The Ring and the Crown: A History of Royal Weddings 1066-2011

Rating: 4 Stars

Review:

While I have said in the past I am not terribly interested in the monarchy much beyond James I (and even that is shaky at best), I LOVE weddings. Maybe I should have been a wedding planner?

Anyway, I thoroughly enjoyed this book the whole way through, though of course the section devoted to my most favorite time period was considerably shorter, as they all lived and wedded 500 years ago or more.

Each author contributes a chapter, following events in chronological order - I even made it through those Hanover weddings. I must say though, I am becoming more interested in Queen Victoria (but don't worry Queen Eleanor, you'll always be my favorite!) This book is interesting on many levels, not just the marriages themselves, but how fashion has changed from the time William and Matilda wed, until now.

The last chapter details weddings from 1961-2011, ending with the engagement of William and Kate. There is of course ample space devoted to William's parents and it is almost impossible to look at the photos of their wedding day and not feel so terribly for Diana. I never knew until reading this book that the night before their wedding, Charles told Diana he did not love her. I can't even imagine how difficult it is for William and Harry to not only know these things about their parents' marriage themselves, but then to know that the whole world knows these private matters as well. I do not envy them in that department at all (I do, however, envy the fact that they live in England, have access to all these amazing historical places).

This is an easy read, I finished in just a couple hours. I would certainly recommend it to anyone who is interested in the history of the monarchy and especially in the weddings of course.