Book News
Book News Week 32
*contains affiliate links* Book News Week 32 – 3 August – 9 August 2026 Eleanor: A 200-Mile Walk in Search of England’s Lost Queen Paperback – 6 August 2026 (UK)
must read
Japan
Setsuko, Princess Chichibu – “An average, ordinary girl” (Part one)
Setsuko Matsudaira was born on 9 September 1909 as the daughter of Tsuneo Matsudaira and Nobuko Nabeshima. The future Princess was born in Walton-on-Thames, England, as her father was an attaché to the Japanese embassy in London. Setsuko’s family was closely related to several prestigious families in Japan, but she was officially considered a commoner. [read more]
Royal Jewels
Queen Maud’s Diamond Tiara
Queen Maud’s Diamond Tiara was brought into the Norwegian royal family by Princess Maud of Wales. Princess Maud married the future King Haakon VII of Norway in 1896. The diamond tiara was a wedding present for the future Queen of Norway. The tiara’s base is a diamond bandeau, with a level of diamond floral elements. [read more]
Alice of the United Kingdom
Book Review: The Lives and Deaths of the Princesses of Hesse by Frances Welch
*contains affiliate links* The Princesses of Hesse were the five daughters of Princess Alice of the United Kingdom, a daughter of Queen Victoria, and Louis IV, Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rhine: Victoria, Elizabeth, Irene, Alix and Marie. Following the deaths of young Marie and their mother Alice of diphtheria in 1878, Queen Victoria [read more]
Belgium
Joséphine of Belgium – From commoner to Princess
Princess Joséphine O’Hare de Saxe-Cobourg, Princess of Belgium, is one of the lesser-known Princesses of Belgium. She became a Princess only in 2020 after her mother won a court case. Princess Joséphine was born on 17 October 2003 as the daughter of Delphine Boël, now known as Princess Delphine, and her partner, the Irish-American James [read more]
France
Women who were passed over – France (Part one)
The Kingdom of France, with Charles the Bald as its first King, has never had a woman rule as Queen in her own right, although it has known several female regents. The Kingdom operated under salic law, which barred women from the throne. If we assume absolute primogeniture at any point, how many women missed [read more]