John Van der Kiste's book takes in the principal monarchies of Scandinavia going back to the beginning of the 19th century. He uses unpublished sources and photographs to show how they relate to modern European history. The book also considers the political backgrounds to the monarchs' reigns; as well as examining the suspected pro-German leanings of Gustav V, the author describes the dissolution of the union between Norway and Sweden in 1905, which eventually led to the election of Christian IX's grandson as Haakon VII.