THE KENNEDYS AND THE WINDSORS

Once powerful families, now mostly famous for being famous.

Hallemann is digital director of Town & Country magazine, where she writes about culture, society, and entertainment, so her first book has a ready-made readership that loves delving into celebrity lives. They might have less interest in world affairs, so she largely dispenses with historical background and begins with the 1953 coronation of Queen Elizabeth II. Reigning until 2022, the longest of any British monarch, Elizabeth is the true test of the royalty buff. A presence throughout but a stranger to charisma and controversy, she functions as a foil for more colorful personalities. In a genre where female celebrities rarely appear without obsessive attention to their wardrobes, Elizabeth gets a pass. Women often trump men in the genre, but the Kennedys were an exception perhaps because JFK and Jacqueline were equally glamorous. Of course, the idyll was cut short by his death, which is described in a few paragraphs but is followed by a detailed account of the funeral ceremonies. With a prominent brother also murdered and the distinguished career of a third, the Kennedy dynasty peaked early. Subsequent generations achieved minor successes in electoral office and the media, but most names will be unknown to readers. The exception is Robert Kennedy Jr., a controversial figure—even within his family—who left the Democratic Party and is now President Trump’s Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare. The Windsors are an acquired taste in the U.S., where the media prefer its royalty seasoned with a touch of scandal. Perhaps an exception, the charismatic life and sad fate of Princess Diana was followed by less edifying accounts of princes, dukes, and duchesses experiencing broken marriages, racism, and sexual scandals.

A guilty pleasure, but well done.