George, Nicholas and Wilhelm

Three Royal Cousins and the Road to World War I

By: Miranda Carter

Narrated by: Rosalyn Landor

Length: 21 hrs and 10 mins

Publisher's summary

In the years before the First World War, the great European powers were ruled by three first cousins: King George V of Britain, Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany and Tsar Nicholas II of Russia. Together, they presided over the last years of dynastic Europe and the outbreak of the most destructive war the world had ever seen, a war that set twentieth-century Europe on course to be the most violent continent in the history of the world.

Miranda Carter uses the cousins’ correspondence and a host of historical sources to tell the tragicomic story of a tiny, glittering, solipsistic world that was often preposterously out of kilter with its times, struggling to stay in command of politics and world events as history overtook it. George, Nicholas and Wilhelm is a brilliant and sometimes darkly hilarious portrait of these men—damaged, egotistical Wilhelm; quiet, stubborn Nicholas; and anxious, dutiful George—and their lives, foibles and obsessions, from tantrums to uniforms to stamp collecting. It is also alive with fresh, subtle portraits of other familiar figures: Queen Victoria—grandmother to two of them, grandmother-in-law to the third—whose conservatism and bullying obsession with family left a dangerous legacy; and Edward VII, the playboy “arch-vulgarian” who turned out to have a remarkable gift for international relations and the theatrics of mass politics. At the same time, Carter weaves through their stories a riveting account of the events that led to World War I, showing how the personal and the political interacted, sometimes to devastating effect.

For all three men the war would be a disaster that destroyed forever the illusion of their close family relationships, with any sense of peace and harmony shattered in a final coda of murder, betrayal and abdication.

©2010 Miranda Carter (P)2010 Random House

Critic reviews

“Miranda Carter has written an engrossing and important book. While keeping her focus on the three cousins and their extended families, she skillfully interweaves and summarizes all important elements of how the war came about…Carter has given us an original book, highly recommended.” ---The Dallas Morning News

"Masterfully crafted. . . Carter has presented one of the most cohesive explorations of the dying days of European royalty and the coming of political modernity. . . Carter has delivered another gem." --Bookpage

"Ms. Carter writes incisively about the overlapping events that led to the Great War and changed the world. . . George, Nicholas, and Wilhelm is an impressive book. Ms. Carter has clearly not bitten off more than she can chew for she -- as John Updike once wrote of Gunter Grass -- 'chews it enthusiastically before our eyes.'" --The New York Times

Three royal cousins and WWI

I enjoyed this book and I learned a good deal about Queen Victoria and her imperial grandsons, King George, Kaiser Wilhelm, and Tsar Nicholas. I highly recommend this book.

Intimate lives of the rich and famous

"George, Nicholas, and Wilhelm" provides a unique perspective on the years leading up to the First World War. Miranda Carter focuses on the three related royal houses - the monarchs of England, Germany, and Russia - who were first cousins and who often addressed each other as "Nicky" and "Willy" (but possibly not "Georgie").

The characters of the three monarchs, especially the autocrats Wilhelm and Nicholas, are drawn with precision and dramatic detail. Nicholas, for example, was brought to the deathbed of his grandfather, Alexander II: Alexander had been mortally wounded by a terrorist bomb that blew his legs off and exposed his entrails. When Nicholas's father Alexander III died after a short reign, the family was in dire straits; Uncle Bertie - Albert Edward, Prince of Wales - took charge of the funeral arrangements and tried to coach Nicholas in his new role, a role for which the clueless young man had been given no preparation.

Carter's account of the death of Nicholas and his family at the hands of the Bolsheviks is wrenching. Wilhelm II comes in for an unusual amount of sympathy as well: his terrible birth, with a dislocated shoulder that left his arm permanently disabled; and his flight to the Netherlands as the war drew to an end, where he puttered sadly about, tried to justify himself, and in later years sent congratulatory telegrams to Hitler (which Hitler received with scorn).

As a portrait of royal families, it's a first-rate listen. Rosalyn Landor, the narrator, speaks with exquisite precision and empathy but with an occasional hint of exasperated humor. As a study of the origins of the First World War, it's a bit lopsided: Austria-Hungary wasn't in the grandchildren-of-Queen-Victoria league, so there's not much discussion of that empire; the assassination of Franz Ferdinand is dispensed with in a sentence. And the political situation in France - horror of horrors, a monarch-free Republic - receives little attention.

But the book serves its purpose: these three remote, lofty figures of history are given a local habitation and a name, not to mention recognizable personalities. Their lives, like everyone else's, were a mixture of blessings and great suffering.

Well done!

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Excellent blend of history and deep psychological insight into three fascinating and tragic figures. A great single source to the understanding of the end of the Victorian age of empire and the beginning of the 20th century.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

The deep sadness and tragedy that was Wilhelm who never grew up and was forever a struggling & deeply flawed adolescent

Outstanding

Miranda Carter's beautifully written history on a subject that was so unexpected was enhanced by the flawless narration of Rosalyn Landor.

Don't hestitate.

A Delight for History Lovers

This was the most enjoyable book I've read for some time. This is a book that readers who are interested in the details of history will like. Biography enthusiasts will obviously appreciate it as well, as it is more or less the biography of 5 individuals (the 3 title characters as well as Queen Victoria and King Edward the VII). Rosalyn Landor is perfect for this story and does a marvelous job.

fascinating

heard about the book on NPR, was not disappointed. performed well, written well; the information was detailed, and well explained the juxtaposition between the Victorian monarchy/imperialism and the first world war; royal family dynamics and personal power being the driving force behind poor politics. very interesting and thought provoking as the dynamics of power abuses are still in play, on the world stage, today.

I Love Snark

The best part of this was the way the narrator totally skewered Queen Victoria--who was TRULY a HORRIBLE mother. The way the narrator imitated Victoria was truly hilarious. I thought Annette Crosbie in the Edward VII miniseries in 1975 did a good job of trashing the old cow, but this...WOW.

Interesting history

I enjoyed the audiobook but I wish I had read it instead. I had difficulty keeping up with many the names and nicknames. I don't think that would have been a problem with a book, which can be bookmarked and easly reread. Made me want to learn more history of the period.

Great War with a Refreshing Angle

There are dozens of books which tell the story of the Great War (and I’ve read them all) but this one is unique in the angle it takes looking at the three emperors and their agency in the war.
This is the tale of the war which will most appeal to women. After having read 20 books about the Great War by men, for men, this was a very refreshing read. It offered many IMPORTANT stories about these men which helped build a more thorough portrait of them and how their idiosyncrasies led to the crisis.

Note: Catrine Clay also wrote a book with this angle but (1) Miranda Carter’s book is better and (2) Clay’s book is not available as an audiobook as on January 2019.

Neither NOBILITY-or ABILITY-is Hereditary.

A fascinating description of these cousins' mindsets, through their own words and actions, as they flailed their way ineffectually through history and WWI. They put Victoria and Albert's belief that Europe would be stabilized through intermarriage of their descendants to the final test and proved it to be dismally wrong. This book tells an old story in an interesting new way. Although the narrator is female, I could easily accept her as the storyteller here.