The first volume in Plaidy's Georgian saga.
True love never ran smoothly for the beautiful Sophia Dorothea, darling of Celle, who first lost her heart to Philip Königsmarck on her seventh birthday.
At sixteen, a pawn in seventeenth-century German politics, she was forced into marriage with George Lewis, Crown Prince of Hanover and the future George I of England, who cared only for women and war.
Clara von Platen, the uncrowned ruler of Hanover, jealous, ruthless and sexually insatiable, is spurned by Königsmarck when he re-appears in the life of Sophia Dorothea. In revenge, she plans his ruin-and that of the sad princess he so recklessly loves. . .
True love never ran smoothly for the beautiful Sophia Dorothea, darling of Celle, who first lost her heart to Philip Königsmarck on her seventh birthday.
At sixteen, a pawn in seventeenth-century German politics, she was forced into marriage with George Lewis, Crown Prince of Hanover and the future George I of England, who cared only for women and war.
Clara von Platen, the uncrowned ruler of Hanover, jealous, ruthless and sexually insatiable, is spurned by Königsmarck when he re-appears in the life of Sophia Dorothea. In revenge, she plans his ruin-and that of the sad princess he so recklessly loves. . .
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Plaidy has the abilty of making history accessible and a joy to read.
Caroline's long wait is up. George I is dead, and her husband is King. They immediately make the unfortunate discovery that most of the jewels and inheritance have been leaked away to mistresses of the old King. Catherine, with the assistance of Prime Minister Walpole, slowly begins to repair the damage done to England by previous sovereigns.
She does her duty to the best of her ability, monitoring decisions made by her arrogant and insecure husband and stepping in where she feels it necessary. The book emphasises the importance of English Queens throughout history, as Caroline patiently dominates her husband and most of the court from behind the scenes. It is thanks to her that the House of Hanover survived, despite the unpopularity of its Kings.