. The war was a great hardship on the Romanian people, Missy too was effected. Mircea died in 1916 and his death absolutely devastated his Mother. Marie focused all her attention of her country and was a symbol of strength and resilience to the Romanian people. She chose correctly; the Entente was triumphant and the war ended on November 11, 1918.

Now that the war was over, the trouble in Missy's life stemmed from Carol, her eldest son. Like his Father before him, Carol fell in love with a Romanian girl, Jeanna "Zizi" Lambrino. Knowing full well that if he married her he would forfeit the throne, he married her in August 1918. Missy and Nando were furious and declared the marriage illegal. Despite pledging his eternal love for Zizi, Carol eventually grew tired of her and went along with his parents in having the marriage annulled. In 1921, in a double marriage between two sets of brothers and sisters, Carol married Helen of Greece and Elisabeth married Crown Prince George of Greece. Zizi gave birth to Carol's son, Mircea, in 1920. Helen gave birth to Carol's son, Michael, in 1921. In 1922, Mignon marrried King Alexander of Yugoslavia, completing the three marriages that would earn Missy the nickname of "GrandMother of the Balkans".

Helen, or as she was called by close friends "Sitta", and Carol's marriage soon broke down after Carol's relationship with Elena Lupescu came to light in 1925. They divorced in 1928. Missy felt rather sympathetic to her daughter-in-law's plight but disliked the way she kept Michael isolated from his family. Rather than give Lupescu up, Carol renounced his rights to the Romanian throne. In 1927, Nando died and Missy's five year old grandson ascended the throne. His reign was a short one because Carol returned in 1930 and proclaimed himself king while factions ofI the royal family fought over the regency. He had his wife place practically under house arrest and his Mother found herself increasingly under greater supervision. Wishing to rid himself of all perceived threats he used his siblings marriages to chase them away.

Marie died on July 18, 1938, aged 62 - before the fall of the Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen dynasty, whose path to destruction sprung from her own son's rule, and the rise of the Communist party in her beloved Romania.

I give this book a 4/5. Having already read Pakula's other work An Uncommon Woman I decided to give this book a shot. Now I'm not necessarily a fan of Missy, I've always been a bit of prude when it came to who I emulated (preferring people such as Victoria, Princess Royal and Alix of Hesse etc.), but Hannah Pakula does the romantic Queen of Roumania justice. The book was engaging and well written and I commend Pakula for that. I had a giggle or two with some outdated facts but then again this book was written almost three decades ago so that can't be helped. The one disappointment that I had with the book is its lack of overall...romance. I was expecting a little more on Zizi Cantacuzene affair because she muddles up Marie's pregnancy in 1897 and Mignon's birth in 1900. And I know that the book would mostly focus on the bane of Marie's life, Carol, it was a little lacking with her other children. I wanted to read a bit more about her relationship with Mignon and Elisabeth, who was a terror in and of herself. All in all a good read and yes, I'd recommend it to people.

The French Mistress

The French Mistress is a 2009 book written by Susan Holloway Scott on Charles II of England, Scotland and Ireland's french mistress, Louise de Kerouaille.

Louise Renee de Penancoet de Kerouaille is the daughter of an improverished nobleman from the french province of Brittany whose parents send her to Court to serves as a maid of honor to Henrietta Anne of England, known as Madame in the French court. The Duchess of Orleans forms a close friendship with the innocent maiden and gives Louise privy into the terrible state of the Orlean marriage. Henrietta Anne is abused by her husband, Phillip, Duke of Orleans, likewised called Monsieur, who repeatedly rapes her and flaunts his lover the Chevalier de Lorraine before her, motivated by his suspicions of her close friendship with his brother, Louis XIV of France. There is nothing Henrietta desires more than seeing England and her beloved older brother, Charles II of England and even the pregnancy and birth of Anne Marie d'Orlean, forced on her by Monsieur, will stop her.

In 1670, Louise accompanies Madame to Dover to be reunited with her brother. The true reason for the visit was to secure an alliance with England and on June 1,1670, Charles signs the Secret Treaty of Dover, promising to convert to the Catholic faith in order to gain support from Louis XIV. But it's not all serious business for Charles because during the trip, he becomes besotted with the baby faced Louise despite his mistress, Barbara Palmer, presence at Dover. Oh but the month passes by so quickly and the two go their separate ways.

Henrietta Anne's health has never been good but her sudden death on June 30, 1670 came as a shock to everyone. Because she died shortly after drinking rumor has it she was poisoned by her husband. With the death of the Duchess of Orleans, Louise de Kerouaille is left without a protector. With the task of being Louis XIV's spy, Louise departs for England under the guise of being a maid of honor for Charles's Queen, Catherine of Braganza, but in actuality to seduce the king himself.  She cleverly yielded the King's advances until she had a firm grip over his affections and was indispensable to him. Louise gave birth to Charles Lennox on July 29, 1792.

Despite his great affection for his "Fubbs" as he called Louise, Charles II of England was not a faithful man and Louise had much competition. The greatest of which came from a woman the complete opposite Mademoiselle de Kerouaille. Nell Gwyn "Pretty Witty Nell" born to the lower order of society, rose to fame as an actress before catching the eye of the King. Portraying herself as the very picture of what it was to be English, Nell often made the French Louise the butt of her many jokes, referring to her rival as "Squintabella". Hortense Mancini temporarily supplanted Louise in Charles' favor but her promiscuity to Louise's comparative innocence drives Charles right back to his favorite French woman. Her greatest sadness of all was catching a venereal disease from her beloved. But for all her lows, Louise de Kerouaille also had her highs. In 1673, she is made Duchess of Portsmuth and in 1675, her son is made Duke of Richmond.

As a Catholic, Louise was subject to much suspicion during a period in British history where the religious conflict between Catholics and Protestants was at the very heart of the government. The people cannot tolerate a Catholic King and are incensed when Charles's younger brother and heir, James, marries the Catholic, Mary of Modena. Likewise, Louis XIV of France was greatly angered upon hearing the news that James' daughter, Mary, was to marry the Protestant William of Orange to settle the feud between the English and the Dutch. Louise comes under fire during the Popish Plot instigated by Titus Oates but her position with the king is strong enough to withstand all. Charles II died on February 6, 1685 and it is due to Louise that he converts to Catholicism and receives the last rites.

I give this book a 2.5/5. As far as the many mistresses of Charles II goes, Louise de Kerouaille is near the bottom of my list of favorites. A classical Nell Gwyn girl myself, I find Louise de Kerouaille to be greedy and scheming, but The French Mistress does make me see Louise de Kerouaille in a new light and I'll give the book that. However, when one is writing a book on a highly controversial figure and tries to make them seem sympathetic to the reader, there is a right way to do it and then there is a wrong way to do it. Scott was on the fence throughout the book on Louise de Kerouaille, one moment she's the innocent victim whose name is wrongly blackened in history and the next she's the ambitious woman that we know and hate. The book is called a "Novel on the Duchess of Portsmuth and Charles II" but the 2 years that Louise spends with Henrietta Anne is nearly half of the entire book. Also I felt that the story was lacking the more interesting parts of Louise's story. It could have done more with how Louise strung Charles along or more interactions with Nell Gwyn. Foreshadowing is a good thing, it builds the suspense but Scott gave a little to many wink-wink-knudge-knudges and it became very very annoying. I'll be going for another read of The King's Favorite thank you very much.

Reluctant Queen

Reluctant Queen is a 2010 novel by Freda Lightfood on the marriage of Henry IV of France, his first wife Margot of Valois and his chief mistress, Gabrielle d'Estrees. This is the second book in Freda Lightfoot's book series on Henry IV. It is proceeded by The Hostage Queen and followed by The Queen and the Courtesan.

In 1578, after more than two years apart, King Henry III of Navarre is reunited with his wife, Princess Margot of France. Their marriage came on the heels of the St. Bartholomew Day Massacre. During her absence, he found comfort in the arms of other women. However, she is undisturbed because she too has found lovers to amuse her. The two remain good friends until Henry becomes besotted with La Fousseuse and Fousseuse becomes pregnant. Margot agrees to help Fousseuse deliver the child but the child is stillborn and Henry blames Margot. To escape his wrath, Margot decides to return to her native France, to reunited with her brother, Henry III of France, mother, Catherine de Medici, and more importantly, her lover. Her stay in her brother's court is short.

After rumors begin to circulate that Margot is pregnant by her lover, Henry Trois orders his sister to return to Navarre only to have her searched and detained. Henry of Navarre at first refuses to take back his wife but eventually agrees to her return when he is given territory as a settlement. The death of her beloved brother, the Duke of Alencon, leaves two only two candidates for the French throne: the protestant, Henry of Navarre, and the Catholic, Henri, Duke of Guise. In 1585, Henry became besotted with Diane d'Andouins, nicknamed "La Belle Corisande", who pressures him into divorcing Margot so that he can marry her instead. Margot once again flees Navarre, this time raising her banner in support of the Duke of Guise, her one true love, setting up base at Agen, taking a soldier named D'Aubiac as her lover.  After being forced out by the townspeople, she moves to the fortress of Carlat but her luck runs out and she is caught by her husband. D'Aubiac is executed soon after.

In 1588, Henri, Duke of Guise, defying the word of King Henry III of France, comes to Paris to seek an audience with the King. Alarmed at Guise's presence, Henry Trois calls him the Swiss Guard, leading tot he Day of the Barricades as the people of Paris show their open support for Guise, forcing the King of France to flee. Henri's moment of glory does not last long when on Decemer 23, 1588 he is assassinated by Henry Trois's guard as the King looks on. Henry himself is assassinated by a friar conspiring with the Catholic League less than a year later. Henry of Navarre is the only legitimate heir yet because he is a Protestant in a Catholic country, he must first fight for it.

During his struggle with the Catholic League to claim his throne in the early 1590s, the now Henry IV of France, a man who can not live without love, falls head over heels, yet again, for umpteenth time - this time to the beautiful Gabrielle d'Estree. But she has no interest in him as she is already in love with another. However, after becoming his lover and the insistence of her Father, she grows to love Henry of Navarre and she eventually bears him three children. Born a Catholic, Gabrielle convinces Henry to convert to Catholicism which he does and soon after his conversion, Henry is crowned King. Henry grants her many titles and showers her publicly with his affection but the people of France share a different view of the new Duchess of Beaufort, calling her the Duchess of filth.

Henry's sister, Catherine, had long fostered the hope of marrying her Catholic cousin, the Count of Soissons, but Henry has other plans for her and in 1599 she is married, very much so against her will to, to Henry II, Duke of Lorraine.

In 1599, Henry's marriage to Margot looked likely to be annulled at last and so Henry proposed to Gabrielle, who was pregnant with their fourth child. On April 9th, after having a drink at a friend's house, she suddenly falls ill and gives birth to a stillborn son. She died the very next day in Henry's arms. The word "poison" is on everyone's lips.

I give this book a 3/5. The inside flap suggests the book is entirely about Gabrielle d'Estree but as you can tell from my summary of the book, Henry IV's famous mistress is only there for the latter half of the book. So who exactly IS the Reluctant Queen? I adapted to this lack of a formal protagonist in latching onto Margot of Valois but after the introduction of Gabrielle, Margot is hardly ever mentioned again and I felt that this was a bit of a let down, considering how attached I was becoming of her. Gabrielle's origin story was a little bland, with a somewhat cliche ring to it. The book was jerkily written with a plot a little hard to follow. It has no chapters...just long long long segments.