I absolutely loved this audiobook! It was both highly entertaining and very informative from a historical perspective.
This book was written in 1932 by Alexander Mikhailovich, one of the last remaining members of the Russian royal family. At that time, most of the royal families across Europe were interrelated; for example, all of the ruling royal families of England, Spain, Germany and Russia were either siblings, cousins, aunts, uncles, etc.
This book describes quite well the process that led to a decrease in the number of royal families in Europe from eighteen to ten. This decline was brought on by a variety of forces that are explored in this audiobook: the desire for democratic rule; royalty who were out-of-step with the wants/needs of their subjects, the difficulty of balancing royal traditions with political realities, and the fickle-and often, contradictory and self-destructive- nature of the populace.
I especially enjoyed listening to the history of King Alfonso XIII of Spain. In 1931, a series of elections led to the victories of candidates that favored an end to the monarchy and the establishment of a republic. To avert civil war, King Alfonso voluntarily went into exile- but never abdicated his throne. He was obviously a great king and an incredible man. His story provides the listener with a very clear and detailed account of the forces listed above that led to his exile.
I enjoyed the narration of this audiobook. The narrator had a pleasant voice and his delivery was well-paced and easy to follow.
I was provided this audiobook at no charge by the author, publisher and/or narrator in exchange for an unbiased review.