Georgian Queens

by Laura Purcell 2 books in this series

The Georgian Queens novels place royal women at the centre of Britain's Hanoverian monarchy. Queen of Bedlam follows Queen Charlotte and her daughters as George III's illness turns family life into a constitutional crisis. Mistress of the Court moves back to the Hanoverian accession, tracing Henrietta Howard and Caroline of Ansbach as they navigate marriage, patronage and the rivalry between George I and the future George II.

Rather than treating court politics as a sequence of ministerial decisions, the series examines how dynastic power operated through households, marriages and personal dependence. The women around the Hanoverian kings possess status and influence but remain constrained by reputation, inheritance and male authority, making private relationships inseparable from the political survival of the dynasty.

Reading order

Books in this series (2 books)

1. Queen of Bedlam

Laura Purcell

First published 2014

3.9(318)

London, 1788. Queen Charlotte has spent nearly three decades building a disciplined royal household around George III and their large family. When the king suffers a terrifying mental collapse, private distress becomes a constitutional emergency. Charlotte must protect her husband, her children and the monarchy while…

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2. Mistress of the Court

Laura Purcell

First published 2015

4.0(205)

Henrietta Howard arrives in Hanover determined to escape an abusive marriage and secure a place in the household of the dynasty that is about to inherit the British throne. Her intelligence and self-command win the confidence of Caroline of Ansbach, but they also attract Caroline's husband,…

Amazon