Since the holiday season is now officially upon us I thought it would a good idea to post recommendations for those who may be interested in purchasing an item for yourself or for someone you know who has an interest in all things royal. Here are some of my favorite royal items that I believe most would love.
I’ll begin my recommendations with books then move on to DVD’s. Most of these items you can purchase on Amazon.com; however, some of my book recommendations may be hard to find due to the item being out of print.
BOOKS: Jewels, Royal Palaces, and Misc:
Tiaras: A History of Splendor by Geoffrey C. Munn. Published by Antique Collectors’ Club. (This is THE Bible in regards to royal jewels. Everyone has this book from we commoners, stylists, designers, actresses, and yes even royals. Crown Princess Mary of Denmark has this book.)
Tiaras: Past & Present by Geoffrey C. Munn. Published by Victoria and Albert Museum.
Famous Jewelry Collections by Stefano Papi and Alexandra Rhodes. Published by Harry N. Abrams, Inc.
Royal Palaces Edited by M. Morelli. Published by Barnes and Noble.
The Great Castles of Europe by Cristina Gambaro, Paola Calore, and Milena E. Pozzoli. Published by Barnes and Noble.
Royal Holidays by Cyrille Boulay. Published by Assouline Books.
The Last Courts of Europe: 1860-1914. Introduction by Robert K. Massie, Research by Jeffery Finestone. Published by Vendome Press. (A rare book which should definitely be added to your royal books collection.)
Kingdoms of Europe: An Illustrated Encyclopedia of Ruling Monarchs from Ancient Times to the Present by Gene Gurney. Published by Crown Publishers, Inc. (Again, a rare book which should definitely be added to your royal books collection.)
The Lives of the Kings & Queens of England Edited by Antonia Fraser. Published by University of California Press.
The Royal Wedding Album (Charles and Diana) by Trevor Hall. Published by Beekman House. (This book may be hard to find, but if you happen to run across this item… purchase it!)
Victoria’s Daughters by Jerrold M. Packard. Published by St. Martin’s Griffin.
The Six Wives of Henry VIII by Alison Weir. Published by Grove Press.
The Life of Elizabeth I by Alison Weir. Published by Ballantine Books.
The Last Plantagenets by Thomas B. Costain. Published by Doubleday and Company, Inc.
Mary Queen of Scots by Antonia Fraser. Published by Delta Press.
Sarah Churchill, Duchess of Marlborough: The Queen’s Favorite by Ophelia Field. Published by St. Martin’s Press.
Hawaii’s Story by Lilioukalani. Published by Charles E. Tuttle Company. (I highly recommend reading this book!!)
Emma: Hawaii’s Remarkable Queen by George S. Kanahele. Published by University of Hawaii Press. (Again, I highly recommend this book!)
Madame de Pompadour: Mistress of France by Christine Pevitt Algrant. Published by Grove Press.
The Hapsburgs: Embodying Empire by Andrew Wheatcroft. Published by Penguin Books.
Royals and the Reich: The Princes on Hessen in Nazi Germany by Jonathan Pertopoulos. Published by Oxford University Press.
The Small German Courts in the 18th Century by Adrien FaucherMagnan. Published Methuen & Company. (This book is extremely rare and may be out of print.)
King, Kaiser, Tsar: Three Royal Cousins Who Led the World to War by Catrine Clay. Published by Walker and Company.
Royalty Who Wait: The 21 Heads of Formerly Regnant Houses of Europe by Olga S. Opfell. Published by McFarland & Company, Inc.
Peter the Great by Robert K. Massie. Published by Knopf
The Romanovs: Autocrats of All the Russians by W. Bruce Lincoln. Published by Anchor Press.
An Enduring Love: My Life with the Shah, A Memoir by Empress Farah Pahlavi. Published by Miramax
Something About Mary by Emma Tom. Published by Pluto Press.
King Carl XVI Gustaf : The Reluctant Monarch by Thomas Sjoberg. (The book has been released in Swedish. I haven’t read it, but from what I hear it’s kind of a scandal piece… trashy.)
Victoria: Queen of the Time by Herman Lindqvist. (Again, this book is in Swedish. The English version isn’t out at this point. I hear this book is decent.)
Vart Brollop: the Wedding book of Crown Princess Victoria and Prince Daniel.
DOCUMENTARIES:
Windsor Castle: A Royal Year.
The Windsors: A Royal Family.
A Royal Wedding: Charles and Diana, 1981 (This may be extremely hard to find, and only seen on VHS. Perhaps someone on Ebay may be selling the wedding of the century. If you do… buy it!)
Monarchy with David Starkey
A Royal Family (This documentary is about the man known as The Grandfather of Europe, King Christian IX and his descendants.)
Kongeligt Bryllup: The Royal Wedding of Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark to Mary Donaldson.
Marie Antoinette: A Film by David Grubin. (This is a documentary released by PBS. Very interesting and recommended to all.)
MOVIES:
The Madness of King George
Elizabeth
Fall of Eagles
Marie Antoinette (The Sofia Coppola version. It’s kind of cheesy, but at least the music is epic!)
Once again here is the royal weekly wrap-up from the Dutch program, Blauw Bloed. In this segment the series covers the Monaco Rose Ball, Her Majesty Queen Rania of Jordan, H.R.H. Crown Prince Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands, Princess Laurentein of the Netherlands, Princess Marilene and Prince Maurits of the Netherlands, Princess Margriet of the Netherlands, and finally a special segment about Crown Princess Maxima. The latter segment is pretty good and includes interviews with the Princess that I have never seen before.
