My Royal Sanctuary

Since the royal tour ended there's very little to write about. So I thought I would get personal and write about my love of royal books and the place I go to unwind. This is a photo of my den/library. My royal sanctuary. It has a nice comfy couch, a TV and my royal books. I have two children and sometimes, just to get some peace and quiet and go to this room, pick a random book off the shelf and explore it. I don't read them cover to cover (I don't get the chance!) but even if I don't get a long reprieve, there's something about them that recharges my batteries. Reading these books relaxes me like nothing else can.

One of my earliest purchases

This is one of my first royal books. Diana, Princess of Wales by Brenda Ralph Lewis. Released in 1982, it's nothing fancy. About 46 pages. The inside cover is inscribed with my name in multi-colored bubble letters, flowers and balloons (sacrilege!) and there's one of my first royal drawings depicting the Queen on the throne on her Coronation day.

I was drawn to this book because it had the first pictures of Prince William. Other than seeing a bit of his head peeping out, it's kind of disappointing. I don't think I cared about that at the time. Included amongst the pages are family trees for Prince Charles and one for Diana. These family trees, particularly Prince Charles' sparked a desire to learn more about the royal family. Hard to believe that one book can do that, but it did. 

There's nothing fawning about this book nor scandalous. That would come later. If you look closely in some of the photos you can see a young Sarah Ferguson. Interestingly enough, though the author mentions it, other than a small head and shoulders shot, there are no photos of Diana on her first official engagement wearing the famous black dress. The dress that helped reveal a different, more glamourous side of Diana. A fashion icon in the making. Instead the photos portray an appropriate young queen-to-be with a flair for fashion. Much like her daughter-in-law Kate today.

When I bought this book I remember being delighted and pouring over it from cover to cover. 500 books later I take the same delight with items in my royal collection.

What is your first royal book? Do you have a special place where you go to enjoy them?

© Marilyn Braun 2011

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