This has been a lackluster year for royal book covers. Some months I've found it difficult to find a cover worth featuring here on the blog. Among those I have liked, a few themes have recurred. Two covers depicted the pharaoh Cleopatra's daughter, Cleopatra Selene, and two were comical covers that parodied Britain's royal wedding.
December brings another blah batch of royalty book covers, but I think the one below is a little bit more interesting than the rest. It's the second cover I've selected this year that features a photo of Queen Elizabeth II. (Here's the first.)
As you can see, the book is A Brief History of the Private Life of Elizabeth II by Michael Paterson. The Queen is shown here with her husband, the Duke of Edinburgh, and their children Charles and Anne. It's a nice, natural-seeming photo (although I wonder: Are they really outdoors, or is that a backdrop?) I like Her Majesty's hairstyle. And I think we've all seen that look on Prince Charles's face before. There's not much more I can say about this cover. It's OK, and it's the best I can find this month. I hope 2012 will bring many creative, beautiful royalty book covers.
What's your favorite royal book cover of 2011? Mine is Knit Your Own Royal Wedding. It's clever, and hilarious, and almost makes me wish I knew how to knit — a perfect cover for the book.