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The epic biography of Queen Victoria's five most famous
and powerful granddaughters.
JULIA GELARDI was born in Manila, Philippines, and educated in the United States and Canada. An independent historian and author, she lives with her husband and two daughters in Coquitlam, British Columbia. |
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March 2005 is Women’s History Month Born to Rule Five Reigning Consorts, granddaughters of queen victoria Julia Gelardi "The Excellent Adventures of the Five Royal Cousins: sometimes solemn, sometimes frisky, but always captivating."—Kirkus Reviews "Engaging…lively book…well-told adventures make the recent escapades of the Windsors pale in comparison. Highly recommended."—Library Journal In BORN TO RULE (St. Martin’s Press; March 19, 2005; $29.95 Hardcover; ISBN 0-312-32423-5), a groundbreaking new biography of the granddaughters of Queen Victoria, independent historian and author Julia Gelardi delves into a world of beauty, power, death, and history. Based on extensive research, including letters, memoirs, diplomatic documents, secondary sources, and interviews with descendents of the subjects, BORN TO RULE unravels and interweaves the fascinating stories of these five royal granddaughters. All married to reigning European monarchs, their lives shaped the fate of a continent. Presented are the moving stories of Alexandra, whose enduring love story, controversial faith in Rasputin, and tragic end have become the stuff of legend; Marie, the flamboyant and eccentric queen who battled her way through a life of intrigues and was also the mother of two Balkan queens and of the scandalous Carol II of Romania; Victoria Eugenie, Spain's very English queen who, like Alexandra, introduced hemophilia into her husband's family--with devastating consequences for her marriage; Maud, King Edward VII's daughter, who was independent Norway's reluctant queen; and Sophie, Kaiser Wilhelm II's much maligned sister, daughter of an Emperor and herself the mother of no less than three kings and a queen, who ended her days in bitter exile. Full of tales of betrayal, perseverance, bravery in the face of court and family intrigues, marital discord, and violent death—all against the backdrop of a Europe undergoing massive political and social transformation—BORN TO RULE is a powerful reminder of the lives and times of a unique group of Queen Victoria's descendents.
FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT:
Elizabeth Coxe, Publicist Vicki Lame, Assistant Publicist |
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FACT SHEET Born to Rule Five Reigning Consorts, the Granddaughters of Queen Victoria Julia Gelardi St. Martin’s Press; March 19, 2005; $29.95 hardcover; ISBN 0-312-32423-5 So you marry a prince and live happily ever after with your perfect little princes and princesses in your beautiful palace located in your beloved country that’s filled with adoring peasants, right? Well,what happens to the fairy tale when you almost get blown up on your wedding day, your eldest son and heir makes it a point to make your life miserable, your palace doesn’t even have a toilet, you’re forced to live your life in exile, and your peasants are revolting? On top of all that, you’re stuck in themiddle of the worst war the world has ever witnessed. For these five granddaughters of Queen Victoria, however, scattered across Europe from Spain to Russia, that’s exactly what their fairy tales involved.
For More Information, Please Contact: Elizabeth Coxe, Publicist Vicki Lame, Assistant Publicist |
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Julia Gelardi was granted her Master’s degree
in History (focusing on British foreign policy during the Italo-Abyssinian
crisis of 1936-7) from Simon Fraser University (1998), which has
been consistently ranked as Canada’s top comprehensive university.
As an independent historian, Julia currently specializes in European
royal history encompassing Victorian era to the present and has had
articles published in such journals as Royalty Digest, Atlantis:
In the Courts of Memory, The European Crown, The Imperial Russian
Journal, The Habsburg Quarterly and The European Royal
History Journal. Julia, who is married and the mother of two
daughters, presently resides in Plymouth, MN.
Alexandra of Russia – Having lost her mother
at the age of six, this royal beauty manages to capture the heart of
the Autocrat of all the Russias, Tsar Nicholas II. Yet life at the
more glittering and licentious St. Petersburg court doesn’t exactly
jive with Alexandra’s more prudish English tastes. To escape from
the nattering nobility, Alexandra turns to her family, which has its
own problems when her only son and heir turns out to be a
hemophiliac. Alexandra’s religious nature and motherly concerns
causes her to believe in the mystical powers of a mysterious monk
named Rasputin. And to make matters worse, those pesky peasants she
and the aristocracy ignored now want revolution and Romanov blood.
Marie of Romania
– Royal princesses are usually expected to behave themselves, but
beautiful Marie of Romania was an unusual princess. Forced by her
domineering mother to marry the heir of the Romanian throne, Marie
begins life in Bucharest with a boring husband, a strict uncle, and
a bizarre aunt who takes Marie’s eldest son away from her. But Marie
doesn’t like to give up anything without a fight and so she slowly
begins to win her freedom by having affairs and endearing herself to
the Romanian people. During World War I, her courage and strong will
help save Romania from a few tight situations. It’s just too bad
that Marie can’t save herself from her difficult eldest son, King
Carol. Talk about a dysfunctional family.
Victoria Eugenie of Spain
– Known as ‘Ena’ to her family, Victoria Eugenie, the youngest of
Queen Victoria’s granddaughters, was also a favorite of the old
queen. Ena was also the favorite choice for a bride for Alfonso XIII
of Spain when he came to England looking for a queen to rule by his
side. But Ena’s reign ends almost as soon as it began when a bomb,
hidden in a bouquet, explodes near the royal carriage, just missing
Ena, but drenching her white wedding dress red with blood. Ena gets
on with her duties, however, and manages to bear her husband several
children, except that she transmits the dreaded disease of
hemophilia to two of her sons and another son becomes a deaf mute.
Alfonso doesn’t play the role of supporting husband, taking on a
string of mistresses. Political intrigue plays a part in getting
Ena, Alfonso, and their entire family exiled from Spain.
Sophie of Greece
– Some people have a lot of trouble dealing with their siblings, but
Sophie had to deal with the notorious Kaiser Wilhelm II, her eldest
brother. Life was not so bad when Sophie first married Constantine
of Greece, but after her conversion to Greek Orthodoxy Protestant
Wilhelm threatens to cut her off from her native Germany. The Allies
didn’t care much for Sophie either, or Greece, during World War I,
throwing Sophie and her family into exile. After her son took the
throne and died, Sophie and Constantine return to rule the ecstatic
Greeks. Yet life becomes a Greek tragedy, however, when those
busybody Allies turn on Sophie and Constantine - again!
Maud of Norway – The favorite and
rambunctious daughter of Edward VII of England, Maud loved England
more than her possessive mother loved her children. Maud escapes the
clutches of Motherdear by marrying her cousin, Carl of Denmark. All
Maud wants is the quiet life. Yet she gets more than she bargained
for when Carl gets elected king of a newly independent Norway. Maud
now has to prove herself to the Norwegians, a task she tries to
perform - whenever she isn’t in England, that is.