Little known true story just tragic and so unforgiven. I can’t imagine living the rest of my days the way Sophie did. She was so unloved for so one she had to have been desperate to participate in such treasonous acts. Although part of me does cheer her on and cry when her life disintegrates. So much sadness that should have been easily avoided except for he fact that men are too concerned with militarism and political correctness and connections. Women too often are used as pawns in big boy plans and she definitely was. Just tragic

This was a very sad biography about the would-be queen! This book portrays her to be a victim of her husband! Overall, this was a very emotional biography! I recommend this for fans of Moniek Bloks!

Sophia Dorothea of Celle would have been Queen of Great Britain if she had not divorced the future King George I of Great Britain, but it was not to be.

Born from an initially morganatic marriage, she married her first cousin, then Electoral Prince of Hanover, the son of Sophia of Hanover, in order to unite their lines and more importantly their riches. It was an unhappy match from the start with her famously declaring, "I will not marry the pig snout!” But marry they did, and they also managed to produce two children - the future King George II and Sophia Dorothea of Hanover, later Queen in Prussia. Both then took lovers, which spiralled quickly out of control, leading to a divorce and Sophia Dorothea's imprisonment at Ahlden for the rest of her life.

The Imprisoned Princess by Catherine Curzon delves into her life and even the drama leading up to her birth in a very engaging way. The book well-researched with a ton of references but it still reads like a dream, and you will not want to put it down. Even if you know how it ends, you keep hoping for a different outcome for Sophia Dorothea. I think she would have made a fabulous Queen and it's quite tragic that she never got see her children again.

i enjoyed reading this book, the history in the book was really interesting and I enjoyed what I read. I look forward to more from the author.

Fascinating book.
This is a really compelling and readable biography.
Marriages of convenience, affairs, murder, betrayal. Being a princess is not always happily ever after.
Readable and enjoyable

The true tale of The Imprisoned Princess proves that the rich have always been different even in the late 1600s.

Indeed the poorer royals, born on both sides of the blanket, were as prone to affairs as the royals at the Court of Versailles. Some like Clara were even having babies by their lovers—with their husband’s complaisance. But few had the nerve to be the cuckolded wife’s lady-in-waiting. And none had the nerve to give birth to a son the same year as the wife and name her son the same name. Rather than ghetto twins, they are the first instance of castle twins.

The wife, Sophia, eighteen years older than Clara, turned her long-suffering eyes aside. Her husband, Ernest, was known for fleeting interests. Sophia, meanwhile, was attracted to the dashing and strikingly handsome Swede Count Phillip. Judging from the title, Sophia’s life did not improve from there.

With fully 15% of the book made up of references and endnotes, this is obviously a well-researched book. The author appears to genuinely like Sophia and wants her to get her wish of not being forgotten. But for general readers, like me, that are unfamiliar with non-French royalty of that time period, the sheer volume of names is a bit overwhelming. Therefore, I will give The Imprisoned Princess 3 stars for American readers. Be aware it will be higher for you if you are British or a history buff.

Thanks to Pen and Sword, and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for my honest review.

***I was granted an ARC of this via NetGalley from the publisher.***

I am always astonished by court life. Kings, Queens, Princes and Princesses'. Life isnt always what it seems to be from the outside. Just because they are royalty does not mean their life is any easier than ours.

***I was granted an ARC of this via Netgalley from the publisher.***

The lives of the ruling nobility of Europe can make for interesting subjects for biography. The life of Sophia Dorothea is no exception and in the book, Imprisoned Princess: The Scandalous Life of Sophia Dorothea of Celle by Catherine Curzon shines a light on her interesting life. While being a noblewoman had it perks, Curzon shows the reader that for Sophia, family duty led to a disastrous domestic life and ultimately a life of what could have been. Curzon takes us from Sophia's loving family, to her affection less marriage to her fiery affair with Philip Christoph von Königsmarck which eventually led to her confinement and his mysterious disappearance. This all happens in the mix of a warring Europe, ambitious electors and court politics. This give Sophia' life context and depth that would be lacking without it. However, this at times can make it feel as if Sophia isn't the main subject of this biography but one of an ensemble cast. Still I think that was a interesting biography of a woman who if she had been born in a different time or a different family could have lived a much more fulfilling life.

Rating: 3.5/5 stars. Would recommend to a friend interested in biographies of women or early modern Europe politics.

A very real matrimonial war of the roses this book is full of information about the real hatred between this royal couple.

A readable and accessible biography of Sophia Dorothea of Celle, I found the book interesting but the writing style grated on me. I found it too “chatty” and informal – and with far too many exclamation points peppering the text! (See what I mean?)The research seems thorough as far as I can tell, and the story is well told, but I like my history with a bit more gravitas.

I was very intrigued by the subject of this book, because I've long been curious about this tragic figure, trapped in an unhappy marriage, a princess imprisoned, a mother separated from her children... so I was excited to find out about this biography. It holds much interesting information and seems very well researched.

While I've no doubt the author has an excellent grasp of Sophia Dorothea's life and times, I had a really hard time with her writing style and how she presented her findings. The tone of the book seems aimed for sensation, is subjective and somewhat judgmental with regards to several of the people/events discussed. No doubt for others this could be a plus, but for me personally it reads too much like fiction and I just couldn't get into it.

The story of Sophia Dorothea of Celle, unhappy wife of the future King George I from the house of Hanover. Ignored by her husband in favour of his mistress, Sophia Dorothea falls in love with Count Philip Christoph von Konigsmarck, but their affair is soon uncovered. She is banished from court to live alone forever, unable to leave, remarry, or even see her children, whilst Konigsmarck's fate was even more final.

I thought this was a very well written biographical account of Sophia Dorothea's unhappy life. The author sketched the characters well enough that the reader is drawn into their story, and feels some sympathy for the main two, whilst detesting the figure of Clara von Platen, scheming mistress to George's father, Ernest Augustus. It is infuriating that Sophia Dorothea (the same as most other wives of the time) was expected to put up with her husband's philandering without complaint but was denied the same opportunity. This is a great introduction to a person that history on the whole tends to forget. Recommended to anyone who likes historical biographies.

Thanks to NetGalley and publishers, Pen & Sword, for the opportunity to read an ARC.

Poor Sophia Dorothea might have been the first Hanoverian Queen, but she became a prisoner instead because of a tragic love affair and the several evil forces against her. A heartbroken bride from the first, Sophia hated her husband Prince George - when she knew of her intended betrothal she threw his miniature across the wall and shouted, "I will not marry the pig snout!" The handsome soldier and adventurer Phillip von Konigsmarck was a very different matter. Sophia Dorothea would pay a terrible price for loving him...



Catherine Curzon brings intelligent and likeable but rather naive Sophia to life in this book, as well as such characters as the evil Clara von Platen. Sometimes, it is a little bit difficult to tell when she is writing actual history or speculation, for example, she theorises somewhat about what happened to von Konigsmarck. Although this is a sad story, Curzon tells it in a lively, engaging and enjoyable way. Sometimes her language is very modern, but I didn't find it jarring.



I received this free ebook from NetGalley

This is the story of Sophia Dorothea of Celle, the first cousin and wife of the future King George I. Throughout her life, fate dealt her blow after blow. Her marriage to King George I was an arranged one that came with financial benefits. The marriage was one of convenience and not love that lead to two offspring, loud arguments, and both partners entering into extramarital affairs. One could argue that King George got the better end of the deal because Sophia Dorothea's affair ended up in murder and her under house arrest until her death. It seems the cards were always stacked against her. This was an interesting story about a lesser known noble. I did feel that there was a bit too much historical fluff. I understand the need to have to provide some backstory for the supporting characters, but I felt this was a bit too much. The writing style and pace was a bit different than other biographical histories I have read. The author would randomly interject one liners ending in exclamation points like the reader was suddenly supposed to get excited about something. It was a bit distracting.

Sophia Dorothea of Celle is forced to marry her cousin George, the future King of England. It's not a happy marriage and George lives openly with his mistress. But when Sophia falls in love it can only ever end badly.

The result is Sophia imprisoned for the rest of her life. Albeit it's in a castle with servants but she's not allowed visitors including her own children.

This is the sad reality of Sophia of Celle. I enjoyed the book but I did find the writing style a bit informal for non fiction. Having said that I can see that it may encourage those not used to non fiction to read it as it makes the book more like a novel.

I did find it's well researched and obviously the result of a lot of work. Those used to non fiction may find it difficult to read due to the style but I kept an open mind and have to say I was impressed with the book!

I have read a lot of English history but this was a first for me on this princess! What a life she had,misery all around! Everyone wishes to be Royalty,a princess,but wow,it's not all It's cracked up to be! Received this from Net Gallery and interesting to say the least! Very well researched on the dates and time and the story was interesting to say and the writing was great! A very good read it you enjoy these kinds of stories!!

The Imprisoned Princess had a good premise, but the book irritated me with its writing style. The author made the subject seem like a bad reality show.

I loved learning about an important princess in history that I had never heard. The writing was fluff and trivial which made it seem like more of a novel. The author's personal add ins weren't really needed.

I was looking forward to reading this very much but I’m afraid it just wasn’t for me. The authors light trivial style grated on me from the start. I’m afraid the account didn’t feel well researched and there was a lot of repetition and irrelevant information. I do however feel that the authors style would be suited to script or dramatic writing, it just didn’t work for me here.

I received an ARC of this book via NetGalley with thanks.

I feel quite ambivalent about this book. Catherine Curzon has written a very readable account of a woman, period and setting I knew little about. I felt I gained a greater appreciation of the time through this book and it has prompted me to look more into this period. However, and this feels ridiculously petty, I absolutely hated her use of exclamation marks. Every time I saw one, I winced. I had not previously considered how loaded that simple point of punctuation is, but it felt full of judgment. I do appreciate that this is probably not a good reason to like a book less, but it bizarrely really impacted my enjoyment.

For people not bothered by punctuation and like history, this would be a very satisfying read.