Excerpt from Secret Lives of Royal Women: Fascinating Biographies of Queens, Princesses, Duchesses, and other Regal Women

Excerpt from

Despite their differences, romance blossomed: Philip’s terms of endearment for Elizabeth were Lilibet, Sausage, or Darling. The prince proposed, and the twenty-year-old princess accepted without consulting mum and dad. During their 1947 wedding, the crowned heads of Europe and the world’s most powerful politicians were in attendance. Those not invited to the Westminster Abbey extravaganza were the groom’s sisters due to their Nazi husbands, as well as her disgraced uncle, who, after relinquishing the crown, had become the Duke of Windsor. The couple took their vows in front of an estimated 2,000 in-person guests-20 million around the world- that lent a ray of light into a world reeling from the atrocities of the war. The princess’ gown was truly fit for a princess: it consisted of ivory silk, crystals, and 10,000 seed pearls. Her Russian fringe tiara had once belonged to her grandmother, Queen Mary. The newlyweds received 2,500 presents: President Truman gifted a Steuben bowl, while Gandhi sent a piece of lace he had woven by hand. From her parents, she received a nineteenth century sapphire and diamond necklace and Cartier diamond chandelier earrings. When the crowds cheered their 1947 wedding, neither expected Elizabeth would be crowned anytime soon, but bluebloods are also the playthings of the gods.

    In 1952, Elizabeth and Philip were in Kenya in a hotel perched in a tree from where the princess snapped photographs of elephants. They descended to the devastating news that her beloved father had passed away. Her cousin, Lady Pamela Mountbatten, who had accompanied her to Africa, recalled that Elizabeth had “climbed up that ladder as a princess but had climbed down as a queen.” Upon her return to London, although harboring misgivings that Elizabeth was only twenty-five, Prime Minister Winston Churchill stated, “Famous have been the reigns of our queens. Some of the greatest periods in our history have unfolded under their scepter.”  For the coronation-the first to be televised in the Crown’s 1,200-year-old history-Uncle Edward was again left off the guest list-for his abdication as well as hobnobbing with Hitler. He said of the secondary snub, “What a smug, stinking lot my relations are.” 

Secret Lives of Royal Women: Fascinating Biographies of Queens, Princesses, Duchesses, and other Regal Women

Fascinating Portraits of the Secret Lives of Royals

Enjoy this engaging collection of biographical vignettes highlighting the secret lives of royal women like Queen Noor, Queen Anne Boleyn, Princess Grace Kelly, and many other phenomenal women.

Royal family secrets revealed! Have you ever wondered what royals go through? Have you ever thought about what the intimate lives of phenomenal women look like? The Secret Lives of Royal Women features the intimate and historically accurate details of some of history’s most privileged women. Learn from the life stories of Meghan Duchess of Sussex, Princess Diana, Maharani Gayatri Devi, Queen Narriman and many others.

Fall in love with these phenomenal women! Dive into the fascinating history of Hawaii’s only ever Queen: Liliuokalani, learn the story of Lady Jane Grey who was dethroned by Mary Queen of Scots, and learn more about Queen Elizabeth who Adolf Hitler called “the most dangerous woman in Europe.” Every single one of these women will enrapture you and leave you wanting to find out more.

Inside, you’ll find:

• The inside scoop to the secret lives of phenomenal women
• Potentially life-changing lessons from these royal vignettes
• A book on royals packed with new and empowering historical stories

If you enjoy reading autobiographies, motivational books for women or historical nonfiction books like Vanderbilt, Women of Means, or Recipes for a Sacred Life, you’ll love The Secret Lives of Royal Women.

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Marlene Wagman-Geller received her B.A. from York University and her teaching credentials from the University of Toronto and San Diego State University. Currently, she teaches high school English in National City, California. Reviews from her books have appeared in The New York Times and the Associated Press. Articles about her books have appeared in dozens of newspapers such as The Denver Post, The Huffington Post, and The San Diego Tribune. Marlene lives in Southern California with her husband, daughter, and their Persian cat, Moe, who in fact, really runs the Wagman-Geller household.

https://marlenewagmangeller.com/

Follow her on Twitter @mwagmangeller

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Category: Contemporary Women Writers, On Writing