Wives of the Kings of England:

From Hanover to Windsor

Mark Hichens

Consorts of the British monarchs have sometimes been regarded as dangerously
influential on their husbands, although history shows that there has been only one
queen who sought to be the power behind the throne.

Mark Hichens’s book surveys the wives of the English kings since the Hanoverian succession. Some, indeed, played a major role in preserving the monarchy, while life has not always been easy for them, one being imprisoned for life, another arraigned before the House of Lords, while a third has been described as ‘the most wronged wife in Europe’. From George III’s much put-upon wife Charlotte to Mrs Simpson and Elizabeth the Queen Mother, the survival on the monarchy is in no small measure down to them.

‘Being a royal wife is a difficult task, particularly when royal wives are not chosen for their ability to do a decent job but for their bloodlines and politically important dynastic connections. And yet they must provide support, a sympathetic ear and possibly advice, not to mention babies! From Charlotte of Meklenburg-Strelitz, the 'Mrs King' of Alan Bennett's play, to Mrs Simpson, this is a fascinating catalogue of that unseen but crucial relationship between monarchs and their spouses.' – Good Book Guide

MARK HICHENS is a biographer, historian and retired teacher. His publications include Oscar Wilde’s Last Chance: The Dreyfus Connection, of which the Spectator wrote: ‘His narrative is fresh . . . he writes with clarity, pace, wisdom and wry humour’.