Publication of the week: Professor Jane Ridley

Ridley, J., Bertie: A Life of Edward VII (London: Chatto & Windus, 2012).  624 pp. ISBN: 978-0-701-17614-3.

Edward VII, who gave his name to the Edwardian age, but was always known as Bertie, was fifty-nine when he came to power in 1901. The eldest son of Queen Victoria, he was bullied by his parents and blamed by his mother for the premature death of Prince Albert. He made an arranged marriage to the beautiful Princess Alexandra of Denmark, but he was notorious for his many mistresses – and also for his gluttony, gambling and ‘fast’ behaviour. When he eventually became King, however, he did a good job. In this new biography, Professor Jane Ridley presents a new and colourful view of the playboy prince and a controversial reassessment of his reputation as king. Jane Ridley spent nine years working on this book, which was published in August by Chatto & Windus.

“This is not only the best biography of King Edward VII; it is also one of the best books about royalty ever published.” (Independent)

Jane Ridley is Professor of History at The University of Buckingham, and runs the MA in Biography, which she founded in 1996.  Her biography of Edwin Lutyens, The Architect and his Wife (2002), was awarded the Duff Cooper Prize.