The Stranger Prince

I first read this in my teens and was utterly blown away. It tells the story of the young Prince Rupert of the Rhine, most famous for fighting for his uncle, King Charles the First in the English Civil Wars. I knew little about “Roundheads and Cavaliers” at the time but had the vague idea that cavaliers were silly dandies with long hair who deserved to lose, and that Rupert was a mere mercenary desperate to make money out of someone else’s war. The Rupert of this beautifully written and impeccably researched novel is so much more—dashing, yes,… show more.

One of several related titles about the Stuarts, The Stranger Prince is about Rupert of the Rhine and, to a degree, the rest of his family, exiled from the Palatinate when Rupert was still in the cradle. It is a favourite of mine, covering Rupert’s early years and his military career in England during the first Civil War.

Based on real characters and events, it has tremendous liveliness and heart.