The Rise and Fall of the House of Windsor

An overwhelming majority of the British people, asserts Wilson ( Jesus ), want the monarchy to continue, not merely for sentimental reasons but because they dislike the idea of an elective presidential system and deem the Royal Family a check on the power of Parliament and cabinets. Reviewing the scandals, separations and divorces that have bedeviled the House of Windsor, Wilson concludes that Queen Elizabeth II's children are unsuitable to inherit the throne. He suggests that the Queen should declare Richard, Duke of Gloucester, who is married to a Dane, Birgitte van Deurs, as heir to inherit the British throne. A mix of political analysis, gossip, history and shrewd speculation, this acerbically witty tour of the Windsor dynasty's ``essentially comic misfortunes'' includes withering profiles of Prince Charles, ``an extremely odd man'' with a ``second-rate mind''; of self-mythologizing, ``hysterical'' Lady Diana; and of the Queen, ``always prepared to seem useless and busy at the same time.'' (June)