Author featured in Jane Austen's Regency World - December 2022, A Royal Scandal

Jane Austen's Regency World

If you're a fan of historical fiction, this book is not to be missed. Fans of Margaret George and similar authors will delight in this book's conversational and easy style. It is filled to the brim with tidbits and facts but is told as if you were sitting in a coffee shop with an old friend sharing stories. The book is long but seems to fly by. I had put this off until I had time to really absorb myself into it, but now I'm regretting letting it go for so long. Pick it up!

NetGalley, Jennifer Crumbling

Favorite Quote: "The life of Princess Amelia was agonizingly short and for one who lived with such determination, at the end of her life, she simply faded away."

Summary: The six princess daughters of King George III and Queen Charlotte all shared a longing for escape. A mad father and a domineering mother kept the six princesses from achieving their potential as the most eligible daughters in the world. Lives lived in isolation dashed with dashing equerries, clandestine marriage, and rumors of a scandalous pregnancy. A tale of princesses trying to be seen as women in their own right.

Review: What made this historical biography easy to connect to and get invested in was Curon’s casual, almost chatty, way of presenting history. This biography read like a gossip conversation, and this lent itself to the content very well. I did struggle to remember who was who when referenced, but this could be an impairment on my part due to being a beginner in European history. Curzon really made it easy to empathize with the princesses and see them as actual humans. What I admired most was the clear care with which Curzon regarded the woman and girls she was writing about. A fascinating glimpse into these mysterious and elusive Royals. I hope to read more from Curzon!

NetGalley, Tate Cochran

Interesting look at the lives of the daughters of George III. It was well-researched and the writing was easy to digest and entertaining. Learned a lot from this book.

NetGalley, Nicole Kiers

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and loved the fact that Catherine uses her lively and chatty style to relate the lives of the six princesses which also makes this book extremely enjoyable and fun to read.

Read the full review here

Where There's Ink There's Paper

In The Daughters of George III, Curzon presents the biographies of each sister in turn, relating not only the facts of their lives, but also the influences royal history had upon each, putting them into context for the reader in a way that brings each of the princesses vividly to life. Curzon’s latest title will make a useful and welcome addition to any Georgian library.

Kristine Hughes Patrone, The Waterloo Association

Any royal history reader will love this book. Thoroughly researched with lots of interesting the bits I can't wait to read more from the author.

NetGalley, Shelly Myers

Catherine Curzon features as historian in following articles;

What Netflix's 'Bridgerton' Got Right (And Very Wrong) About The Regency Era

Bridgerton: Was Lady Whistledown a real person? Meet the real-life gossip columnist

Which real character inspired the mysterious Lady Whistledown from the series Bridgerton?

In the mood of the Bridgerton series, find out how gossip columns came about

The Bridgertons: The True Story That Inspired Lady Whistledown

Which real character was the inspiration for the story of Lady Whistledown in Bridgerton?

She really existed: The historical character that ‘The Bridgertons’ have been inspired by to create Lady Whistledown

Who was really Lady Whistledown? The woman behind the 'The Bridgertons' social gossip sheet

‘Bridgerton,’ the new Netflix series from Shonda Rhimes, has renewed interest in the British royal family’s possible African ancestry

History’s Real-Life Lady Whistledown Revealed

The Bridgertons: the mysteries about the character that inspired the gossipy Lady Whistledown

Elle Australia, Express, La Vanguardia, Metropoles, Cultura Ocio, Sinembargo, Antenna 3, El Espanol, Washington Post, Southern Living and Clarin

Catherine Curzon features as historian in YouTube video Bridgerton is a Fan Fiction About Today

The Take

Review by Misty Urban

Though meant for a general audience, the volume provides a useful summary for scholars and an illuminating look, for readers of historical fiction, at what life was like for royal women in the later Georgian court. Recommended.

Click here for the full review

Historical Novel Society

Other that knowing that King George III was the ruling monarch when the US gained their independence, I had very little knowledge about King George, Queen Charlotte, or their (very very large) brood of children before reading this book. This book goes into detail of King George III's six daughters: Charlotte, Augusta, Elizabeth, Mary, Sophia, and Amelia. It starts with their births and follows each of them until they pass away. It's very informative and gives a lot of insight into what it was like as the child of a ruling monarch during that time.

NetGalley, Nicole Stinchcomb

As featured on Lil's Vintage World

Lil's Vintage World

Author cover feature article, A Royalty of Princesses, as featured by

Jane Austen’s Regency World magazine, January/February 2021

Taken from the review by Jocelyn Bury

Lively, touching, sometimes scandalous biography of George III’s six daughters.

Jane Austen’s Regency World magazine, January/February 2021

In the dying years of the eighteenth century, the corridors of Windsor echoed to the sounds of six princesses. Charlotte, Augusta, Elizabeth, Mary, Sophia and Amelia the daughters of Queen Charlotte. Longing to escape, these girls were cosseted largely due to the illness of King George III. These were all eligible young women, their fathers illness though influenced their lives and events that they had to endure. This is the story of their family lives, the ups and downs.

I must admit that I went into this not really thinking I would enjoy it, whilst I had previously learnt quite a bit about the four Georges, quite wrongly I assumed as I had never really heard a lot about the daughters they wouldn’t have such interesting lives. I admit I was very wrong indeed, this book is a well written, very well researched and a good easy read. This book was a very interesting read about various relationships with each other as sisters, but also brothers, their mother and their ill father. I shows how they got on some well, some not so well but also how their mother overly cosseted them and the relationship of having to deal with a sick father. This is a very interesting read, well written by the author Catherine Curzon, it was nice to read another side to the ‘story’ and has opened up another avenue to explore. I highly recommend this book to everyone.

5 stars

Read the full review here

UK Historian

Catherine Curzon features as historian in Bridgerton, Lady Whistledown, and the Secret History of High-Society Gossip article as featured by

Town & Country

This book provides an in-depth look at each of George III’s six daughters’ lives. Well researched this book was quite the intriguing read. The author supports her narrative with fascinating tidbits and quotes which makes it all the more interesting and adds a personal touch. A short, quick flowing read this is a great informative read for history lovers.

NetGalley, Vonda Svara

Chosen as one of the Best 3 History Books of the Year by hisdoryan blogger

hisdoryan, History Blogger

I have just watched a programme about Elizabeth II and her sister Margaret which featured Windsor Castle in all its glory - no wonder it's the Queen's favourite residence! I mention this only because the blurb comments on the six daughters of George III running amok in the castle, and I couldn't help but picture them in my mind's eye. Catherine's account of the six girls is terrific, and offers new information on how they tried to make their way in a rapidly changing world.

Books Monthly

It has become more common to look at the lives of the women who were part of the European royalty than in the past. This book, The Daughters of George III: Sisters and Princess by Catherine Curzon looks at the lives of the six daughters of George III of Great England and his wife, Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz: Charlotte, Augusta, Elizabeth, Mary, Sophia, and Amelia. The author first tells the reader about their parents and what their childhood routine would have looked like. Then the next six parts are dedicated to the lives of one of the princesses. Curzon does a great job of bringing the personality of each princess to life. You get a good portrait of young women trying to live their own lives while their father goes mad and their overbearing mother tries to keep them under her wing even into adulthood... I'd recommend this book to those interested in European royalty and history.

NetGalley, Justin Staley

Interesting, almost juicy account of the lives of George III’s daughters. Well-researched and put together by a biographer who is obviously very invested in her subject

NetGalley, Karen Meeus

Very interesting book with a lot of insight into Georges daughters. I read this over a few weeks as I wanted to really take in what I was reading in chunks and it was very enjoyable, I love history and all it has to tell me and teach me and so this was a breath of fresh air!

NetGalley, Louise Corrigan

I was drawn to this as I am a history fan and this and the subjects were ones I had no knowledge of.

I knew George III had lots of children but had no knowledge of most of them - this was illuminating and sad in equal measure.

If you are interested in history this is a great one.

NetGalley, Maria Martignetti

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

I know very little about the children of George III (except the Prince Regent) so I found this book an interesting and enjoyable introduction to his 15 children. This books focuses on his daughters but we do learn about their relationships with their brothers. Despite being princesses, the six women did not have the happiest of lives. Not only did they have their father's deteriorating mental illness to deal with but also with a demanding and, often, manipulative mother who restricted their freedom. This is a well researched book and very useful for anyone interested in the Georgian period.

NetGalley, Jen Lynch

Sad lives, for the most part. So complicated. I had no idea King George the 3rd had so many children. But what a clan.The princes were real pieces of work. And so many health issues among all of the children. Just sad. it was a very informative book and those interested in the Royals will enjoy it.

NetGalley, Catherine Hankins

Curzon’s book provides an in-depth look at each of George III’s six daughters’ lives in turn. She begins with a description of their births and childhood before moving into an examination of each daughter in turn. As is to be expected with royal biographies, this book is full of scandals and rumours, despite the cloistered nature of the daughters’ lives. The six daughters were born in two distinct groups of three, separated by a number of years. The fact that all six of them survived into adulthood is not unsurprising, as they were all born in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth century...the book was clearly very well researched and was an enjoyable read.

NetGalley, Émilie Weidl

"The Daughters of George III" gives readers familiar with King George and his sons a different take on the royal family. While the Prince Regent (George IV) and his brothers are (in)famous for their bad behavior, illegal marriages, drinking, gambling, and every other sort of scandal it was humanly possible to cause, most people don't read much about their 6 sisters. Princesses Charlotte, Augusta, Elizabeth, Mary, Sophia, and Amelia led very different lives from their brothers and had very different relationships with their parents. Catherine Curzon does an excellent job of looking behind the throne to show readers an intimate, and stifling, family portrait. All were beloved by their father, and his episodes of insanity were to mark each daughter's life in different ways. It was fascinating to read how different the sisters' lives were- not only from their brothers, but from other women and other royals of the time. Cloistered away by an emotionally controlling (some might say today, abusive) mother and watching their father fade away, these were women who fought back against restrictions of their society and their mother. Geniuses in the arts had any of them been able to pursue music, or art as a career, only a few of the sisters managed to escape home and marry.

Curzon's light style of writing and tongue-in-cheek method of storytelling make "The Daughters of George III" both memorable and quick, easy reading. A book perfect for those who know nothing about the King and his daughters or those who think they know it all, this is a great glimpse into some little celebrated women's lives.

NetGalley, Anne Morgan

Very enjoyable. In the past, I had read about the daughters in Princesses by Flora Fraser and enjoyed it. That gave me some kind of background for this book, but I enjoyed it a lot more. It starts off with a general info of birth order and those things of them in the nursery, then each princesses gets a separate part. It wasn't a lengthy dive into their lives and every minute detail of it, but it was very good at giving me a general basis. Yet again, another book I'd like to own from this publisher!

NetGalley, Caidyn Young

What an awful mother the six daughters of King George III had! Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz hadn’t been a loving mother when they were young, and she only got worse.
The girls were raised to be the very model of marriageable young ladies, but their parents tried to keep them cloistered. The eldest was allowed to marry when she was still young enough to bear children, but after a stillborn, she never had another child. Two of her sisters married too late to conceive. None of the princesses became mothers, although one sister may have had an illegitimate child.
As their father descended into madness and their mother demanded they stay close and under her control, they longed to escape their nunnery. Charlotte didn’t hesitate to manipulate them into doing her will, and staged tantrums when they dared to push her boundaries.
Princesses Charlotte and Elizabeth managed to marry German royalty and found happiness in their new homes. Mary married a duke, but while it got her out of the palace, it wasn’t a good match. Augusta, Sophia, and Amelia longed for marriages with men too far below their rank. These six daughters were intelligent and talented, but their lives were wasted and mostly unfulfilled.
An interesting, yet disturbing story.

NetGalley, Terri Wangard

This was not my first book on the six princess, however, I still enjoyed learning about their their lives and complications they encountered. Ms Curzon adapts a chatty style for telling the tales and not a scholarly language, which means that this non-fiction reads smoothly and is written in a way accessible to all readers. Moreover, this book can be treated as an introduction to the family life of George, Charlotte and their children, and is a good starting point for further studies should any of the characters become particulalry interesting.
I especially appreciated the focus on the tight-knit family relations between the parents and their multiple offspring and among the sisters. It is interesting that despite royal blood their were brought up like average children, which was rather unorthodox in that period.

NetGalley, Beata B. Reviewer

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

The Daughters of George III is a revealing look at the six princesses of England. It offers an indepth look at each of the their lives. Admittedly it's easy to get confused and mired down in names and titles and sometimes the author veers off into side stories. I thought only one had married, but three daughters managed to escape their limited life under Queen Charlotte. One has to feel sorry for these women who has so few choices as a royal. Curzon offers a sympathetic view of the six sisters.

NetGalley, Janilyn Kocher

I really enjoyed this look into the lives of the daughters of George III. This was an insightful overview into princesses who are often overlooked in favor of their niece, Queen VIctoria.

NetGalley, Melisa Safchinsky

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

I am very interested in the Georgians, specifically in George III's family. We tend to get a lot of the Prince Regent and a lot of Prince Edward via Victoria, but that's about it- I'm always happy to see his other children featured. This book is quite interesting, and would be a good read for anyone unfamiliar with his daughters.

NetGalley, Jessica Storoschuk

Solid crash course for some royal lives and a generally quick read - good choice for someone interested in an overview of these Princesses' lives.

NetGalley, Courtney Beresheim

As someone who's interested in British history but not very familiar with the details of George III's reign, this book was a great primer about what was going on behind the palace doors. It was interesting to learn more about the princesses, especially their upbringings and thwarted love lives.

NetGalley, Valerie Falkow

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

As someone who's read about mad king George and Prinny on numerous occasions, I was still quite ignorant regarding the rest of the family so jumped at the opportunity to read more about them, and this book didn't disappoint. It is laid out really well, starting by showing how the children were brought up and age differences etc, then it branched out to looking at each daughters life in turn, which was great as it allows the reader to follow along easily without getting muddled as to where each was up to which would've happened if the book was in chronological order telling all the stories simultaneously. I gobbled up this book in 1 afternoon, but apparently I am a quick reader and often finish a book in half the time of family and friends so don't think this is a short book. As someone who reads many non fiction historical novels and magazines etc, I can honestly say this way well written and researched, and very enjoyable. I would highly recommend this book and will be looking out for further books from this author.

NetGalley, Saffron Melnyk

I was pleased to receive this book for early review and found that it did not disappoint all of the hopes and expectations I had before reading it! Having always been fascinated by royal lives and the "behind the scenes look" into such fascinating individuals, I devoured this book quite quickly. I particularly enjoyed how each daughter was discussed individually and I was able to learn a lot more about each girl that I previously had heard or read very little about. This book is obviously well researched and it is written in a way that is appealing and easy to read. I recommend this to the fullest!

NetGalley, Larinda Agee

This book will open your eyes to what really went on with these demure, rosy-cheeked women.

Read the full review here

Love British History

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

I love to find out about the unsung women of history, and I enjoyed this account of the lives of the daughters of George III. Each princess is dealt with in turn, and it's fascinating to find out the different challenges each one experiences throughout their lives, which often took very different turns. The writing style is informal and at times, funny - I would have loved to have seen more descriptions of the scenes but I think that's just personal preference. Very interesting to find out more about these ladies, and there's definitely a lot here to learn, especially if you're interested in women's history.

NetGalley, Jo Romero

Mad King George III and his wife, Charlotte, had 15 children - 6 of them daughters. Educated and trained to be married to royalty, they were for the most part instead confined to stay with their mother, and only allowed to be married much later in life. They still managed to find their own particular talents and occasionally to create their own happiness - or scandal. This is an overview of the lives of the six girls, with additional information on their brothers and parents. Very informative, and a pretty quick read. I knew nothing about this family, for the most part, so I found it interesting, if not completely riveting. I particularly enjoyed learning more about King George himself. If you like British history, or the history of royals, then you should enjoy this book. Many thanks to Netgalley and Pen and Sword History for the e-arc. I always enjoy learning something new! 4 stars.

NetGalley, Lori Hardy

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Rarely is enough attention given to royal ladies, particularly when they are dwarfed by a father who suffered from a debilitating mental illness and a slew of havoc wreaking brothers! While some might argue that the daughters of George III are.....'just not that interesting'.....I beg to differ.

The power behind Curzon's biographies of the princesses lies in the fact that they were never truly allowed to reach their full potential due to the nature of their upbringing and their tyrannical royal parents. As a reader, we are provided with glimpses of the women whom they perhaps could have become if they were actually allowed to naturally grow into their talents. Instead, we are presented with delicious scandal and heartbreaking monotony in the ways in which the princesses attempt to rebel and carve out a little slice of life that can simply be their own.

Taking you through the trajectory of each royal daughter, Catherine Curzon manages to draw the reader in quite masterfully.

NetGalley, Sydney Harper

A wonderfully detailed and well researched book filled with stories of Royal life in Georgian days. I would strongly recommend it to anybody that loves a trip through history! The sisters’ stories will entrance you.

NetGalley, Linda Clark

This is a really enjoyable read and introduction into the lives of the six daughters of George III.

The writing style is informal and chatty which works well when exploring what is known about the princesses and their (mostly) private lives, particularly the gossip that surrounded them at the time!

A section is devoted to each Princess, providing an overview of their entire life. Impressively, the book remains quite succinct and while the girls lived very interconnected lives there is little replication of details and events.

There were some occasions when a big time jump in the narrative would occur but overall it felt like everything important was covered and I’d rather it stuck mostly to what is known rather than speculation to fill the gaps

Quotes and extracts from newspapers of the time and letters from principle players are scattered throughout the book and were well chosen, adding another layer to the narrative.

Finishing this book, I really feel I have come away with a better idea of the Princesses as individuals. Surprisingly, my opinion of the Prince Regent (future George IV) has also changed somewhat after considering him from the perspective of his sisters rather than his parents which is more commonly explored.

NetGalley, Sophie Reid

I enjoyed the author's sometimes cheeky tone, and she had definitely done her research. I didn't know much about these women beforehand; what a fascinating but sad time to be a royal woman. This was an easy, enjoyable read.

NetGalley, Jennifer Slate

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

I have read all the other books by Catherine Curzon. I have especially enjoyed the books on the Georgian kings and Georgian Queens. Now I have had the pleasure of reading about King George III's and Queen Charlotte's six daughters. George and Charlotte had fifteen children, nine sons, and six daughters. This is truly remarkable because not only did Charlotte survive fifteen births in an age of high maternal deaths but all fifteen children survived infancy and only two died in childhood.
The author starts the books by giving a brief overview of the parents, their early marriage, the early days of the family, and the parenting style of George and Charlotte. The book also explains the spectacular failure of George's sister's marriage in Denmark and the unsuitable marriages of George's brothers. These incidents explains George's extreme reluctance to marry off his daughters. Charlotte wanted to keep her daughters with her as George's mental and physical health declined. After this overview the author gives each daughter her own chapter to tell her own story. Each account is lively, not just dry history. I enjoyed the book. The book is complete with footnotes, a bibliography and photos.

NetGalley, Barbara Schuur

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

I was expecting to greatly enjoy this book, not to fall in love with it as much as I have come to do. For the size of the book it is, I would normally take on average four days to read through it but this one took me only two days. I'm sure it would have been one day if I could return to my teenage days and build a nest in my bed supplied with food and water.

I love that there is a movement in the historical world to shine a spotlight on the supporting cast of well-known characters. As we all know George III was known for his madness and his wayward sons but what of his daughters? George and his wife had 15 surviving children, a great feat in the Georgian era, and six of them were daughters: Charlotte, Augusta, Elizabeth, Mary, Sophia, and Amelia. Their childhoods' are all similar, growing up trained to be perfect princesses, with a view to marring highly, into a very loving family. However, as their father's illness begins to flare, their futures are neglected and their mother hangs onto them desperately, to the extent they become prisoners trapped in what they nicknamed “the nunnery”. The daughters might be trapped in “The Nunnery” but it started out from a place of love. George was determined to make sure that the terrible fate of his sister Caroline Matilda never became that of his daughters. Only one daughter managed to escape before the slightly ajar door slammed shut (although she was not a spring chicken) and the other married either extremely late in life or not at all. Curzon explores each princess's life, within which we discover depression, desperation, isolation, illegitimate children, love from a distance, author of published books, illness, and perhaps secret marriages.

Each princess is as interesting as the last and interestingly to me they are the aunts of Queen Victoria. This is of interest because there are similarities that can be made between Queen Victoria and her children and the daughters of George III and their mother. Like Queen Victoria, Queen Charlotte was strict with the children, though more tender, but when George became sick as did Victoria after the death of Albert, Charlotte held unhealthily onto her daughters, expecting them to care for her and not to live their own lives. Likewise, each daughter's reaction to this situation can be glimpsed in those of Victoria. For example, we have Victoria's, Princess Louise, who has similarities with the artistic child of Charlotte's Princess Elizabeth that published her works in books, etc.

Curzon has done a fantastic job of creating this highly researched book. Though many events overlap they are not repetitive and as we move from one sister to the next previous backspaces are filled. The princess's voices come across in a very human way. My only quibble would be that every now and again the author's remarks informing the reader that in today's world this would be shocking... but it's personal taste and it certainly isn't enough to downgrade any stars from this book. Please read this book, these princesses are wonderful and their stories are those of survival in extraordinary circumstances. Now I'll have to look out other works by Curzon.

NetGalley, Zoe Pollock

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

This historical book was written so well, it was an easy read that took a few hours to read.

We rarely hear about the ladies of the Georgian era, so I definitely loved this.
If you love royals, princesses, or women we don't usually hear about in history, I highly recommend this.

NetGalley, Emy Girard

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

King George III was certainly having problems – with the Americans, with his wandering brothers and with his mental health. He was of a nervous disposition and he and his Queen Charlotte believed strongly in decorum and tradition. When both of his brothers married secretly without his permission – and to commoners ! - he banished them. He pushed the Royal Marriages Act of 1772 through Parliament in hopes of keeping his many children in line as well as the rest of his siblings.

He and Queen Charlotte had fifteen children! And they all survived birth. This book discusses their six daughters.

Charlotte, Princess Royal, was not considered to be attractive or pretty, but she was very intelligent. She was quick to anger and had to write out apologies frequently. The princesses were all raised in a closed and insular court, away from their brothers. The years were passing Charlotte by and she still wasn't married. No wonder because the princesses were so overprotected. Her mother was a micro-manager. She did get a rather stubborn and somewhat deranged suitor (in his mind only), named Stone who was a commoner. He wrote the queen, he showed up at the palace...He wasn't even worth consideration, of course. She needed to be out of the palace.

Royal had to wait until she was thirty to finally marry. She was married to Frederick, Duke of Wurttemberg, who recently escaped Russia with his three children, while his ex-wife remained as a “guest” of Tsarina Catherine (the Great). She was very happy with Frederick.

The book then goes on to discuss a similar dilemma with the second daughter, Augusta, and her seemingly dwindling prospects for marriage and so on down the line of all the sisters.

This is a very well written and interesting book. I have never read anything about George and Charlotte's children before and found the material to be both entertaining and enlightening. I am very glad I had the opportunity to read this book. I liked it better than the last one of Ms. Curzon's books that I have read. I also really got a kick out of the little aside comments the author would interject here and there. They were a hoot.

I want to thank NetGalley and Pen & Sword/Pen & Sword History for forwarding to me a copy of this very nice book for me to read, enjoy and review.

NetGalley, Joyce Fox