The Eagle and the Crown

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Americans and the British Monarchy

Frank Prochaska

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This book tells the intriguing and paradoxical story of a nation that overthrew British rule only to become fascinated by the glamor of its royal family. Examining American attitudes toward British royalty from the Revolutionary period to the death of Princess Diana, The Eagle and the Crown penetrates the royal legacy in American politics, culture, and national self-image.

Frank Prochaska argues that the United States is not only beguiled by the British monarchy but has itself considered the idea of a presidency assuming many of the characteristics of a monarchy. He shows that America’s Founding Fathers created what Teddy Roosevelt later called an “elective king” in the office of the president, conferring quasi-regal status on the occupant of the Oval Office. Prochaska also contends that members of the British royal family who visit the United States have been key players in the emergence of America’s obsession with celebrity. America’s complex relationship with the British monarchy has for more than two hundred years been part of the nation’s conversation about itself, a conversation that Prochaska explores with wit and panache.

Frank Prochaska is lecturer and senior research scholar in the Department of History, Yale University, and author of Royal Bounty: The Making of a Welfare Monarchy, published by Yale University Press. He lives in New Haven, CT.

“Frank Prochaska probably knows as much about the British monarchy as any man alive. Writing with lucidity and wit, he handles an enormous amount of material with an impressive mastery.”—Philip Ziegler, author of King Edward VIII: The Official Biography

"The Eagle and the Crown is a remarkably concise . . . probing study of the dynamic relationship between English royalty and American democracy. Prochaska shows us that the healing process began soon after the fighting stopped. . . . It is clear from Mr. Prochaska's insightful scholarship that a confluence of interests has played a major role in the comity between the two nations.—Martin Rubin, Wall Street Journal

"Engaging. . . . Very revealing."—Alidë Kohlhaas, Lancette Arts Journal

"As a scholar born and educated in the United States who has long lived in Britain, Prochaska is particularly wellsuited to explore a topic that has been touched on by other historians but not hitherto surveyed systematically."—Walter L. Arnstein, British Scholar

"A wide-ranging survey of America's fascination with the British royal family. . . . A well-written and engaging narrative."—The Historian

ISBN: 9780300229943
Publication Date: January 10, 2017

240 pages, 6 x 9
70

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