The Private Lives of Britain's Royal Women: Their Passions and Power

The Royal women of Britain have been for centuries looked up and down upon, stereotyped, archi-analyzed and over-investigated. This is an interesting book that puts all of the above perspectives together and offers a thorough picture of their lives, both private and public. What drives a woman to become part of the most watched Royal family in the world? The answers may surprise you, since the undertaking of this "profession" (as the book calls it) has very determined goals for each woman joining in, but few of them understand them. This has probably been the cause of most of the problems experienced in the Royal Family, a family defined as a matriarchy. The author has some very interesting perspectives when analyzing the roles required of a Royal woman, as well as measuring how each one copes or deals with her responsibilities. In this way we are able to find a surprisingly cold and calculated Princess Michael of Kent, a maternal and uncomplicated Duchess of York, a demure Queen and a very practical - sometimes ruthless - Princess Royal. The book gives some very interesting revelations. Why was Princess Margaret never allowed to marry the love of her life? Why was Wallis Simpson never given the coveted HRH title? All these are very delicate issues for the stuffy British protocol and the considerations that must be taken into account will sound extremely rare for us commoners, even frivolous. However, the book offers interesting reading from a cultural point of view. More than ever, becoming Royal is a cultural issue, one that most people couldn't live up to. The privilegies may be great, but so are the consequences, may be even more so if you happen to be a woman. In today's world, where the role of women has paired so much with that of men, the idea of a Royal woman being expected to just dress-up, bear as many children as possible and be a deluxe decorative figure on her husband's side sounds extremely passe, to say the least. The paradox kicks in when one realizes that the women of this family are probably the most powerful in the world. This book will prove an interesting read for feminists the world over. It raises the eternal question of where a woman's place is. It seems today, at the turn of the twentieth century (this book was published in 1990) we are still not sure.