Marie was a grand daughter of Queen Victoria, and daughter of the Duke of Edinburgh, in her own right when she was married off at 17 to Crown Prince Ferdinand of Rumania. Her arrival at this quasi barbarous court, dominated by soldiers and local nobility, was an ordeal at first, but gradually she gained ascendancy over her weak husband and when the first World War came she played a decisive role in Rumania's disastrous entry in the fighting. However, Rumania was compensated for military defeat with territorial acquisitions later, and in the Twenties Marie was an international celebrity even in democratic America, famous for her beauty and intelligence and style. This biography, which is now over a decade old, bears re reading very well. The title, however, is slightly silly.