A grand sprawling family with a variety of connections including some to the British throne, Sophie missed becoming Queen of England by the matter of dying six weeks before the queen on the throne at the time, Anne. She was getting on in age and she probably wouldn't have survived much longer (she died at the age of 84) and her son George became king and the rest is history.

She was involved in much of the politics going on at the time, part of a family who had lost power but still had supporters and married well. She was from a family with different interests and apparently different obsessions in a time when the role of royalty was starting to make hobbies less acceptable. She danced with Peter the Great, and sponsored intellectuals and was witty.

Much and all that it was pretty interesting overall, I never felt that I got to know Sophie, I didn't get a good sense of her from the text, I was left wanting more and feeling a bit cheated. ( )