The Rise and Fall of the House of Windsor

Finding A. N. Wilson's writing interesting, I read "The Rise and Fall of the House of Windsor," a volume he published in 1993. 1993 was the year after the Queen's annus horribilus when the marriages of three of her four children collapsed publicly; Windsor Castle, the residence she considers as her home, burned in a raging fire; and she agreed to pay income tax on her private fortune. Wilson is always a smart and entertaining writer. Not all of his claims pass the smell test, but he's still a highly fun read. His positions are very clear: Prince Charles isn't qualified to be King because he meddles in politics outside of what is constitutionally permissible, and the Royal Family needs to be boring. Wilson is provocative and asks some interesting questions, many of which still hold up today, some 18 years after the book's publication. He does rise above the usual tawdry gossip and lays out some meritorious constitutional questions. Wilson recognizes the value of a constitutional monarchy. 7 of 10.