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Opinion: We need more books on European royals

Search for books in English about the Prince and Princess of Wales, Prince Harry, Diana, Princess of Wales, or The Late Queen, and you will find an array of different choices to select from. When you search for books about Princess Madeleine of Sweden, Crown Princess Mette-Marit of Norway, or King Felipe of Spain, you would be hard-pressed to locate a book about their lives written in the English language.

I have searched online and in many different stores for books on royals, ranging from the Swedish to the Jordanian royal families. I have come out quite disappointed with every search. I discovered a couple of books about Argentinian-born Queen Máxima of the Netherlands. Further, I came across just three books on Australian-born Crown Princess Mary of Denmark. One biography had copies that were translated into English from Danish. However, this book was written in 2006. Over ten years have since passed, and the Crown Prince Couple of Denmark has since had three more children: Princess Isabella, Prince Vincent, and Princess Josephine. Another book, which was very controversial, was written more about Mary’s “dysfunctional” in-laws.

A book has been released in English on Princess Charlene of Monaco, but it had such a high demand, copies are on backorder. I ordered mine in March 2023, and I still do not have it.

I recently purchased a biography from Spain about Queen Letizia and King Felipe entitled Felipe y Letizia Reyes de España by Carmen Enríquez and Emilio Oliva. It has been written in Spanish, and I am excited to give it a read. However, for those who do not speak the language, locating a book outside the Spanish language would be no easy feat.

Don’t get me wrong. I enjoy reading about members of the British Royal Family. However, I would really love to be able to read books on the likes of Princess Madeleine of Sweden, Princess Marie of Denmark, Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden, Queen Rania of Jordan, and Crown Princess Mette-Marit of Norway.

Personally, I think it is a real shame that more books are not available in English about various royals from across the world. There is a large gap in the market for English language biographies on royals from non-English speaking kingdoms. Authors of such biographies would make a decent amount of money for their efforts in providing books in a market with such a gap. Many people will be grateful to have the opportunity to buy and read books about royals they truly enjoy following and learning about from outside the United Kingdom.

About author

Brittani is from Tennessee, USA. She is a political scientist and historian after graduating with a degree in the topics from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, in December 2014. She also holds a master's degree from Northeastern University. She enjoys reading and researching all things regarding the royals of the world. She's been researching, reading, and writing on royalty for over a decade. She became Europe Editor in October 2016, and then Deputy Editor in January 2019, and has been featured on several podcasts, radio shows, news broadcasts and websites including Global News Canada, ABC News Australia, WION India and BBC World News.