Book description
With King George III under lock and key suffering from perceived
insanity and the Prince Regent in ill health, all eyes are on the
Regent's pregnant daughter. Unfortunately, the unthinkable happens and
both Charlotte and her baby die in childbirth, leaving the age old
problem of succession. For though King George III has many children,
all are middle-aged and none have legitimate heirs to secure the
Hanoverian dynasty.
The death of Charlotte causes a sudden enthusiasm for marriage among
the sons of George III, as they compete to have children and secure
their line of succession. William marries Adelaide of Saxe-Coburg
Meiningen while Edward marries Victoria Mary Louisa of
Saxe-Saalfeld-Coburg. Another son, Ernest, is already married and he
too hopes to be the one to provide necessary children. King George
dies, to be replaced by an ailing George IV, and Edward and Victoria
succeed in having a daughter, also named Victoria. She waits patiently
to become Queen, avoiding the plots, intrigue and danger that threaten
to prevent her reaching maturity.
Jean Plaidy, one of the preeminent authors of historical fiction for
most of the twentieth century, is the pen name of the prolific English
author Eleanor Hibbert, also known as Victoria Holt. Jean Plaidy's
novels had sold more than 14 million copies worldwide by the time of her
death in 1993.
