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The King is Dead, Long Live the King!

An enthralling account of majesty, mourning and modernity in Edwardian Britain

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The King is Dead, Long Live the King!

By: Martin Williams
Narrated by: Martin Williams
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The fascinating true story of the events surrounding the year 1910 when King Edward VII died, sending shockwaves through Britain.

'I could read Martin Williams all day. This book throws shafts of light on recent history almost repeating itself, giving vivid glimpses into monarchy and the way things were, and are. Compulsory reading.' - DAME JOANNA LUMLEY

'A clear-sighted portrait of the age, deftly drawn, characterful and compelling, this rich and fascinating account of the Edwardian period is as lively and warm as it is painstakingly researched and elegantly written.' - READER REVIEW ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

'Not just beautifully written and informative but entertaining, thought-provoking and, in places, deeply moving (I actually cried!). Highly recommended.' - READER REVIEW ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

'If you're at all interested in British history or various funereal customs, you'll really enjoy this. Even if you're not, it really has a bit of something for everyone and reads so easily.' - READER REVIEW ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Unforgettable as it was, the public response to the death of Queen Elizabeth II in September 2022 was not without precedent. When her great-grandfather King Edward VII - glamorous, cosmopolitan and extraordinarily popular - died in May 1910, the political, social and cultural anxieties of a nation in turmoil were temporarily set aside during a summer of intense and ritualised mourning.

In The King is Dead, Long Live the King! Martin Williams charts a period of tension and transition as one era slipped away and another took shape. Witnessed by a diverse but interconnected cast of characters - crowned heads and Cabinet ministers, debutantes and suffragettes, artists and murderers - here is the swansong of Edwardian Britain. Set against a backdrop of bereavement and parliamentary crisis overshadowed by the gathering clouds of war, we see a people caught between past and future, tradition and modernity, as they unite to bid farewell to a much-loved monarch who had personified his age.

From Buckingham Palace to Bloomsbury, and from the lying-in-state in Westminster Hall to a now legendary Royal Ascot enveloped in black, this is a vivid evocation of a world on the brink of seismic upheaval.

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Critical acclaim for The King is Dead, Long Live the King!

'A social historian and gifted storyteller, Williams is by turns moved and amused as he reflects on the poignancy and rituals of a nation united (pretty much) in grief...' --- The Times

'adroitly-written...[told by Williams] so skilfully, and with such silken prose, that it's a pleasure to spend the time inside his head' --- The Oldie

'delightful details...to rekindle this vanished epoch' --- Country Life

'Vivid, panoramic, skilfully written, this gripping book is an insight into a time and an age'. --- Kate Williams

'Martin Williams has written a fascinating and absorbing account of the Edwardian era, the demise and funeral of the King, and the iconic Black Ascot that followed it. He has brought a lost age grippingly to light'. --- Hugo Vickers

'witty, informative and immensely readable... captures the spirit of the times'. --- Miranda Seymour

'A tour de force'. --- Dr Kate Strasdin

'We tend to think that Cecil Beaton single-handedly invented the Edwardian Age. Martin Williams shows us succinctly and elegantly that perhaps it was the King himself.' --- Nicky Haslam

'... moves with unflagging wit and style. A fresh perspective on a brilliant life and a lost era beautifully evoked, it is impossible not to be swept away by this gem of a book. Pure pleasure.' --- Robin Muir

'a must-have... a wonderful and thought-provoking read.' --- The Historian

'...a book about a changed and changing world trying to cope with even more change...beautifully written [and] timely' --- The Catholic Herald

'...resonates powerfully with our own recent experience of collective mourning...Williams describes the king's gradual demise in evocative detail.' --- Air Mail©2023 Martin Williams 20th Century Europe Great Britain Modern Politics & Activism Royalty War
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I'd like the content of the book but found the reader rather stilted and often the book went off an on a tangent, which I found rather disrupting to the main stotyline.

good historical book

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Very good narration and to someone born in the 1940s a very good look back at how Edward V11s reign for outlasted his actually time on the throne.
His many illicit get accepted affairs only adds to his character, although why he would do that with a beautiful wife as his Queen beats me.
His legacy lasted well into the 20th century, and even his mistress Alice Pebble lives in now through Queen Camilla.
Long are the reaches of history.
A thoroughly enjoyable audio book, and well read by the author.
Thank you.

A Brilliant Insight to a Good King and His Era

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Excellent narrative of Britain in the early C20 especially with regards cultural considerations. Delivery of narration perhaps a little stilted but made up for by subject knowledge.

Read by the author

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This is a fascinating and exciting period of history to me, but the book is ruined by the author’s cold and inexpert narration of his own words, which drop [pause] at irregular intervals [pause] in the middle [pause] , beginning [pause] and end [pause] of every sentence. The effect is like listening to someone who is unfamiliar with his own text.

Ghastly narration by the author

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Too many dates endless dates! Otherwise good plenty of details and Interesting time in history

The title

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