Monarchy as a form of government involves more than an individual sovereign, and encompasses consorts, heirs and other relatives. Since royals, especially in Europe, traditionally married other royals, there existed many familial ties across borders, reinforced by letters, gifts and regular visits. Royal families formed a 'club' connected further by shared status, privileges and influence. Increasingly from the nineteenth century, royal families became more global, aided by new technologies of transportation and communication. British and other European royals visited the colonies of their countries and distant independent states, and royals from Asia, Africa and elsewhere journeyed to Europe. Cross-cultural exchanges among royal families changed court cultures and had an impact on a wider public. The chapters in Global Royal Families present new perspectives on the global connections of monarchies from the mid-1800s to the mid-1900s, examining cases of royal families from Britain, the German states, Spain, the Austro-Hungarian empire and Russia, as well as Japan, India, the Malay states, South Africa and the Pacific islands. It argues that these connections, and the regional and international encounters between royal families, played a significant but hitherto little appreciated role in cultural, social and political life.
