I’ve enjoyed a few royal novels in my day, such as Princess Izzy and the E Street Shuffle, or Sue Townsend’s wonderful royal novels, to mention only a few. Now interest in Prince Harry’s wedding, Meghan’s-much-clutched bump, and Archie’s apperance on the scen, has led to a few new novels with royal characters–including an imaginary American Royal Family. There has been quite a renewed interest in Princess Grace of Monaco, too, that has generated several new novels. Finally, this summer we have a lot of reasons to read a best-selling romance between a prince and a resident of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue round out the list.
Three Forthcoming Royal Novels
#1 The American Royals by Katherine McGee
From Amazon:
Two princesses vying for the ultimate crown.
Two girls vying for the prince’s heart.
This is the story of the American royals.
When America won the Revolutionary War, its people offered General George Washington a crown. Two and a half centuries later, the House of Washington still sits on the throne. Like most royal families, the Washingtons have an heir and a spare. A future monarch and a backup battery. Each child knows exactly what is expected of them. But these aren’t just any royals. They’re American.
As Princess Beatrice gets closer to becoming America’s first queen regnant, the duty she has embraced her entire life suddenly feels stifling. Nobody cares about the spare except when she’s breaking the rules, so Princess Samantha doesn’t care much about anything, either . . . except the one boy who is distinctly off-limits to her. And then there’s Samantha’s twin, Prince Jefferson. If he’d been born a generation earlier, he would have stood first in line for the throne, but the new laws of succession make him third. Most of America adores their devastatingly handsome prince . . . but two very different girls are vying to capture his heart.
American Royals by Katherine McGee releases on September 3, 2019
Thank you to Amy’s Bookish Life for bringing this book to my attention.
#2 The Other Windsor Girl: A Novel of Princess Margaret, Royal Rebel by Georgie Blalock
My most anxiously awaited title of the Autumn! I love the title playing on the superb Other Bolyn Girl! Netflix’s The Crown, for all the mischief it has created with fictionalized storylines, has managed to generate new interest in the Queen’s sister and her doomed love affiar with an Equerry. When you realize that Margaret’s niece, Princess Anne, later married an equerry after her own divorce, you can develop a lot of sympathy for the semi-tragic princess.
From Amazon:
In dreary, post-war Britain, Princess Margaret captivates everyone with her cutting edge fashion sense and biting quips. The royal socialite, cigarette holder in one hand, cocktail in the other, sparkles in the company of her glittering entourage of wealthy young aristocrats known as the Margaret Set, but her outrageous lifestyle conflicts with her place as Queen Elizabeth’s younger sister. Can she be a dutiful princess while still dazzling the world on her own terms?
The Other Windsor Girl: A Novel of Princess Margaret, Royal Rebel by Georgie Blalock releases November 5, 2019 (should have been November 3rd, the birthday of Magaret’s son David, [2nd] Earl of Snowdon).
#3 The Girl in the White Gloves by Kerri Maher
The author of The Kennedy Debutante gives us a novel of Grace Kelly. I am looking forward to this one!
From Amazon:
A life in snapshots…
Grace knows what people see. She’s the Cinderella story. An icon of glamor and elegance frozen in dazzling Technicolor. The picture of perfection. The girl in white gloves.
A woman in living color…
But behind the lens, beyond the panoramic views of glistening Mediterranean azure, she knows the truth. The sacrifices it takes for an unappreciated girl from Philadelphia to defy her family and become the reigning queen of the screen. The heartbreaking reasons she trades Hollywood for a crown. The loneliness of being a princess in a fairy tale kingdom that is all too real.
Hardest of all for her adoring fans and loyal subjects to comprehend, is the harsh reality that to be the most envied woman in the world does not mean she is the happiest. Starved for affection and purpose, facing a labyrinth of romantic and social expectations with more twists and turns than Monaco’s infamous winding roads, Grace must find her own way to fulfillment. But what she risks–her art, her family, her marriage—she may never get back.
The Girl in the White Gloves by Kerri Maher releases February 25, 2020
Already a Best-Seller
#4 Red, White, and Royal Blue: A Novel by Casey McQuiston
This book is getting a ton of buzz this summer! I’ve been on the library’s waiting list for it since it released.
From Amazon:
When his mother became President, Alex Claremont-Diaz was promptly cast as the American equivalent of a young royal. Handsome, charismatic, genius—his image is pure millennial-marketing gold for the White House. There’s only one problem: Alex has a beef with the actual prince, Henry, across the pond. And when the tabloids get hold of a photo involving an Alex-Henry altercation, U.S./British relations take a turn for the worse….Red, White & Royal Blue proves: true love isn’t always diplomatic.
Red, White, and Royal Blue: A Novel by Casey McQuiston
New novels with a royal in the title, but with a story mostly about other people:
Meet Me in Monaco: A Novel of Grace Kelly’s Royal Wedding by Hazel Gaynor and Heather Webb
I LOVED this story! You can read my review here.
The Grace Kelly Dress by Brenda Janowitz
A new novel with a story involving the influence on fashion of Grace’s wedding dress and a young seastress charged with “sewing another gown in its image” (Amazon).
From earlier this year:
The Gown by Jennifer Robson tells the “backstory” of Queen Elizabeth’s wedding gown. I LOVED this one, too.
More Royal Book Posts
10 New Royal Books for Royal Wedding Week
Royal Books That I all but Refuse to Let Anyone Touch
For My Royal Family posts, click on Royal Family in the tag cloud in the right sidebar
These all look good! I love Grace Kelly and her story – thanks for sharing!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I would much rather read about Grace Kelly than Meghan. She and Harry seem hell bent on a trajectory that will have people very much against them
LikeLiked by 1 person
Me among them. And, don’t send her back!
LikeLike
Loved The Gown; have a few other royal books on my list — although in my case they’re mostly non-fiction. The real royals are fascinating enough for me to not need fictional ones! Planning to enjoy season 2 of The Crown soon 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Let me know when you do–we can talk about the fiction in the Crown lol
LikeLike