Ok Treat-A-Weekers, who else is still basking in the feel good afterglow of the modern royal nuptials of Meghan and Harry??

I rose at 4:30 am this past Saturday (I was fasting for Ramadan too so this is not quite as crazy as it sounds because I had to eat breakfast before sunrise).  I padded around in my PJs, baked fresh muffins for my teen and her two friends who spent the night, made fruit salad and of course, and sipped a cup of tea while being glued to the telly (as the Brits say) and Facebook (thanks Emily) for all the coverage and commentary about the big day.  To say that I was transfixed by the excitement, beauty and love evident at the latest English Royal wedding would be an understatement.  An American, biracial, divorcee, actress and feminist Meghan Markle marrying England’s notorious royal bad boy turned man socially conscious rebel, Harry? Unprecedented.  But besides those groundbreaking qualities shaking up the royal status quo, the couple’s obvious, adoring, heart-melting, chemistry and love for each other was truly something to behold.

That said, I’ve always been fascinated by the English Royal family. Don’t get me wrong, I take issue with its colonialist history but then again I take issue with plenty of aspects of other countries’ histories and leadership choices too.  I still remembering waking up to watch Prince Charles and Lady Di’s wedding at the age of 8 in my family’s red robin wallpaper-ed kitchen.  Leading up to that wedding, I had borrowed or purchased every magazine or book of photographs of Princess Diana I could get my hands on and watched all the made-for-TV movies about their courtship.  Even though the Charles and Diana fairy tale turned out to be anything but, I still followed Diana and her sons and rooted for their happiness.  And I know I am not alone – there is something endlessly engaging about the British Royal Family for many of us – the history, the beauty, the style, the customs, the family drama, the danger, the pageantry, the grandeur of it all–it’s magical, engrossing and a treat to behold…at least from afar.  Below find my picks for my favorite English royalty related things to read and watch.  And no, I am not including the Crown as: 1) it’s too mainstream; and 2) shockingly, I haven’t gotten that into it – yet.

Books

The American Heiress by Daisy Goodwin

So, this book isn’t really about British Royalty [although the then Prince of Wales does make an appearance]; It is about an enigmatic English Duke and an obscenely wealthy, American socialite from Newport, Rhode Island who travels across the pond with her title-seeking mother to swap some American wealth for a place among the English aristocracy.  I devoured this book when I read it years ago as I loved the snarky witticisms from both the American debutante main character, Cora, and the Brits including the sardonic yet compelling Duke of Wareham known as Maltravers (or Ivo as he is called by those in the inner circle).  Cora and Ivo also have chemistry but it’s not obvious if they would be good for each other and he is quite the man of mystery…I like a love story with some challenges. Additionally, the settings of Gilded Age (1870s – 1900) Newport, Rhode Island and Dorset, England are sumptuous, and the main and side characters in this story are richly drawn and memorable.  A yummy, transportive read with romance, a little suspense, beauty and great characters, who could ask for more?

The Royal We by Heather Cocks and Jessica Morgan

So this book is basically Wills and Kate fan fiction (there is even a red haired, rebellious younger brother in the book) and is nowhere close to literature, but that said it is a really fun read if you are into the Royals.  The premise: an American twin enrolls at Oxford College and ends up living in the same dorm as the future King of England.  The American, Bex, (short for Rebecca) meets Nick (Prince Nicholas, more formally), of course not knowing he is the future King, the first day she rolls up waterlogged and rained on to her dorm/house. Nick answers the door (preposterous), helps her with her luggage (preposterous x 2) and a budding romance develops as the two binge watch TV on her sofa until the world gets wind of the relationship.  Various friends and exes of Nick and Bex meddle in their relationship intentionally and unintentionally, but the journey of the two college sweethearts along with their crowd of friends/characters, the parties and palaces, and the glitz and glamour make this the perfect post Meghan/Harry wedding blues binge read.

Movies

Elizabeth (Cate Blanchett, Joseph Fiennes, 1998, R)

I’ve seen a lot of movies about English Kings and Queens and this one is my absolute favorite. If you haven’t seen it yet, it is a must watch.  The movie takes some liberties and is not all that historically accurate, but it is an exciting portrayal of what it may have been like for young Elizabeth when she was first finding her footing as Queen after being incarcerated for conspiracy by her half-sister Queen Mary of Guise prior to Mary’s death.  When Elizabeth ascends the throne, she inherits a country with treacherous nobles, crippling debt, and volatile foreign relations with neighboring countries.  Her male advisors push her to marry and have an heir to secure her rule, but Elizabeth instead embarks on a “secret” relationship with Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester (Joseph Fiennes).  Murder plots, love triangles, and the struggle to secure her position as a strong albeit single female monarch make this movie well worth watching when you are looking for something to get lost in.

Television

Victoria on Masterpiece (Jenna Coleman, PBS, Seasons 1 & 2)

So, I was never a particular fan of Queen Victoria as a Royal (perhaps because she was the monarch during the height of the British colonization of India), but that being said, this series which airs on PBS about the young Victoria and her first days as a monarch, reeled me in.  She, like Elizabeth, was encouraged to marry and have heirs to secure her role and rule, but unlike Elizabeth, Victoria chose to do so. That choice, of Albert, a German Prince for her husband and giving birth to 9 children over the course of 17 years, very much colored and defined the manner in which she ruled.  I enjoyed watching her come into her own as a monarch on the show, but I enjoyed watching her relationship in season 1 with the dashing Prime Minister of England, Lord Melbourne, unfold even more.  NB: Daisy Goodwin, the author of The American Heiress, is the screenwriter for this show, yet  another reason behind its appeal.

Hope you found something that royally delights above and until next Monday…

Yours truly,

M