Memorial Hall Library

Books For Fans Of The Crown

Netflix has recently added season 5 of The Crown, its popular show based on the British royals. If that's got you wanting to learn more about the messy lives of the Windsors, MHL has got you covered. (If you want to watch the latest season of The Crown but don't have Netflix--you can borrow MHL's Roku with Netflix access. And if you want to join the wait list for Prince Harry's upcoming memoir, Spare, you can do that here.)

Battle of brothers : William and Harry--the inside story of a family in tumult
Battle of brothers : William and Harry--the inside story of a family in tumult
by Robert Lacey

The historical consultant to the hit series "The Crown" draws on official sources in a royal portrait that examines the experiences and conflicts that have shaped the bond between the future king of England and his brother.
Diana : the portrait
Diana : the portrait
by Rosalind Coward

Drawing on more than two hundred original interviews and written with the full cooperation of the late princess's estate, this richly illustrated portrait of Diana, Princess of Wales relates her story through her own words and the commentary of others and includes nearly five hundred images, many never before published.
Diana : Style Icon
Diana : Style Icon
by Dan Jones

When Diana Spencer -- the young, shy, doe-eyed British noble -- became engaged to Prince Charles, she was thrust into the spotlight overnight. Navigating fandom previously unknown in the pre-social media age, Diana emerged not only as 'the queen of people's hearts' but as an icon of style, right up to her untimely death in 1997. This book showcases her fashion evolution, with illustrations of over 60 of her most loved looks and the stories behind them. From 80s ruffles to memorable red-carpet classics, exciting off-duty outfits and her confident, considered 'revenge look', which emerged after the break-up of her marriage. This book is a celebration of the Princess of Wales, her love of fashion, of life and her everlasting influence on culture, celebrity and style.
The Duchess : Camilla Parker Bowles and the love affair that rocked the crown
The Duchess : Camilla Parker Bowles and the love affair that rocked the crown
by Penny Junor

The esteemed royal biographer and co-author of Wonderful Tonight traces the unlikely and extraordinary story of the once-reviled wife of Britain's Prince Charles, detailing her roles in some of the darkest days of the modern monarchy and helping restore its reputation as well as the changing public opinions about whether she should be queen.
Elizabeth & Margaret : the intimate world of the Windsor sisters
Elizabeth & Margaret : the intimate world of the Windsor sisters
by Andrew Morton

A biography of Queen Elizabeth II and her sister Margaret examines their early idyllic youth as the closest of sisters as well as their often fraught relationship after their father's death and Elizabeth's ascension to the throne.
HRH : so many thoughts on royal style
HRH : so many thoughts on royal style
by Elizabeth Holmes

The veteran fashion journalist blends commentary, essays and hundreds of photographs in an expansion of her award-winning So Many Thoughts Instagram series to reveal the political statements within the style, branding and positioning of prominent British royals. 
The last queen : Elizabeth II's seventy year battle to save the House of Windsor
The last queen : Elizabeth II's seventy year battle to save the House of Windsor
by Clive Irving

Clive Irving's stunning new narrative biography The Last Queen probes the question of the British monarchy's longevity. In 2021, the Queen Elizabeth II finally appears to be at ease in the modern world, helped by the new generation of Windsors. But through Irving's unique insight there emerges a more fragile institution, whose extraordinarily dutiful matriarch has managed to persevere with dignity, yet in doing so made a Faustian pact with the media.
The new royals : Queen Elizabeth's legacy and the future of the crown
The new royals : Queen Elizabeth's legacy and the future of the crown
by Katie Nicholl

A Vanity Fair royals correspondent and best-selling author of William and Harry and Kate explores the remarkable life and reign of Queen Elizabeth II and the legacy she is handing down to the next generation. 
The palace papers : inside the House of Windsor--the truth and the turmoil
The palace papers : inside the House of Windsor--the truth and the turmoil
by Tina Brown

The #1 New York Times best-selling author of The Diana Chronicles takes readers inside the British royal family since the death of Princess Diana, showing the Queen's stoic resolve as family drama raged around her. 
Prince Charles : the passions and paradoxes of an improbable life
Prince Charles : the passions and paradoxes of an improbable life
by Sally Bedell Smith

Presents a revelatory portrait of the heir to the British throne that offers new insights into his lonely childhood, intellectual quests, entrepreneurial pursuits, and marriages.
Protecting Diana : a bodyguard's story
Protecting Diana : a bodyguard's story
by Lee Sansum

On the 25th anniversary of Princess Diana's death, a royal bodyguard opens up about protecting and befriending the most famous woman in the world, bonding with the young princes--Harry and William--and the details of the night Diana died.
The Queen and Di : the untold story
The Queen and Di : the untold story
by Ingrid Seward

A behind-the-gates journey into Buckingham, Balmoral, and Sandringham palaces reveals for the first time how the royals really live, including portraits of the English monarch and the late Princess Diana that illustrate a relationship unlike that of popular belief. 
Queen Elizabeth II : an oral history
Queen Elizabeth II : an oral history
by Deborah H. Strober

These detailed interviews and insightful accounts range from the very early years of her reign to Prince Phillip's death in 2021. Covering the shocking death of her father and the adjustment required of a newly married couple as well as the turmoil of the later years and her grandchildren's families. This lavishly produced hardback with rarely seen color photos paints a full, detailed and sympathetic portrait of a life lived in service. Featuring interviews from diverse sources from private staff at Buckingham Palace and family friends, to international figures like Nelson Mandela, it contains a broad spectrum of views on Queen Elizabeth II--her story and her personality and how her life has intersected and impacted others.
The way we were : remembering Diana
The way we were : remembering Diana
by Paul Burrell

In an intimate tribute to the late Princess of Wales, the author of A Royal Duty shares his memories of Princess Diana, his role as confidant and friend during his decade-long tenure as her butler, her compassion for others, and her relationships with her children, Sarah Ferguson, Prince Charles, and Dodi Al Fayed.
The Windsor diaries, 1940-45 : my childhood with the Princesses Elizabeth and Margaret
The Windsor diaries, 1940-45 : my childhood with the Princesses Elizabeth and Margaret
by Alathea Fitzalan Howard

The never-before-published diaries of Alathea Fitzalan Howard—who spent her teenaged years living out World War II in Windsor Great Park with her close friends Princess Margaret and Princess Elizabeth, the future queen of the United Kingdom—provide an extraordinary and intimate look at the British Royal Family.