This is similar to a couple of previous questions:
- Do you prefer romance novels with “just like you” characters, or billionaires or royalty?
- Do you like reading novels with royalty themes?
I have reconsidered this question, and find my opinion has changed … but only slightly.
I previously said:
I’m not a big fan of contemporary fiction (especially romance) featuring royal families.
I’m not interested in fictionalised versions of the lives of still-living people—I haven’t even watched The Crown. I’m also not interested in made-up contemporary royal families, perhaps because the lives of our real royal family have more than enough drama.
I’m from New Zealand (as you probably know), so grew up seeing Queen Elizabeth II on all the stamps, and listening to her Christmas message each year. King Charles III has succeeded his mother as our head of state, and we all watched people we knew or knew of attend the Royal Funeral or march in the funeral procession. We also had the Commonwealth Games, where the countries of the British Commonwealth compete in an Olympic-type tournament every four years (conveniently timed to be midway between the Olympics).
As such, the Royal Family were and are part of life, even if they are far removed from our everyday life.
However, I have read and enjoyed Toni Shiloh’s stories set in the imaginary African kingdom of Ọlọrọ Ilé, In Search of a Prince and To Win a Prince, and I would definitely want to read more in this vein.
I might even be interested in romances about royalty set in non-European countries, especially if the author could come up with some kind of twist. But I am still not interested in contemporary romance in European countries (particularly English-speaking countries), as that’s too close to real life.
