This was interesting, when I first took a look at it I didn't realize that it was a re-print from a scandals and gossip from two centuries ago! That did make it a more stilting read, but it was pretty juicy. The real author did not care for the Hanovers! Stephen Basdeo did a nice job editing and I would love to see this broken out into blog posts (maybe it did, a lot of the gossip did ring familiar to a Georgian blog that I read). It would also make an excellent documentary series! I love gossip of all kind and this "secret history" is no different. It was interesting to read the same kind of things happened to prominent figures back in the 19th century as well! I'd give 3 stars because I'd actually prefer a book about the book (and it's allegations), and the difficult prose.

If you're looking for a timely exposé of court intrigue, gossip, scandal, and completely biased opinions of the players in the court life of King George III, Queen Charlotte, the Prince Regent/George IV, and Princess Caroline, look no further than this book. Originally written in 1832, it is in the language of the day, which means more formal than we are used to, and more moralizing than we expect in our gossip sheets, but there's plenty of venom as well. This author (who may or may not have been Anne Hamilton) hated Queen Charlotte, all government ministers, and the Prince Regent, and doesn't hide it from the reader. In this version of history, King George III is innocent and misled in everything or overruled by his ministers and his queen (who hates him), secret double marriages abound, the evil members of the royal family are regularly accused of murdering people, and while Germans in general seem to be terrible people (see Queen Charlotte), the author makes an exception for Princess Caroline, an innocent pawn sacrificed for Prinny's search for more money, then horrible mistreated and insulted for the rest of her days.

Makes for some entertaining reading if you know the less biased history behind the stories, although the writing style was something I could only handle in small doses. If you're coming to this book knowing nothing of the time period or the people, this is not the books to start with. Come back to it after reading a few other books first.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGallery in exchange for an honest review

I had a lot of fun, it was a sort of collection of gossips and secrets. The language is quite formal but the content is excellent.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this arc, all opinions are mine

'The Secret History of the Court of England' was originally published, under the pseudonym 'Lady Anne Hamilton', in 1832. The book is a type of contemporaneous exposé revealing the true corruption of the court; flaunting expenditure, and royal disregard for English subjects, 'How many command that should be commanded?' Covering the years 1761 to George IV's death in 1830, in a chronological format akin to annals, each annual record varies in length, depending on that year's events, 'But, fearless of consequences, we will speak of facts...with a determination to judge the actions of kings, lords, and commons, not as beings of superior order, but as men.'

The book opens with George III's 'forced' marriage to Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz and cites this event with the onset of George's mental health demise; such is the author's loathing of the queen, 'One of the most selfish, vindictive, and tyrannical of women that ever disgraced human nature!'. The annals also focus on general social welfare, '1771 was productive of little else than the harassing distresses to the poor labourer and mechanic'. It also revealed the excesses of royal spending on themselves and their futile wars, 'The iniquitous ministers who dictated war with America should have suffered as traitors to their country...' Finally, after recording the death of George IV, the author ends with a supplication to the reader, 'A thorough reform in church and state MUST take place; a crisis is at hand, and those who wish to see England escape a trial of misery and blood will heartily wish, and openly and resolutely demand, to see change...'

'The Secret History of the Court of England' is an interesting and informative read. It is not often you read a primary source that is full of gossip and hearsay, while explicitly challenging royal rule. I enjoyed the language and turn of phrase, which together, with tidbits of salacious gossip, sounded like an extract of 'Bridgerton'. However, the author's passion to underscore royal corruption and excesses did begin to feel repetitive. This book is a great read for a historian passionate about the regency era and an insightful way to gain an 'insider's' perspective on events that took place during the reign of King George III and IV.

Not really what I was expecting. I read a bit of it but couldn't really get into it, mainly due to the language. People spoke way more formally during the Georgian era than they do now. It's similar to the complaints people have about reading Shakespeare. The irony is I have an easier time with Shakespeare than I did with this book.

Thanks to NetGalley and Pen & Sword for this advanced reader copy, which I voluntarily read and reviewed.