Coming soon: The Coburg Conspiracy: Victoria and Albert – Royal Plots and Manoeuvres

At the dawn of the nineteenth century, the Duchy of Coburg, ruled by the Saxe-Coburg-Saalfield (later Saxe-Coburg-Gotha) family, was a small, impoverished German fiefdom with no political influence, and little prospect of improving its lot. Less than fifty years later, the family had transformed its position. Just how did they achieve this astonishing turnaround?

With Queen Victoria’s marriage to the Duchy’s Prince Albert, the formerly insignificant dukedom became intrinsically linked with the most powerful empire on earth. Victoria and Albert’s children were matched by Queen and Prince to the most eligible and politically viable royals throughout Europe. But who orchestrated Victoria and Albert’s marriage? Did those responsible realize what a royal powerhouse their matchingmaking would create?

Author Richard Sotnick was inspired to discover just that after a 1975 meeting with Lord Mountbatten. Sotnick studied German at the Goethe Institute and with a personal tutor so that he could understand crucial documents for his research for ‘The Coburg Conspiracy’. He will see the culmination of his work published May 20th.

Majesty Magazine says: ‘A fascinating, riveting tale based on ground-breaking research’.

Sarah Bradford, noted biographer of Queen Elizabeth II, writes: ‘Richard Sotnick’s book is an important addition to Victorian studies: illuminating the darker side of Prince Albert’s impoverished and ambitious family which Queen Victoria regarded as her own with the tragic tale of his rejected mother and the sexual intrigues of the Coburg court. Deploying new material from the Coburg archives, Sotnick convincingly explores the evidence for and against Albert’s illegitimacy. A fascinating book.’

Join me here for my review in May or early June.

“The Coburg Conspiracy” will also be reviewed by… http://ow.ly/1wJ8R

Inspired by Robert Lacey’s Royal: Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II Chapter 1

The possibility of losing one’s monarch at the hands of a lunatic induces panic. So when a royal figure survives an attack, especially with sangfroid, there’s relief all around. There’s a surge of public sympathy and support for the royal family and people express amazement at how cool their monarch can be.

Then, there’s a bit too much of a good thing. The media and the public get bored with cool, steely resolve after a while and get cranky. Queen Elizabeth II has experienced both the praise and the pouts of the people because of her grace under fire. As it turns out, it’s an experience that’s all in the family….

Read more…