Definitely entertaining - this is a side of royal history that most monarchs would prefer to forget! Modern disasters such as the Charles and Diana saga or the many sayings of the Duke of Hazard (better known as Prince Philip) are backed up by lots of historical examples from across the world. Clearly, royal disasters are nothing new! There are kings who killed their own sons, married their stepmothers, while another king was even executed by having a red hot poker shoved inside him. While one European king managed to survive no less than 55 assassinations, and smoking 150 cigarettes a day, finally dying peacefully in his own bed. Who was called 'Bloody Nicholas?' Which English king couldn't even speak English, Which European king had only 3 baths in his life and which royal family suffered from a 700 year old marital curse? Even many children's nursery rhymes have a scandalous royal history - Little Jack Horner links into the Dissolution of the Monasteries by Henry VIII while Jack and Jill refers to the story of Louis XVI and Marie Antonionette who both lost their heads in the French Revolution. 3 stars.

Monsters and Critics.com - Angela Youngman

If you want to learn more about the strange goings on of the royals, both in this country and abroad, then here you can read about a queen who lasted just nine days and another who last sixty-four years; you can read about one English King who couldn’t even speak English, about several who had child brides and one who even went mad. You will soon realise that the life of a royal can never be described as uneventful.

Antiques Diary, Feb 2012

Hughes writes about sexual torture, affairs, weird punishments, gambling, deceit, sexual depravity, arrogance and greed. No longer do we have the News of the World but we have this book instead. What I found very useful is a list of all the English (British) monarchs from William the Conquerer to our long serving Queen Elizabeth 11.

Dover Express