Hessian Tapestry

414 pp. Includes two fold-out genealogical charts and numerous photographs. The authorised story of an eventful century in the history of one of the oldest families in Europe, of which Prince Charles is in the 35th generation of known descendants. It begins in 1843 with the birth of Princess Alice, second daughter of Queen Victoria, and ends with the death of her last surviving child in 1953. Enriched with hitherto unpublished extracts from the reminiscences of the first Marquess and Marchioness of Milford Haven, it is the story of a closely-knit royal family facing the heartpangs of divided loyalties in five wars and handicapped by the inheritance of a dread disease.--jacket