The Princess of Wales' Wayward Son

Back in 2005, I briefly wrote for the Unofficial Royalty site. This one recounts the brief but troubling life of a prince who would have been king, Prince Albert Victor, the Duke of Clarence. Not very bright, overindulged, promiscuous--these were some of the nicer things said of him. Even today, some scholars are trying to prove that he was actually Jack the Ripper.

Click to read his wayward tale and find out how his fiancee still managed to become Queen of England without him.

Royal Wedding Fiasco

Back in 2005, I briefly wrote for the Unofficial Royalty site. This one traces the incredibly bad behavior of one royal couple. Two hundred years before Charles and Diana battled it out in the divorce court, another Prince of Wales desperately tried to get rid of his wife. They despised -- and insulted! -- each other from the moment they met. What led to this disastrous -- and technically illegal -- marriage?

Click to read about one of history's most inappropriate weddings, the nuptials of the future George IV and his first cousin, Caroline of Brunswick

Europe's Most Notorious Woman

Back in 2005, I wrote a few columns for the Unofficial Royalty site. This one celebrates the early life of Eleanor of Aquitaine. In an age when women were merely possessions and royal women were pawns, Eleanor ruled her own land, became Queen of France, went on Crusade, divorced her husband, became Queen of England, led a war against her husband, and outlived most of her many children--including Richard the Lionheart.

Click to read about how she became the most powerful woman in France, then duped her King and changed her own destiny.

The Royal Baby Race

Back in 2005, I briefly wrote for the Unofficial Royalty site. This one is the almost unbelievable tale of how Queen Victoria became heir to the throne. Playboy princes, middle-aged weddings and untimely deaths. How else could the 18-year-old daughter of King George III's FOURTH son have inherited the British empire? But for several twists of fate, we might never have coined the word "Victorian."

Click to go to the story.