Royal Childhood

A beautiful book that gives a glimpse (and I do mean a glimpse) of what is to grow up a royal. In so many ways very "normal" in so many ways unusual. Very eye-opener to see the well worn toys (very few and they seem to be very private personal gifts) versus the so well conserved almost new gifts from states representatives (too many and I'm guessing not too well loved). A life of privilege? After seeing the book I only see children very much loved!

This book is something of an archieve, it deals with toys, interestingly the Royal Toys, something one does not see much of in books. There is the book on the Queens Doll House of Queen Mary that is fantastic in details and all. But this makes you see a different side of the Royal Children, a side we can relate to even if the toys are much better than average. For a collector of toys this book is a must.

I truly enjoyed this book. It was not what I expected, but that didn't matter. I suppose one of the things I liked was finding some duplicates of antiques I have. One always likes to have one's possessions authenticated. But even aside from that, seeing the toys and belongings of generations of royal children was interesting. The pictures were laid out so well that it was easy to see the details.

It's good, but I expected more accessories own of royaty will be shown (like coats of arms, prints, any gifts of nobility families, etc, etc)The book shown seems some children of common people and not both princesses and its environment.

Bought this as a gift for my Mother for Christmas as she really likes the Queen of England. She really liked it.

Giving it as a gift. I have enjoyed previewing it - pictures and stories.

I loved it!

To paraphrase something I once read, modern royalty consists of ordinary people leading ordinary lives in extraordinary circumstances. Nothing bears that out better than this interesting, nice, little book of pictures chronicling the lives of some young members of the British Royal Family. It is by no means an exhaustive account since it begins with the children of George III, the first King to regard Buckingham Palace as his primary home. It continues on to include material associated with the young Queen Victoria, then her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren, and then really concentrates on the childhoods of the present Queen and her descendants, including a few photos of Prince George.There are plenty of pictures of toys and games, doll houses and life size play houses, charmingly awkward handwritten letters from various princes and princesses to their parents signed with their nicknames, artwork created by Queen Victoria depicting her offspring, and the like. It was interesting to see royal thriftiness at work: a toy wheelbarrow being played with by two successive generations, for example. Some elegant royal outfits, some of them handmedowns as well, are also included. Not surprisingly, being raised in a palace is very tradition bound in some ways: a photo of small chairs used by Princes William and Harry and Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie reveals that the boys got bold, primary colors and block printing while the girls had pastels and "frilly" lettering. Schooling is not overlooked: there are some reports from teachers to royal parents about the progress (or lack thereof) of their offspring and photos showing Prince Edward's primary school days in a palace classroom.So this is a pleasant little picture book with minimal text. If you've read many royal biographies you'll be aware that some royals had unhappy childhoods, but when you've looked through this book you'll say "At least they had some nice toys and clothes."

What a gem! I must say when you buy an official book, the first relief is that you would not get factual inaccuracies on the royal family or their history i.e. name spelling, mixed up chronology etc. I've encountered many over the course of my reading life which are extremely IRRITATING. But this is different. Not only are there engaging and touching stories but the accompanied pictures are also very nice and interesting. My favorite is the behavior book of Queen Victoria's children. Another is young Prince Bertie's card to his parent.I might add that I went to the Exhibition at the Buckingham Palace. Totally worth the ticket price (which is quite expensive).

I found this book very enjoyable. The photos and information included give great insight into how children of the Royal Family grew up. Lovely to see photos showing how they also enjoy the "normal" toys like rocking horses etc!

Excellent! Wonderful text and photos. Like all the Royal Collection Trust's books, this is a gem. If you have any interest in royalty, royal children, or our own Queen's childhood, it's a must have,

Fantastic insight into the life of a child in the Royal Family - the ordinary as well as the ceremonial. Would recommend for any royal fan !

Filled with fabulous picture's of the royal family well put together great value for money