The 18 Best Books Written by Members of the British Royal Family

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Numerous members of the royal family have written books—from children's stories to royal memoirs to historical fiction. The most prolific royal author is Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York, who has authored several children's books, memoirs, and romance novels. But this list is doesn't only include Fergie's titles; there are some surprising books by royal authors on this list, including an essay collection by the late Prince Philip, and a romance trilogy by Princess Michael of Kent.

Prince Harry's memoir dominated the headlines at the start of 2023, and is arguably the most famous book written by a member of the British royal family. However, many other royals have penned works; the newest addition to the list is Prince William, who wrote the introduction to The Earthshot Prize: A Handbook for Dreamers and Thinkers, set to publish this fall. Here are the 18 best books written by British royals, including books by Meghan Markle and Kate Middleton.

Spare

Prince Harry's memoir is filled with "raw, unflinching honesty," and is the most notable book authored by a member of the royal family in recent memory. The Duke of Sussex opens up about his life in the public eye, and as the "spare" to his brother, heir to the throne Prince William. Within the pages of Spare are numerous surprising revelations, ranging from an alleged assault by William and how Harry lost his virginity.

The Bench

The Bench was inspired by a poem Meghan Markle wrote to Prince Harry for his first Father's Day, shortly after their son Archie was born. She had the poem engraved onto a bench that she gifted Harry. In her children's book, a series of vignettes show fathers and sons bonding on their own benches.

"It's a love story," Meghan says of The Bench. "It's really just about growing with someone and having this deep connection and this trust so that, be it good times or bad, you know that you had this person."

Read more: Watch Meghan Markle Read Her Children's Book The Bench

Hold Still: A Portrait of our Nation in 2020

During the pandemic, the Princess of Wales launched a photography project with the aim of documenting life during COVID. That National Portrait Gallery exhibit turned into a book, with a foreword written by Kate Middleton herself.

“Through Hold Still, I wanted to use the power of photography to create a lasting record of what we were all experiencing – to capture individuals' stories and document significant moments for families and communities as we lived through the pandemic,” Kate shared.

Read more: Kate Middleton Publishes a Photography Book

The Earthshot Prize: A Handbook for Dreamers and Thinkers: Solutions to Repair our Planet

Ahead of the 2023 Earthshot Prize, Prince William penned the introduction to this handbook for young people looking to help save the planet. "The world we live in today can feel overwhelming but the biggest challenge we face will be making sure we support and celebrate the wins for our planet, large or small, that can make a difference for everyone’s future," he writes in the introduction.

Harmony: A New Way of Looking at Our World

King Charles is a prolific author. His most notable book, however, has to be Harmony, a 2010 tome on the environment, focusing on climate change and agriculture. "This is a call to revolution," the Prince of Wales writes in the introduction. "The Earth is under threat. It cannot cope with all that we demand of it. It is losing its balance and we humans are causing this to happen."

Charles is a long-time champion of environmental protections, and has spent decades arguing that we need to put nature first.

Highgrove: An English Country Garden

Another of Charles's works is a look into his organic gardening at Highgrove, his country home. Per Rizzoli, the book's publisher, "Like a personal tour through each of the seasons, the Prince of Wales, along with Bunny Guinness, describes the thinking behind each planting, lessons learned from trial and error, the highlights and triumphs, as well as future plans."

Read more: Inside Highgrove, Prince Charles and Camilla's Country Home

A King's Story: The Memoirs of H.R.H. the Duke of Windsor

In 1951, the controversial Duke of Windsor—a.k.a. former King Edward VIII—wrote a memoir detailing his decision to abdicate the throne. He also chronicles his royal upbringing, his education at Oxford, and of course, his love for American divorcée Wallis Simpson.

Read more: The Juiciest Royal Memoirs to Snap Up Right Now

Together: Our Community Cookbook

Following the Grenfell Tower fire in 2017, survivors began using the kitchen at the Al Manaar Centre to prepare food— a place that soon became the "Hubb Community Kitchen." The Duchess of Sussex's first solo royal project was supporting the organization, and she wrote a foreword to the charity cookbook.

"This cookbook is a celebration of life, community and the impact of coming together," Meghan writes in the introduction. "Our hope is that within these pages you will find new recipes and family favourites that you can enjoy in your own homes, because these recipes aren't simply meals; they are stories of family, love, of survival and of connection."

Read more: Meghan Markle Has Written the Foreword to a New Charity Cookbook

Memories of Ninety Years

Princess Alice, Duchess of Glouchester, was the wife of Prince Henry, younger brother of Edward VIII and George VI.

At age 90, she published her memoirs, which reflect on her childhood traveling around England, her time as a debutante in London society, and her marriage to Henry. Plus, the book includes illustrations from Princess Alice's private albums.

Men, Machines and Sacred Cows

Like his son King Charles, Prince Philip authored numerous books over the course of his lifetime. His 1984 collection of essays is perhaps the most worthy of a spot on this list. In a review, the New York Times wrote, "the Prince uses aplomb and humor to paint broad pictures of British politicians, ecologists and polo players, among others.... it gives Prince Philip a chance to cast a sardonic eye on his own foibles as well as those of others."

Philip also wrote books on Sandringham, carriage driving, extinct animals, and more.

A Royal Life

Queen Elizabeth's first cousin, Prince Edward, the Duke of Kent, published his memoirs in 2022. They recount major moments in royal history, like when at age 16, when he processed behind his uncle King George VI's coffin, and in 2021, he stood by Queen Elizabeth's side at the scaled-back Trooping the Colour celebrations. Other members of his family, including his wife, the Duchess of Kent, and his siblings, Princess Alexandra and Prince Michael of Kent, contributed their memoirs to this book.

The Queen Of Four Kingdoms

Princess Michael of Kent is a prolific author. In addition to three non-fiction historical books and an autobiography, the Princess has published a trio of historical fiction works based in 18th and 19th century France called The Anjou Trilogy. This novel, The Queen of Four Kingdoms, is the first in the series, and imagines the life of Yolande of Aragon, who lived from 1384 to 1442.

Climate Change (The Ladybird Expert Series)

One final Charles title for this list: An explainer on climate change. The then-Prince of Wales teamed up with Tony Juniper, the former executive director of Friends of the Earth, and Emily Shuckburgh, a polar scientist, to write this 48-page primer.

“His Royal Highness, Emily and I had to work very hard to make sure that each word did its job, while at the same time working with the pictures to deliver the points we needed to make. I hope we’ve managed to paint a vivid picture, and like those iconic titles from the 60s and 70s, created a title that will stand the test of time,” Juniper told the Mail on Sunday.

Finding Sarah: A Duchess's Journey to Find Herself

Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York, has written the most books out of any member of the British royal family on this list, authoring more than a dozen titles. Finding Sarah is her second memoir, after 1996’s My Story, released following her divorce from Prince Andrew.

Her Heart for a Compass: A Novel

"I have thrown my voice into each line and I’m very proud," the Duchess of York told Town & Country about her first romance novel.

She collaborated on the project with Marguerite Kaye, a Scottish historical romance author. Kaye told T&C of working with Fergie: "Right from the start it was clear she wasn’t going to be sitting in the back seat on this. She had a clear vision for what the story was that she wanted to tell, and she wanted to be involved in every stage of the process."

Read more: Inside the Reinvention of Sarah Ferguson, the Ultimate Royal Rebel

Little Red's Summer Adventure

One of the Duchess of York's most popular projects is a children's book series following Little Red, which publisher Simon & Schuster calls "perfect for summer read-alouds."

The Heart Has Its Reasons: The Memoirs of The Duchess of Windsor

In this 1956 memoir, published just a few years after the Duke of Windsor's memoirs, Wallis Simpson writes about her marriages, divorce, and the events surrounding the abdication of King Edward. The Heart Has Its Reasons is largely out of print, but used copies are available in many libraries around the country.

Leaves From The Journal Of Our Life In The Highlands: From 1848-1861

In the 1860s, Queen Victoria published Leaves from the Journal of our Life in the Highlands, a compilation of diary entries written in the Scottish Highlands.

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