Author & Speaker
Susan Symons
The accidental discovery by Susan Symons of a portrait of Queen Victoria in her attic sparked her lifelong interest in European Royal History and was also the start of a collection of portraits of Victoria and her family. By reading about the Queen’s colourful life story she realised that history need not be boring and that royal history in particular is both fascinating and fun. She says it is like a historical version of Hello magazine.
Susan's latest book, published November 2025
Schloss on the Rhine visits 25 castles and palaces along the famous river and tells colourful stories of the historical royal characters connected with them. These royal stories include the warrior prince rewarded with fame and fortune for saving Europe from the Turks, but nevertheless felt he had failed in his life’s ambition; the princess who defied convention to leave royal life and set up home with a servant; the prince who won the love of a king’s daughter, but risked it all on the gambol for a throne; and the valuable pearl earrings sold by a princess in the seventeenth century to finance the renovation of her schloss that may now hang in the coronation crown of King Charles III. Schloss on the Rhine is the latest book in the series on The Fascinating Royal History of German Castles and Palaces. Illustrated throughout and with charts and family trees, it should appeal to anyone who likes history or enjoys visiting castles and palaces. You may be inspired to go and see these fascinating buildings for yourself!
My Favourite Schlösser (March 2026)
Some years ago, I wrote a review of my top ten favourite schlösser for a magazine article. After visiting many more schlösser in the meantime, I felt an update was long overdue. So here is a revised list of my favourite schlösser from the Schloss series of books (shown in alphabetical order), indicating in what book or books the schloss is featured. For more information on the reasons for my choices, see chapter 7 of Schloss on the Rhine (the latest book in the series).