Later Plantagenet and the Wars of the Roses Consorts: Power, Influence, and Dynasty, edited by Aidan Norrie, Carolyn Harris, J.L. Laynesmith, Danna R. Messer and Elena Woodacre has been reviewed by Michelle L. Beer in the latest issue of the Royal Studies Journal.
“As an introduction to queenship during this period and recent scholarship, the biographical chapters will be useful to scholars looking to begin or brush up their learning about medieval queens. For those looking to pursue the topic further, the themes, connections, and arguments in the articles noted above might serve to provoke new lines of inquiry and inspire the next generation of queenship studies.” – Michelle Beer, The Royal Studies Journal
“As well as the introductory and concluding chapters, Carolyn Harris provides vital contextual chapters for each section that highlights the similarities and differences between each consort and emphasises the value of bringing these individuals together in one volume…Carolyn Harrisâs final chapter then looks to the present and future by drawing on the legacies of previous consorts to contextualise the roles of Camilla Shand and Catherine Middleton. The inclusion of the latter, in anticipation of her future role as queen consort, is welcome and will hopefully serve as a basis for future academic study. This collection builds a clear picture of the changes that have occurred within the monarchy since the eighteenth-century. It is a highly valuable collection, one which has broken ground for future research in eminently interesting and often understudied consorts.”
âOne of Palgrave Macmillanâs latest publications in the series âQueenship and Powerâ is a four-volume collection called English Consorts: Power, Influence, and Dynasty (Palgrave Macmillan, 2023), edited by Aidan Norrie, Carolyn Harris, J. L. Laynesmith, Danna R. Messer, and Elena Woodacre, all of whom possess impeccable credentials in queenship and royal studies. The collection features individual biographies of all English and British consorts since England fell to the Normans in 1066. This book, Later Plantagenet and the Wars of the Roses Consorts: Power, Influence, and Dynasty, is the second volume of the collectionâŚthe generally excellent quality of its biographical chapters ⌠[mean] this volume and the English Consorts: Power, Influence, and Dynasty series are a most welcome addition to royal studies.â â Michele Seah, Parergon, Volume 40, Number 2
Hanoverian to Windsor Consorts: Power, Influence and Dynasty, edited by Aidan Norrie, J.L. Laynesmith, Danna R. Messer, Elena Woodacre and myself is now available in hardcover and e-book from Palgrave Macmillan. The book includes new research and perspectives on all the consorts to the Hanoverian, Saxe-Coburg and Gotha and Windsor monarchs in Britain and the Commonwealth, examining three hundred years of royal history. I wrote the introduction to the volume and introductions to the sections on Hanoverian and Windsor Consorts as well as the final chapter about Camilla, Catherine and the future of the role of the royal consort.
A Resilient Crown: Canada’s Monarchy at the Platinum Jubilee, edited by D. Michael Jackson and Christopher McCreery (Toronto: Dundurn Press, 2022) is now available for purchase. This book of essays about the Crown in Canada over the past seventy years includes a chapter that I wrote about Royal Tours of Canada in the Reign of Queen Elizabeth II.
