Michael O’Mara Books has acquired a meticulously researched dual biography of Winston Churchill and the House of Windsor by Andrew Morton, the world’s best-known royal biographer. 

Winston and the Windsors is a rich and vivid story not only of how Churchill befriended and advised Kings, Queens, Princes and Princesses but of how the Prime Minister’s splendid and glorious association with the crown shaped modern Britain. 

 Few figures in British history have been so deeply and so consequentially involved with the British royal family as Winston Spencer Churchill. While numerous men of stature have advised Kings and Queens during their reigns, Churchill is unique in his role: helping to shape not only a single reign but an entire royal dynasty. However, it was by no means a seamless relationship. At times, the royal family treated him with suspicion and contempt; at others, their relations were avuncular, competitive and cheering. Yet whether he was playing the role of antagonist to the royal family or that of trusted confidant, Churchill’s influence was central to the twentieth-century history of the British monarchy. 

The attitudes of the royal family towards him, whether warm or icy, were also crucial in creating the legend of Winston Churchill. The House of Windsor helped shape his career and his legacy: from his young days receiving paternal advice from Edward VII; his middle years of diehard loyalty to King Edward VIII during the abdication crisis; his initially grudging but ultimately fruitful partnership with George VI during the Second World War; to his enduring fondness for young Elizabeth II, the last sovereign he served.  

Andrew Morton said: ‘Winston and the Windsors is the fascinating story of how Churchill helped shape the royal dynasty during the tumult and uncertainty of the twentieth century. From the days of Queen Victoria, through two world wars and the abdication to the reign of Queen Elizabeth II, Winston witnessed the inside story of the House of Windsor. Their clashes, crises and confrontations. It is history at its most vivid and intimate.’ 

Andrew Morton is a leading authority on the royal family and author of Diana: Her True Story, which spent fifty-eight weeks in the bestseller lists, was translated into thirty-five languages and has sold over 5 million copies since publication. Morton’s other bestselling books include Elizabeth & Margaret: The Intimate World of the Windsor Sisters and Wallis in Love: The Untold True Passion of the Duchess of Windsor.  

Winston and the Windsors will publish on 9 October in hardback, priced £25.00.