Royal Transport: An Inside Look at the History of Royal Travel

Geoff Cragg is a tenured instructor in the Faculty of Faculty of
Communication and Culture at the University of Calgary in Alberta.

Royal Transport is a richly illustrated historical survey of the
transportation used by the House of Windsor from 1842, when Queen
Victoria took her first railway ride, to the present. The book is
logically organized under major headings (royal trains, royal yachts,
motor cars, and aircraft). Although travel in Britain and elsewhere is
covered, the focus is on royal travel in Canada, particularly the royal
tour of 1939. Many of the book’s photographs offer a rare glimpse of
the private side of life in the royal family.

The text is scholarly but approachable. Although he touches on certain
political and sociological themes, such as the Royals’ desire to
create a close relationship with the public whenever possible, the
author does not deal with these themes in an explicit or focused manner.
As a result, the purpose of his book is less clear than it might have
been. And while some of the layout is brilliant, there are some awkward
page breaks. However, Royal Transport offers a great deal of
hard-to-find information.