Our perception of Victoria the Queen is coloured by portraits of her older, widowed self - her dour expression embodying the repressive morality propagated in her time. But Becoming Queen reveals an energetic and vibrant woman, determined to battle for power. It also documents the Byzantine machinations behind Victoria's quest to occupy the throne, and shows how her struggles did not end when finally the crown was placed on her head. Laying bare the passions that swirled around the throne in the eighteenth century, Becoming Queen is an absorbingly dramatic tale of secrets, sexual repression and endless conflict. After her lauded biography of Emma Hamilton, England's Mistress, Kate Williams has produced a most original and intimate portrait of Great Britain's longest reigning monarch.

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • The perfect companion to the PBS Masterpiece series Victoria • A gripping account of Queen Victoria’s rise and early years in power from CNN’s official royal historian “Kate Williams has perfected the art of historical biography. Her pacy writing is underpinned by the most impeccable scholarship.”—Alison Weir In 1819, a girl was born to the fourth son of King George III. No one could have expected such an unassuming, overprotected girl to be an effective ruler—yet Queen Victoria would become one of the most powerful monarchs in history. Writing with novelistic flair and historical precision, Kate Williams reveals a vibrant woman in the prime of her life, while chronicling the byzantine machinations that continued even after the crown was placed on her head. Upon hearing that she had inherited the throne, eighteen-year-old Victoria banished her overambitious mother from the room, a simple yet resolute move that would set the tone for her reign. The queen clashed constantly not only with her mother and her mother’s adviser, the Irish adventurer John Conroy, but with her ministers and even her beloved Prince Albert—all of whom attempted to seize control from her. Williams lays bare the passions that swirled around the throne—the court secrets, the sexual repression, and the endless intrigue. The result is a grand tale of a woman whose destiny began long before she was born and whose legacy lives on. Praise for Becoming Queen Victoria “An informative, entertaining, gossipy tale.”—Publishers Weekly “A great read . . . With lively writing, Ms. Williams [makes] the story fresh and appealing.”—The Washington Times “Sparkling, engaging.”—Open Letters Monthly

In the tradition of You Are a Badass, women's empowerment coach Gina DeVee shares motivational steps for how to become the queen of your own life.​ In every woman lives a Queen who is confident, poised, and clear on her calling. She is bold and unapologetic. Drawing from her spiritual connection and feminine nature, she accesses the power to manifest her desires and fulfill her purpose. The era of invisible women is over. Your time to be Queen has arrived. In The Audacity to Be Queen, women's empowerment and success coach Gina DeVee invites modern-day women to embrace the endless possibilities that are rightfully ours. Permission granted to take ourselves off the back burner financially, romantically, physically, and socially-and step into our greatness. The days of dismissing ourselves and our desires end here. No longer must we pretend to be anything other than brilliant, capable, and fabulous. The world needs women like us to own our power, raise our standards, and contribute our talents like never before. When a woman chooses to be a Queen, everyone benefits. With spectacular flair, beautiful pearls of wisdom, and lifechanging stories of unexpected triumph, The Audacity to BeQueen takes you on a journey to empower the Queen within. Gina DeVee shares the steps, exercises, meditations, prayers, and journal prompts to release all forms of self-doubt and self-sabotage so you can discover the best version of you. Only from the position of Queen can you fulfill your calling, and in this pivotal moment, time is of the essence. The age of the Queen is now.

A fun & uplifting women’s guide to embracing happiness at middle age and beyond. Queen of Your Own Life is a philosophy, a decision, and an invitation to happiness for women who have made the tough but rewarding journey to the midpoint in their lives. Kathy Kinney (best known as Mimi on The Drew Carey Show) and Cindy Ratzlaff (marketing genius behind the launch of The South Beach Diet) have been best friends for more than thirty years, and have helped each other navigate the ups and downs of their lives with humor and grace. In this entertaining and inspiring book, they share the tried-and-true techniques they call “the seven best gifts a woman can give herself.” They reveal how they learned to value themselves just the way they are—women in full bloom, sensual, vibrant, wise and more beautiful than ever—and they’ll show you how you can, too. With these seven gifts you’ll discover how to: • Claim your beauty and feel your power • Clean your mental closet and find your queen voice • Admire yourself for who you’ve become • Build deep, fulfilling friendships with other women • Establish firm boundaries that will strengthen all your relationships • Learn the simple trick to finally being happy • Place the crown firmly on your head With humor, comfort and inspiration, Queen of Your Own Life offers easy step-by-step actions to blast away at the societal tall tale that young is beautiful and old is just old. If you’ve been feeling that the best part of your life may be behind you, then this book will prove to you just how untrue that is, and that the door to being happy is not only never closed, but just waiting for you to fling it open. Remember, you don’t have to be twenty to have your whole life ahead of you. Now is the time to become Queen of Your Own Life!

Queens of Poland are conspicuously absent from the study of European queenship—an absence which, together with early modern Poland’s marginal place in the historiography, results in a picture of European royal culture that can only be lopsided and incomplete. Katarzyna Kosior cuts through persistent stereotypes of an East-West dichotomy and a culturally isolated early modern Poland to offer a groundbreaking comparative study of royal ceremony in Poland and France. The ceremonies of becoming a Jagiellonian or Valois queen, analysed in their larger European context, illuminate the connections that bound together monarchical Europe. These ceremonies are a gateway to a fuller understanding of European royal culture, demonstrating that it is impossible to make claims about European queenship without considering eastern Europe.

Tomboy 19-year-old Daneli doesn't get along with her mother. She'd rather be riding her horse or perfecting her archery skills than wearing finery and ordering servants around. But as the eldest daughter of House Trageri, Daneli inherits long-standing tensions and a seemingly impossible mission: to create peace between her cooperative, matriarchal nation and the violent, fiercely hierarchical patriarchy to the north. First, she must undergo an arduous training process, then pass a series of tests in order to become Queen. With the help of ten hand-picked spouses of both genders, along with her secret Gift, she must face her greatest challenge: preventing her country from falling into chaos just as a strange spaceship arrives to her country.

Whether you were born in the poorest home or were an unwanted child, whether you were abandoned or rejected or lost both parents at your birth, you were born a princess. However, all women are not born queens. We choose to become one. It’s not easy becoming a queen; it comes with a need of transformation, a need of change, a need of molding, and a need of building. It’s a painful process, and it’s a process that takes time. In The Making of a Queen, author Danielle Kamdeu defines the role of a queen and discusses a queen’s positive traits. Using Biblical examples, she offers insight into queens and their character, asserting that the making of a queen is about love and royalty. Being a queen comes with many responsibilities, including decision-making and disciple-building. It requires a strong woman. The Making of a Queen reminds us that a queen lives inside all of us. We belong to a loving, faithful, and powerful king who made us after his own image and likeness. Danielle shares how to journey through the challenges of this life as you successfully clothe yourself with royalty when you discover who you truly are and when you find true love.