Bertie: A Life of Edward VII cover art

Bertie: A Life of Edward VII

 Preview
Try Premium Plus free
1 credit a month to buy any audiobook in our entire collection.
Access to thousands of additional audiobooks and Originals from the Plus Catalogue.
Member-only deals & discounts.
Auto-renews at $16.45/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Bertie: A Life of Edward VII

By: Jane Ridley
Narrated by: Carole Boyd
Try Premium Plus free

$16.45 per month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy Now for $33.99

Buy Now for $33.99

About this listen

Entertaining and different, this is an enjoyable study of a flawed yet characterful Prince of Wales seen through the eyes of the women in his life. Edward Vll, who gave his name to the Edwardian Age and died in 1911, was King of England for the final 10 years of his life. He was 59 when at last he came to the throne. Known as Bertie, the eldest son of Victoria and Albert, he was bullied by both his parents. Although Bertie was heir to the throne, Victoria refused to give him any proper responsibilities, as a result of which he spent his time eating, betting, and womanising.

Bertie's numerous mistresses included the society hostess Daisy Brook ('Babbling Brook'), Lillie Langtry and Alice Keppel. When Bertie finally became king, he did a good job, especially in foreign policy. This colourful book gives Bertie due credit, while painting a vivid portrait of the age in all its excess and eccentricity, hypocrisy and heartbreak.

©2012 Jane Ridley (P)2014 Audible, Inc. Europe Great Britain England Royalty Heartfelt
All stars
Most relevant  
Interesting and detailed account of the King. Sets up the framework for global events that happened in the 20th Century. He was under rated and lost in the shadow of his mother Queen Victoria, as a womaniser and privileged royal - this account shows how he was the bridge from the end of the Victorian period to the new world order about to unfold.

Detailed bio of the King.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
I tried to get into this book,but,it did not keep my attention at all. It was very disappointing. I did not finish it.

Tedious

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
I gave up listening to it.It really annoys me when narrators revert to speaking the foreign accent of characters in the story. Narrator is an English female and she takes on the male German accent of Prince Albert.Takes away from the story...

Frustrating

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
I loved this book. Interesting and informative. Bertie was an underestimated king and his life was beautifully documented by the author.

really great read

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
This book was quite amazingly detailed and is a must read for anyone interested in the history of Britain and the role of the monarchy in that history. The author managed to blend the stories of the numerous personal scandals and those of Edward's many mistresses into the 'bigger picture' that was the social and political history of the time. Be warned: this is a long book that requires the reader's full attention in order to keep track of the many players. Carole Boyd is an excellent narrator: she has a particular skill with accents.

Comprehensive record of the life of Edward VII

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Well written, well read and deeply detailed without being a text book. Thank you for the pleasure

Comprehensive story

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Carole Boyd narrated this book wonderfully. Thanks Carole.

I’ll have to listen again one day to catch more of this long detailed book. I found it interesting while being disturbed at a lot of positively indecent, dishonest people. Queen Victoria was a really selfish person to start with.
The idea of them having ‘reigned over us’ is bizarre indeed.
It seems that Edward V11 had a few positive years in his role as king, yet even accounting for different times, how self centred was he in his marriage, home and social life, right to the end!
One can value all the more the life of Queen Elizabeth11.
Btw, I now have a better idea how many of the European royals are related.

A great work

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
In the spirit of reconciliation, Audible acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.