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Behind the Throne
- A Domestic History of the British Royal Household
- Narrated by: Steven Crossley
- Length: 14 hrs and 49 mins
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Publisher's summary
An upstairs/downstairs history of the British royal court, from the Middle Ages to the reign of Queen Elizabeth II (Wall Street Journal).
Monarchs: They're just like us. They entertain their friends and eat and worry about money. Henry VIII tripped over his dogs. George II threw his son out of the house. James I had to cut back on the alcohol bills.
In Behind the Throne, historian Adrian Tinniswood uncovers the reality of five centuries of life at the English court, taking the listener on a remarkable journey from one Queen Elizabeth to another and exploring life as it was lived by clerks and courtiers and clowns and crowned heads: the power struggles and petty rivalries, the tension between duty and desire, the practicalities of cooking dinner for thousands and of ensuring the king always won when he played a game of tennis.
A masterful and witty social history of five centuries of royal life, Behind the Throne offers a grand tour of England's grandest households.
PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.
Critic reviews
"Charmingly erudite...Like a seasoned tour guide, Tinniswood keeps us moving through chambers of wonders, from the Elizabethan to the modern era...Tinniswood is both a careful scholar and a nimble writer." (Washington Post)
"A glimpse into a world where everything is possible for the rulers, because the ruled do all the work: This sounds enchanting, and so Behind the Throne proves to be...The author has a wry humor and a way with a phrase." (Wall Street Journal)
"An intimate and entertaining look at the private lives of monarchs from Elizabeth I to the current occupants of Buckingham Palace...Deft, zesty social history." (Kirkus)
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Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- G. Cole
- 12-13-18
Very Worthwhile
This has been a fascinating behind the scenes view of the British Monarchy. It has made the monarchs more real than historic reports detailing dates and events and, in fact, it is much more revealing about the difficulties of ruling than TV and movies indicate. I now have a much better understanding of how the monarchy has evolved in the UK.
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17 people found this helpful
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- Zenjen
- 04-23-19
More about the private lives of the Royals than about their household.
I thought the description “A domestic history of the British royal household” meant hearing about the the hundreds of staff members and their lifestyles. This book is 90% about the Royals themselves and their private lives and relationships with their relatives and those staff members closest to them. Quite a bit on some and almost nothing on others but touching on every Monarch since Elizabeth I. I always love listening to Steven Crossley and he kept the content as entertaining and interesting as it was possible to do.
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13 people found this helpful
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- Rosemary Wells
- 03-15-19
A bit drawn out but fabulous narration
This is a good book for scholars. A bit draggy in content and not all juicy in revelations but then it isn’t meant to be. The narrator is so musical in voice I couldn’t turn it off.
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13 people found this helpful
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- Texas rancher
- 02-25-19
not so great
relatively few of the tales one would expect and more of a selective history of the royal family
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7 people found this helpful
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- D L Miller
- 07-17-20
Wonderfully different approach!
When I tried to tell people about this book, I found I had trouble describing it. It’s certainly a history, but not a rehash of previous research. Tinniswood does focus on the Royal Family, but the emphasis is on daily life at court rather than political machinations and dynastic worries. The result is a vivid description of the background against which the spectacle and banality of palace life was played out, with information that you haven’t heard 1000 times already. Crossley’s narration is unique and enjoyable. It’s clear, steady, and often quite amusing. He is skilled in what I can only describe as verbal eye rolls, as if he can’t believe what he just read.
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6 people found this helpful
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- Katherine L. Sutton
- 02-09-19
soooo boring but it did have to be
could be the narrator. I just couldn't finish it. wanted it to be better but it just wasn't.
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5 people found this helpful
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- Kdmd
- 01-16-19
Loved it!
If you are interested in the day to day realities of the Monarchy, this is a fascinating book! Adrain Tinniswood moves through the history of the ruling Kings and Queens personal and domestic challenges, giving us a peek into the complex issues of keeping a royal household moving as “smoothly “ as possible! Steven Crossley, as always, does an excellent turn in his narration!
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4 people found this helpful
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- m.2011
- 09-28-20
This is an interesting fast moving book.
If you have an interest in the British story, this is a very informative interesting book. I will encourage friends to read or better yet listen.
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3 people found this helpful
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- kimberly n. abrams
- 10-27-20
Fun!
Good entertainment. I especially liked the performers droll upper class accent that exuded at times a certain weariness over some of the royal antics. Recommend.
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2 people found this helpful
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- Danielle
- 08-09-20
Well Rounded Book!
All around well written and full of knowledge for any reader interested in the topic!
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- An Intimate History of the Home
- By: Lucy Worsley
- Narrated by: Anne Flosnik
- Length: 9 hrs and 43 mins
- Unabridged
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Why did the flushing toilet take two centuries to catch on? Why did medieval people sleep sitting up? When were the two "dirty centuries?" Why did gas lighting cause Victorian ladies to faint? Why, for centuries, did rich people fear fruit?In her brilliantly and creatively researched book, Lucy Worsley takes us through the bedroom, bathroom, living room, and kitchen.
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Compelling.
- By Kirsten on 06-05-12
By: Lucy Worsley
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Daughters of the Winter Queen
- Four Remarkable Sisters, the Crown of Bohemia, and the Enduring Legacy of Mary, Queen of Scots
- By: Nancy Goldstone
- Narrated by: Laura Kirman
- Length: 13 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
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Young Elizabeth Stuart was thrust into a life of wealth and splendor when her godmother, Queen Elizabeth I, died and her father, James I, ascended to the illustrious throne of England. At 16 she was married to a dashing German count far below her rank, with the understanding that James would help her husband achieve the crown of Bohemia. Her father's terrible betrayal of this promise would ruin "the Winter Queen", as Elizabeth would forever be known, imperil the lives of those she loved, and launch a war that would last for 30 years.
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Misnamed but Wonderful
- By Anonymous User on 05-16-18
By: Nancy Goldstone
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Medieval Woman
- Village Life in the Middle Ages
- By: Ann Baer
- Narrated by: Sarah Whitehouse
- Length: 10 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
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A history of peasants in the Middle Ages, the story takes the listener into the life of Marion, the carpenter's wife, and her extended family as they struggle to survive through hardship, featuring a year in their lives at the mercy of the weather and the Lord of the Manor. Existing without soap, paper or glass and only with the most basic of tools, we learn how they survive starvation, sickness, fire and natural disaster in their home on the edge of the Weald.
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Listen to this on a cold dark night.
- By V on 03-07-19
By: Ann Baer
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Noble Ambitions
- The Fall and Rise of the English Country House After World War II
- By: Adrian Tinniswood
- Narrated by: Roger May
- Length: 13 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
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A delicious romp, Noble Ambitions pulls us into these crumbling halls of power, leading us through the juiciest bits of postwar aristocratic history - from Mick Jagger dancing at deb balls to the scandals of Princess Margaret. Capturing the spirit of the age, historian Adrian Tinniswood proves that the country house is not only an iconic symbol, but a lens through which to understand the shifting fortunes of the British elite in an era of monumental social change.
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Story could be told in a 10th of the time
- By Peter W. on 11-12-21
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Maid of the King's Court
- By: Lucy Worsley
- Narrated by: Elizabeth Knowelden
- Length: 6 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
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Clever, headstrong Elizabeth Rose Camperdowne knows her duty. As the sole heiress to an old but impoverished noble family, Eliza must marry a man of wealth and title - it's the only fate for a girl of her standing. But when a surprising turn of events lands her in the royal court as a maid of honor to Anne of Cleves, Eliza is drawn into the dizzying, dangerous orbit of Henry the Eighth and struggles to distinguish friend from foe.
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WAY too stupid to live... WAY to boring to listen..
- By DanBudda on 05-21-17
By: Lucy Worsley
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Queen Victoria: Twenty-Four Days That Changed Her Life
- By: Lucy Worsley
- Narrated by: Lucy Paterson
- Length: 13 hrs and 48 mins
- Unabridged
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Perhaps one of the best known of the English monarchs, Queen Victoria forever shaped a chapter of English history, bequeathing her name to the Victorian age. In Queen Victoria, Lucy Worsley introduces this iconic woman in a new light. Going beyond an exploration of the queen merely as a monarch, Worsley considers Victoria as a woman leading a truly extraordinary life in a unique time period.
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Gloriana!
- By Karen on 01-21-19
By: Lucy Worsley
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Life in a Medieval Village
- By: Frances Gies, Joseph Gies
- Narrated by: Anne Flosnik
- Length: 6 hrs and 46 mins
- Unabridged
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Life in a Medieval Village, by respected historians Joseph and Frances Gies, paints a lively, convincing portrait of rural people at work and at play in the Middle Ages. Focusing on the village of Elton, in the English East Midlands, the Gieses detail the agricultural advances that made communal living possible, explain what domestic life was like for serf and lord alike, and describe the central role of the church in maintaining social harmony.
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narrator talks too fast.
- By Debra on 12-15-17
By: Frances Gies, and others
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The Long Weekend
- Life in the English Country House, 1918-1939
- By: Adrian Tinniswood
- Narrated by: Steven Crossley
- Length: 11 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
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As World War I drew to a close, change reverberated through the halls of England's country homes. As the sun set slowly on the British Empire, the shadows lengthened on the lawns of a thousand stately homes. In The Long Weekend, historian Adrian Tinniswood introduces us to the tumultuous, scandalous, and glamorous history of English country houses during the years between world wars.
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Informational but a little dry at times
- By Shawn Humphrey on 09-19-18
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Queen Victoria's Mysterious Daughter
- A Biography of Princess Louise
- By: Lucinda Hawksley
- Narrated by: Jennifer M. Dixon
- Length: 16 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
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The secrets of Queen Victoria's sixth child, Princess Louise, may be destined to remain hidden forever. What was so dangerous about this artistic, tempestuous royal that her life has been documented more by rumor and gossip than hard facts? When Lucinda Hawksley started to investigate, often thwarted by inexplicable secrecy, she discovered a fascinating woman, modern before her time, whose story has been shielded for years from public view.
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Incredibly Frustrating
- By JayOne on 01-16-20
By: Lucinda Hawksley
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Daughters of Chivalry
- The Forgotten Princesses of King Edward Longshanks
- By: Kelcey Wilson-Lee
- Narrated by: Christine Rendel
- Length: 12 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
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Virginal, chaste, humble, patiently waiting for rescue by brave knights and handsome princes: this idealized—and largely mythical—notion of the medieval noblewoman still lingers. Yet the reality was very different, as Kelcey Wilson-Lee shows in this vibrant account of the five daughters of Edward I, often known as Longshanks. The lives of these sisters—Eleanora, Joanna, Margaret, Mary, and Elizabeth—ran the gamut of experiences open to royal women in the Middle Ages.
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fascinating!
- By Anne Keys on 02-11-23
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The Sphinx
- The Life of Gladys Deacon - Duchess of Marlborough
- By: Hugo Vickers
- Narrated by: Hugo Vickers
- Length: 11 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
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One of the most beautiful and brilliant women of her time, Gladys Deacon dazzled as much as she puzzled the glittering social circles in which she moved. Born in Paris to American parents in 1881, she suffered a traumatic childhood after her father shot her mother's lover dead. Educated in America, she returned to Europe, where she captivated and inspired some of the greatest literary and artistic names of the Belle Époque.
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Lovely and compelling.
- By Gudrun D Whitehead on 03-25-20
By: Hugo Vickers
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Everyday Life in Medieval London
- From the Anglo-Saxons to the Tudors
- By: Toni Mount
- Narrated by: Anne Flosnik
- Length: 10 hrs and 25 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall