This volume presents new research on royal courts from antiquity to the modern world, from Asia to Europe. It addresses the interactions of rulers and and elites at court, as well as the multiple connections between court, capital, and realm.

Nominated for Best New Play at the 2023 Olivier Awards I found a king in me and now I love you I found a king in you and now I love me Father figures and fashion tips. Lost loves and jollof rice. African empires and illicit sex. Good days and bad days. Six young Black men meet for group therapy, and let their hearts - and imaginations - run wild. Inspired by Ntozake Shange's essential work For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide / When the Rainbow Is Enuf, For Black Boys Who Have Considered Suicide When The Hue Gets Too Heavy is a profound and playful work, co-commissioned by Boundless Theatre, from multi-award-winning company Nouveau Riche and playwright Ryan Calais Cameron. For Black Boys... gained critical acclaim for the world premiere in October 2021 at New Diorama Theatre, before successfully transferring to London's Royal Court Theatre in March 2022. This edition was published to coincide with the West End production at the Apollo Theatre in March 2023.

Throughout history rulers have used clothes as a form of legitimization and propaganda. While palaces, pictures, and jewels might reflect the choice of a monarch’s predecessors or advisers, clothes reflected the preferences of the monarch himself. Being both personal and visible, the right costume at the right time could transform and define a monarch’s reputation. Many royal leaders have known this, from Louis XIV to Catherine the Great and from Napoleon I to Princess Diana. This intriguing book explores how rulers have sought to control their image through their appearance. Mansel shows how individual styles of dress throw light on the personalities of particular monarchs, on their court system, and on their ambitions. The book looks also at the economics of the costume industry, at patronage, at the etiquette involved in mourning dress, and at the act of dressing itself. Fascinating glimpses into the lives of European monarchs and contemporary potentates reveal the intimate connection between power and the way it is packaged.

It's time to claim my power... All my life I've lived under lock and key, always following the strict rules my mother set for me. A week before my sixteenth birthday I sneak out of my house and discover why. Turns out I am not just a normal teenager. I'm a witch blessed with a gift someone wants to steal from me. And not just anyone...the evil King Alataris. For a thousand years the people of Evermore have suffered under his tyranny. The Mark on my shoulder says I am the Siphon Witch, one of five Witch Queens fated to come together and finally destroy him. The only thing keeping Evermore safe is the Stone that shields the witch kingdoms from Alataris's magic...and now he's found a way to steal it. Suddenly, I'm sent on a quest to find the ancient spell to protect the Stone. My only hope for surviving is through my strikingly beautiful and immensely powerful Guardian, Tucker. The laws of Evermore state that love between us is strictly forbidden, and it appears I'm the only one willing to give in to the attraction... When the quest turns more dangerous than expected I realize I have absolutely no idea what I'm doing. I was raised human. But I have to learn my magic fast because If King Alataris gets his hands on me he'll steal my magic and my life...but if he gets his hands on that Stone we all die. Featuring a powerful heroine, wicked magic, and a forbidden love you'll be rooting for long after the book is over. Fans of Twilight, Harry Potter, or The Dark Artifices will love Megan Montero's brand new urban fantasy series! Pick up Wicked Witch and join the supernatural world of Evermore today!

The hotly anticipated American edition of Robert Hardman's biography of Queen Elizabeth (formerly Our Queen in the U.K.)—An intimate portrait of England's soon-to-be longest reigning queen, in celebration of her diamond jubilee—and the first-ever book interview with her grandson, Prince William. History has known no monarch like her. She has traveled farther than all her predecessors put together and lived longer than any of them. She has known more historic figures than anyone alive—from Churchill to Mandela, de Gaulle to Obama. Now, the distinguished royal writer Robert Hardman has been granted special access to the world of Queen Elizabeth II to produce this enthralling new portrait of one of the most popular pubic figures on earth. Not only has Elizabeth II reigned through Britain’s transformation from an imperial power to a multi-cultural nation, but she has also steered the monarchy through more reforms in the last twenty-five years than in the previous century. Queen Elizabeth II sits at the head of an ancient institution that remains simultaneously popular, regal, inclusive, and relevant in a twenty-first-century world. It is down to neither luck nor longevity: it is down to the shrewd judgment of a thoroughly modern monarchy—with no small assistance from the longest-serving consort in history. Here is the inside story.

The capital. It's the quiet before the storm. Countess Lilian Earton is now on the threshold of the royal palace, ready for a diplomatic and eloquent fight. A fight which will decide her destiny in a world she's sacrificed so much for. The royals and noblemen are far more sophisticated in matters of intrigue, gossip, and slander than anyone she has dealt with before. Lilian steps up to another level of negotiation and intricacy in her relationships: much deeper and more dangerous than in her native Earton Castle. Everyone in the capital of Ativerna has sharp teeth and are not afraid to use them to their own advantage... and they all have heard contradictory gossip about Lilian Earton. New land, new friends, and new rivals mean new opportunities. She could push medicine and industry forward, could bring lots of inventions to this world, new guilds and so on... the only thing in her way now: King Edward. Meeting him might ruin everything or it could save and protect all. Still, he is not the only ruler who has his sights set on Lilian. The situation is nearing an international crisis. She has to win the hearts and minds of the members of the Royal Family and of her own family. She writes a letter addressed to her husband to come and meet her in the Royal Palace. Will Jess accept this invitation? The Royal Court is the fourth in the Medieval Tale series by Lina J. Potter. The story is coming to its culmination; there are central questions to be answered, meetings to be had, mysteries to be unraveled. Read the continuation of the saga as the plots of different characters entwine.

Dine like a King or Queen with this unique collection of over 350 favorite recipes of the English royals, spanning 500 years of feasts! Start off with delicate Duke of York Consomme as a first course, then savor King George the Fifth's Mutton Cutlets, and for a main course, feast on Quails a la Princess Louise in Regent's Plum Sauce, with Baked Potatoes Au Parmesan and Mary Queen of Scots Salad. For dessert, try a slice of Crown Jewel Cake, and wash it all down with a Princess Mary Cocktail. These are real recipes, the majority of them left in their original wording. Although this book is primarily a cookery book, it can also be read as a revealing footnote to Court history. Charmingly illustrated throughout.