Princes at War

The British Royal Family’s Private Battle in the Second World War

In 1936, with his older brother on the point of abdication, a terrified Prince Albert had cried on his mother’s shoulder. How could a man be king – perhaps even a war time leader – whose stuttering speeches marked him out as unfit to rule? The whole country would see him make a fool of himself. He knew he couldn’t do it.

If the new king, George VI, couldn’t trust himself, nor could he trust his brothers. While his two younger brothers seemed unable to step up to the mark, his older brother, the charismatic ex-king, would not step back. Now known as the Duke of Windsor, he did all he could to outshine George VI from overseas, even on the brink of war.

With all hell let lose across the channel in 1940 and France close to defeat, the king had to appoint as prime minister the very man he most had reason to doubt: Churchill. Bombs were falling on the east coast of England when reports came in from all quarters:

The ex-king of England had disappeared.

Soon Churchill brought news of shocking British intelligence about the ex-king. Was the king’s own brother a traitor?

Drawing on newly declassified files and the king’s own War Diary, Princes at War explores how the king came to trust Churchill like a brother, while the ex-king became a stranger, a brother in name only, accused of the ultimate treachery. Through the trials of Britain’s finest hour, would George VI would be transformed into the king the country needed?

Media

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Deborah talking about Princes at War to Bridget Osbourne at The Chiswick Calendar).

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Reviews

‘One of the most riveting tales of the nonfiction season, rendered with novelistic drama but deliberate detachment. The inner tensions of the palace during wartime and the inner tensions of a remarkable family make for one of the best, and ultimately most uplifting, stories of the war years…A gripping account of love and war at this most perilous passage in modern European history. The book gets a significant boost from material mined from a newly discovered collection of records, newly opened documents at the Public Records Office, American intelligence logs, and the war diary of George VI’ The Boston Globe

‘Right from the opening vignette of the 1936 abdication, I was absorbed into a world of jealousy and back-biting but also loyalty, courage and sacrifice…What makes this biography so extraordinary is that Cadbury has carefully plotted a timeline, placing each person, and each event in context, building a clear, concise and riveting web of stories into a wondrous book’ Maclean’s

Deborah Cadbury combines the family drama against the backdrop of the war with terrific narrative verve…the contrast between the two brothers, one dutiful and earnest, struggling to deal with the responsibilities that had been forced on him, the other blithe and solipsistic, is drawn with great dramatic effect in Princes at War. The Times

“Impeccably researched, and written with all the brio and understanding of a major historical novel, Princes at War takes us intimately and even shockingly into the human dynamics of a barely functional family at the time of our greatest peril.” David Kynaston, Author, Family Britain, & Austerity Britain

Deborah Cadbury has written a moving and deeply researched account of the relationship between the royal brothers who were at the heart of history before and during the Second World War. Her story is gripping, illuminating and generous in its recognition of the central, dramatic role of the monarchy in Britain’s finest years, and particularly the quiet heroism of King George VI, William Shawcross, Author, The Queen Mother.

A thrilling account…. Cadbury artfully captures the exhilaration of Operation Dynamo at Dunkirk…the devastation of the London blitz, and the suspenseful planning and execution of the Normandy invasion. Her nuanced exploration of the king’s reticent temperament and the psychic toll taken by his many troubles creates a fuller picture of the man, who was destined to lead during a “spectacular downfall” in British power. Publisher’s Weekly

‘Meticulous and measured analysis of the Windsor saga…Hovering over the drama is the question of whether the Windsors endangered the monarchy itself at a perilous time in history. The strenuous attempts to suppress sensitive files touching on the collaboration between the Windsors and the Nazis reveal the anxieties at the heart of the British establishment…Ms Cadbury deftly weaves the stories of the royal dukes into the unfolding national crisis as appeasement gives way to war…[she]covers the war years – Dunkirk, the Blitz, the Normandy invasion – in moving detail  The Wall Street Journal.

Does the author provide a fresh and original view of the Duke of Windsor? Slightly to my surprise, my answer to this question must be “Yes”…Princes at War is a well-researched and entertaining account of a particularly poignant period in history…Cadbury writes uncommonly well’ Philip Ziegler, The Telegraph.

‘This is a highly readable and finely written account of the drama which threatened to bring King and country crashing down… cleverly unveiling in much detail the deep anguish of the brothers.  Only Bertie emerges as hero’ The Express

‘What happened next? After the Abdication of Edward VIII, the crown passed to his reluctant and painfully shy younger brother, George, and the royal ‘firm’ was faced with the task of putting together again the shattered shards of monarchy. This was no easy task given the disparate personalities and life styles of the royal brothers as this fascinating, detailed and often surprising book reveals.’ Juliet Gardiner, Author, War time: Britain 1939-1945 

In Princes at War Cadbury has written a dependable account, maintaining a nice balance between the lives of her four subjects and the bigger picture…Cadbury draws a touching picture of Logue’s silent and sympathetic presence, standing beside the terrified king as he prepares to make his broadcasts to the nation. The Daily Mail

‘Princes at War is a gripping account of a royal family at war and the lasting consequences of the conflict for the modern monarchy.’ Carolyn Harris, Royal Historian

‘A stellar work of popular history…dramatic, inspiring and highly readable’ Winnipeg Free Press

A spirited historical lesson (that traces how the fallout from the abdication crisis of Edward VIII in 1936 ultimately aided England in its finest hour… Wonderfully sympathetic to George VI in his defining moments (while excoriating the Windsors)), Cadbury weaves an engaging portrait of a king resigned to his fate yet honorably resolute… A lively tale of monarchical machinations, more familiar to American readers since The King’s Speech. Kirkus Reviews