The Roosevelt and the Royals by Will Swift

Sunday, March 30, 2008

Franklin and Eleanor,
The King and Queen of England, and
The Friendship That Changed History

Challenges:
Back to History
Royalty Rules
"Psychologist Swift is an American royal-watcher and contributor to niche publications devoted to monarchical celebrities. Here he assembles meetings that in various permutations occurred among Eleanor and Franklin Roosevelt, Britain's King George VI and consort Queen Elizabeth, and ancillary members of the four principals' siblings and progeny. He covers a century of chronology, beginning with the youthful Franklin's encounters with British blue bloods and ending with a 2002 trip by Prince Andrew to Roosevelt's Hyde Park home. Prince Andrew went there to commemorate the central event of Swift's compendium, George VI's 1939 visit to the U.S., the public relations highlight of which was Their Majesties' (as Swift loyally denominates his subjects) plebeian consumption of hot dogs. Swift's rendition of that trip captures all details of protocol, whether trumpeted in the press at the time or committed to a diary, and characterizes his presentation of subsequent royal-Roosevelt meet-ups during World War II and afterward. Historical minutiae much of it may be, but Swift's work strikes an undeniably popular chord of interest." Gilbert TaylorCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
The above review pretty much sums up what this book is all about. I felt Swift was overstating the case that the friendship (started over a five-day visit) between the Roosevelts and the Royals changed the course of WWII. It seems like Roosevelt couldn't get Congress to help Britain after the Royals' famous visit to the U.S. in 1939 any better than before. Hitler's mad grab for more territory across Europe is what got things rolling. And the two couples exchanged letters and telegrams, but still . . . There was some fascinating historical tidbits, wonderful details about how royalty really lives, and too many details of FDR's affairs and Eleanor's possible lesbian relationships. The Roosevelts had a truly bizarre relationship and still accomplished some great things in their lifetimes. More inspiring was the relationship between the King and Queen and their subjects. Queen Elizabeth truly deserved her spot as one of England's best-loved figures. Reading about King Edward VII's abdication and how Princess Margaret's relationship with a divorced man was thwarted seems quite humorous when the current heir to the throne not only married a divorced woman but is divorced himself. This book was an interesting look into an past era, no real depth, but I still learned some new things.
Rated: 3.5