Here, are some of our favourites, from stunning coffee table books of photos from Queen Elizabeth’s life to a fictionalized look at royal love stories.
Whether you have a new-found interest in the British royal family following the death of Queen Elizabeth, or you’ve watched every episode of The Crown, there’s a book out there that will inspire your curiosity. Here, some of our favorites, from a stunning coffee table book of photos from Queen Elizabeth’s life to a fictionalized look at royal love stories.
The Palace Papers
The latest addition to this list is Tina Brown’s The Palace Papers, which promises “the truth and the turmoil” of life inside the House of Windsor.
The Other Side of the Coin: The Queen, the Dresser and the Wardrobe
Very few people know what life is really like inside Buckingham Palace, but a new book titled The Other Side of the Coin: The Queen, the Dresser and the Wardrobe, offers readers a window into that world. Queen Elizabeth granted personal permission to Angela Kelly, who has served as her dresser and confidant for 25 years, to write not only about royal fashion, but also about their experience working together. If you’ve already read this book, you might want to pick up a new copy; Kelly has written additional chapters for the text, which detail what life was like during the pandemic for the royal household.
The Queen: A Life in Pictures
Released just in time for the Queen’s 95th birthday in 2021, this stunning coffee table book marries gorgeous photography with thoughtful insight into the British monarch’s remarkable life and reign.
The Crown: The Official Companion, Volume 2
If you tend to pause The Crown after every scene to look up exactly what historical event the characters are talking about, this book, by the show’s historical advisor Robert Lacey, is the one for you. This volume addresses seasons 2 and 3, but hopefully a season 4 version will arrive soon.
The Royal We
Prefer your royal reading to be a work of fiction? Consider picking up The Royal We. Written by Heather Cocks and Jessica Morgan of “Fug Girls” fame, which chronicles American Bex Porter as she falls in love with the heir to the British throne.
Prince Charles: The Passions and Paradoxes of an Improbable Life
Prince Charles plays an even larger role in The Crown during the show’s fourth season. To supplement the show’s take on Charles, take a look at Sally Bedell Smith’s biography of the heir to the throne, who has spent his whole life waiting in the wings.
Meghan: A Hollywood Princess
The Duchess of Sussex is now one of the most widely-known women in the world, but she didn’t grow up in the royal spotlight. In his aptly titled tome Meghan: A Hollywood Princess, Andrew Morton shares her story before she met Prince Harry.
The Diana Chronicles
Two decades after her death, Princess Diana’s enormous influence on the modern royal family is still evident, and Tina Brown’s biography of the late Princess of Wales is a must-read for anyone with even an inking of curiosity about the House of Windsor.
Finding Freedom: Harry and Meghan and the Making of a Modern Royal Family
For a more modern tale of royal drama, look no further than Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand’s deep dive into Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex’s infamous exit from the Firm.
Diana: Her True Story–in Her Own Words
Season 4 of The Crown introduces viewers to a young Lady Diana Spencer. This book about Diana’s time in the royal family caused quite the stir upon its release, as it paints an intimate, and difficult, portrait of royal life.
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