THE OXFORD BOOK OF ROYAL ANECDOTES, ...

THE OXFORD BOOK OF ROYAL ANECDOTES, edited by Elizabeth Longford (Oxford: $13.95). Although it appeared too early to include the details of the separation of the Duke and Duchess of York, this lengthy anthology (550 pages) covers the history of British royalty from Queen Boudicca and King Arthur to Elizabeth II. The serious stories illuminate remote-seeming events by presenting contemporary descriptions of Edward II’s reaction to the death of his favorite, Piers Gaveston, or a schoolboy’s account of the coronation of George III. Not surprisingly, the best anecdotes contain humorous elements: During his long tenure as Prince of Wales, the future Edward VII complained, “I don’t mind praying to the eternal Father, but I must be the only man in the country with an eternal mother.” Although she is generally perceived as dowdy and aloof by Americans, Queen Elizabeth has a highly developed sense of fun; when told by a dowdy woman in a Norfolk tea shop, “You do look awfully like the Queen,” she replied calmly, “How very reassuring.”