King George V

“My principal reason for putting Rose’s study of George V on my list is that I consider it the best royal biography ever written. It is a classic which is full of insight and humanity, along with dry wit and revelation. There had previously been an official biography of George V by Harold Nicolson, and Kenneth Rose was able to get hold of the Nicolson papers, where he discovered quite a lot of material that Nicolson had diplomatically left out.” Read more...

The best books on The Queen

Robert Lacey, Biographer

“What is so wonderful about Kenneth Rose’s book that it is again very funny……It is the dry and wry way of writing that I like very much. He paints a wonderful picture and throws off what must have been months and months of research very lightly.” Read more...

The Best Royal Biographies

Hugo Vickers, Biographer

This is a highly recommended biography of the monarch at the centre of events in the film of Downton Abbey. King George V was the grandfather of the current Queen and ruled from 1910 until 1936. The book is full of insight and humanity, along with dry wit and revelation.  It won the Whitbread Prize  and the Wolfson Prize.  Robert Lacey describes it as “the best royal biography ever written”.

Downton Abbey Books