The following is a list of memoirs and autobiographies published by members of the British royal family.
List Image Name Title Year Publisher Queen Victoria Leaves from the Journal of Our Life in the Highlands from 1848 to 1861 1868 Smith, Elder More Leaves from the Journal of Our Life in the Highlands from 1862 to 1882 1884 Smith, Elder Prince Edward, Duke of Windsor (formerly Edward VIII) A King's Story: The Memoirs of H.R.H. the Duke of Windsor 1951 Cassell and Co. Princess Marie Louise of Schleswig-Holstein My Memories of Six Reigns 1956 Evans Brothers Ltd Wallis, Duchess of Windsor The Heart Has Its Reasons: The Memoirs of the Duchess of Windsor Michael Joseph Princess Alice, Countess of Athlone For My Grandchildren: Some Reminiscences of Her Royal Highness Princess Alice, Countess of Athlone 1966 Evans Brothers Ltd Princess Alice, Duchess of Gloucester The Memoirs of Princess Alice, Duchess of Gloucester 1983 Collins Memories of Ninety Years 1991 Collins & Brown Ltd Anne, Princess Royal Riding Through My Life Pelham Books Sarah Ferguson My Story 1996 Simon & Schuster What I Know Now: Simple Lessons Learned the Hard Way 2003 Finding Sarah: A Duchess's Journey to Find Herself 2011 Princess Michael of Kent A Cheetah's Tale 2017 Bradt Prince Edward, Duke of Kent A Royal Life 2022 Hodder & Stoughton Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex Spare 2023 Penguin Random House
Other authorised biographies Some members of the royal family have collaborated with biographers on books that have subsequently been described as 'authorised'. Diana, Princess of Wales collaborated with Andrew Morton on the 1992 book Diana: Her Story, recording answers on tape to questions he gave her and allowing access to her friends to be interviewed. The 1994 biography of King Charles III, The Prince of Wales: A Biography by Jonathan Dimbleby was authorised by Charles. A spokesperson from St James's Palace described it as an 'authorised account' that was produced with Charles's co-operation. Dimbleby's book extensively quoted from Charles's diaries, journals and letters and from interviews with Charles and people close to him. The biography of Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex by Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand titled Finding Freedom was written with the couple's contribution and published in 2020.
Official biographers have also been appointed to provide an account of a royal's life posthumously, including John Wheeler-Bennett for King George VI (King George VI: His Life and Reign, 1958), James Pope-Hennessy for Queen Mary (Queen Mary, 1959), and William Shawcross for Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother (Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother: The Official Biography, 2009). In April 2026, Anna Keay was announced as the writer of Queen Elizabeth II's authorised biography.
See also
Queen Victoria's journals
References