Life in the Georgian Court by Catherine Curzon Book Review




As the glittering Hanoverian court gives birth to the British Georgian era, a golden age of royalty dawns in Europe. Houses rise and fall, births, marriages and scandals change the course of history and in France, Revolution stalks the land. Peep behind the shutters of the opulent court of the doomed Bourbons, the absolutist powerhouse of Romanov Russia and the epoch-defining family whose kings gave their name to the era, the House of Hanover. Behind the pomp and ceremony were men and women born into worlds of immense privilege, yet beneath the powdered wigs and robes of state were real people living lives of romance, tragedy, intrigue and eccentricity. 

Take a journey into the private lives of very public figures and learn of arranged marriages that turned to love or hate and scandals that rocked polite society. Here the former wife of a king spends three decades in lonely captivity, Prinny makes scandalous eyes at the toast of the London stage and Marie Antoinette begins her last, terrible journey through Paris as her son sits alone in a forgotten prison cell.

Life in the Georgian Court is a privileged peek into the glamorous, tragic and iconic courts of the Georgian world, where even a king could take nothing for granted. – From Amazon

Do not be fooled by the title of this book, as perhaps I was, as it covers much more than the Georgian Kings of Great Britain. I am not sure I would’ve gone for a title like this, while including the courts of Russia, France and the likes.

The book itself is divided into several ‘acts’, childhood, marriage, scandal and death and takes us through interesting stories from the Georgian era, like the death of Marie-Antoinette’s daughter, Princess Sophie Hélène Béatrice and the catastrophic marriage between the future George I of Great Britain and Sophia Dorothea of Celle. I had read most of the stories before so perhaps it’s more fun as an introductory read into the era. The style of writing is very fun though, and the author manages to throw in a few jokes. It makes for an easy and enjoyable read.

I did notice a small error, where Caroline of Ansbach is referred to as ‘Charlotte’.

“Life in the Georgian Court” by Catherine Curzon is available now in the UK and will be available in the US on 14 September 2016.






About Moniek Bloks 2854 Articles
My name is Moniek and I am from the Netherlands. I began this website in 2013 because I wanted to share these women's amazing stories.

4 Comments

  1. Thats is so cool. My fifth great grandfather married a Anne Curzon. His name was Henry Pye, he married secondly, Anne Bathurst, she is my 5th great grandmother. She was the sister of the first Earl Bathurst..

      • Wow, I wasn’t expecting this. I was wondering if you are related to her somehow. She died in childbirth in Faringdon, Berkshire. That is all I know about her. He has a memorial plaque for her in the church there..I am trying to find this book so I can read it. Thanks for responding to my comment!

        • It’s a pleasure to say hello! I’m a Curzon by marriage and my FIL has done a lot of work building up the family tree. So far he’s made it back to the 18th century (sadly we can’t lay claim to Kedleston Hall 😉 ); I shall ask him if he has come across Anne! Do find me on Facebook (www.facebook.com/madamegilflurt) if you have any trouble locating the book, and I shall point you in the right direction.

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