Royal Warriors: A Military History of the British Monarchy

Royal Warriors: A Military History of the British Monarchy. Charles Carlton. Pearson Longman. [pounds sterling]19.99. vi + 184 pages. ISBN 0-582-47265-2. Tony Blair's absurd reference to British troops as 'my troops' violated one of the few remaining principles of the British Constitution not yet attacked by Labour: the acknowledgement that whilst the armed forces may take instructions from HM Government, their allegiance is to the Queen, not her government. This vital link is what remains from one of the primary functions of monarchy, the leadership of a

tribe's or country's military forces. In this survey of the link between Sovereign and troops, the author begins with the legendary leaders, Boadicea and King Arthur and then turns to the Norman invasion. He traces the relationship of leader and led up to the last war in which an English King led his troops into battle: George II's presence at Dettingen in 1743. After that time it was a King's sons who were actually engaged in battle, from the despised Duke of Cumberland (George II's second son) to Princes Charles and Andrew in our own day. A large part of the book's final section is a discussion and critique of the Monarchy and Royal Family today.

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