Gilded Youth: An Intimate History of Growing Up in the Royal Family

The British monarchy has a history of bizarre and eccentric child-rearing practices, such as medieval wet nurses and elite boarding schools. This book explores how these experiences have produced emotionally damaged adults, such as Edward VIII, Princess Margaret, and Harry. It also uncovers outrageous tales of royal children misbehaving, such as Edward VII smashing up his schoolroom and the Queen pranking visitors with dog biscuits.

Format: Hardback
Length: 304 pages
Publication date: 09 February 2023
Publisher: Biteback Publishing

For centuries, the British monarchy has raised its royal children in ways that seem peculiar and unconventional to the rest of us. From medieval wet nurses to modern-day Norland nannies and elite boarding schools, princes and princesses have endured parental neglect for generations as their parents have outsourced child-rearing responsibilities to paid staff. As this remarkable book illustrates, dysfunctional childhood experiences lead to emotionally damaged adults, as evidenced by Edward VIII, who was horribly abused by his nanny, and his marriage to his surrogate mother figure, Mrs. Simpson; by alcoholic party girl Princess Margaret; and by rebellious Harry and his desperate desire to adopt Meghan Markle's world view, at the expense of his relationship with his brother. Tom Quinn also reveals outrageous tales of royal children misbehaving, often hilariously - from Edward VII destroying his schoolroom to the Queen playfully pranking unsuspecting visitors with dog biscuits to Prince William pinching a teacher's bottom. Amusing and shocking in equal measure, Gilded Youth examines how the royal family has clung to outdated traditions that revolve around emotional coldness and detachment, and how, when it comes to children, the British royal family is still living in the Dark Ages.

ISBN-13: 9781785907647