Crown & Sceptre cover art

Crown & Sceptre

A New History of the British Monarchy from William the Conqueror to Charles III

Preview

£0.00 for first 30 days

Try for £0.00
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection - including bestsellers and new releases.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, celeb exclusives, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
£7.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

Crown & Sceptre

By: Tracy Borman
Narrated by: Tracy Borman
Try for £0.00

£7.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

Buy Now for £16.99

Buy Now for £16.99

Confirm Purchase
Pay using card ending in
By completing your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and authorise Audible to charge your designated card or any other card on file. Please see our Privacy Notice, Cookies Notice and Interest-based Ads Notice.
Cancel

About this listen

An exploration of the history of the British monarchy from 1066 to the present day, now including a new chapter on King Charles III.

With 1000 years of royal history from 1066 to the present day, Domesday Book to Magna Carta the Field of Cloth of Gold to King Charles' accession, Crown & Sceptre is an unparalleled exploration of the British monarchy. From Sunday Times bestselling author and joint Chief Curator of Historic Royal Palaces Tracy Borman, comes a fresh, engaging and authoritative account of the crown's tumultuous history—including a chapter on King Charles III.

Impeccably researched, Crown & Sceptre explores in gripping detail how this iconic institution has survived the storms of rebellion, revolution and war that brought most of the world's other monarchies to an abrupt and bloody end. It is a story of ruthless dynastic battles, political and social leadership, usurpation and abdication, all set against a backdrop of dazzling ceremony and pageantry.

©2021 Tracy Borman (P)2021 Hodder & Stoughton Limited
Great Britain Royalty
activate_Holiday_promo_in_buybox_DT_T2

Listeners also enjoyed...

Mortal Monarchs cover art
Lancaster and York cover art
Monarchy cover art
Astor cover art
World History cover art
Coalescence cover art
This Sovereign Isle cover art
Red Land, Black Land cover art
Naked Statues, Fat Gladiators, and War Elephants cover art
Raphael, Painter in Rome cover art
Write Your Novel from the Middle cover art
The Book of Levi cover art
A World Undone cover art

What listeners say about Crown & Sceptre

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    64
  • 4 Stars
    12
  • 3 Stars
    1
  • 2 Stars
    1
  • 1 Stars
    0
Performance
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    59
  • 4 Stars
    9
  • 3 Stars
    1
  • 2 Stars
    2
  • 1 Stars
    0
Story
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    60
  • 4 Stars
    8
  • 3 Stars
    2
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    0

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

The best and worst of each monarch

This is a great book for learning the dates of the monarchs and the best and worst parts of each of their terms. I’d say it’s great for anyone wanting to start learning about the history of the kings and queens and the most interesting parts of their lives.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Engaging and enjoyable

The chapters about each Monarch describe their reigns and key events. beautifully narrated which kept me fully engaged

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Excellent

A great listen about the monarchs we've had since William the Conqueror and right up to the present day with Charles III

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Great Book that covers all the Monarchs

I thought that Tracy did a great job on the writing and the narration. The book dedicates each chapter to each Monarch in chronological order. The way the book is written makes it easy to engage with, and all the main points of each Monarch are covered. Some chapters are longer than others depending on the length of reign of that particular Monarch.

A previous reviewer, in fact the 1st reviewer here was highly critical of Tracy's narration, but I couldn't disagree more. He (the 1st reviewer) did not give any reason why he did not like her narrations. It sounds quite obvious that he is an older gentleman that may likely not be used to hearing a female historian comment with authority on such a subject matter, but take it from me, Tracy gave a great performance and I can't say that I ever felt irritated or bored by her narration in the whole 20 hours.

Would recommend this book to anyone that wishes to learn more and get a good overview on English Monarchs since 1066.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

8 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Very knowledgeable

I don’t get the complaints about the narration . It was spot on . Just enough energy and perfectly clear.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Epic book

I loved this book. I liked that her history of British monarchs included all from 1066, not just up to a certain point as many biographies do, most don't include the Hanoverians onwards. It was like taking a journey through history, into our own times. I would have liked it to have included kings before 1066, as if our Anglo Saxon kings didn't count somehow. Tracy is an excellent narrator.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Brilliant

Cleverly constructed and gripping. Scandals, wars, love and duty. This book is a must read for history lovers.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

comprehy

this is very long but is narrated so we'll it never seem like it is. would recommend

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Fascinating

I really enjoyed the whistle stop tour of England and Britain’s Kings and Queens. It’s interesting to understand who was related to whom and where the traditions come from. Amusing to note most of them weren’t English at all! Well written, well read with a few mispronunciations that rankled. Frog head for example! I love Tracy Norman’s passion for her subject.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Enjoyed this

A bit of history about the past monarchy not dry. Like listening to it. Some chapters could have been longer but on the whole worth a credit.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!