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7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
do not buy for it's historical value - it is fantasy only, 10 Nov 2004
By A Customer
Michel Roger Lafosse is from Belgium - an ordinary man, like most of the rest of us. Unlike most of the rest of us, he has embarked on a fantasy in which he is a prince. This may sound like the start of a children's fairytale story, but it happens to be the best way to begin the real life story of the author of this book. It also puts this book, which he claims is about his ancestors, in context. Of course, the author Michel Lafosse (who now styles himself HRH Prince Michael of Albany, etc. etc.) was challenged to produce some evidence of his noble claims. He produced a birth certificate, which was dismissed as a forgery by the very authorities in Belgium that he claimed had issued it. His own real birth certificate, of the same date, shows his parents' names, less any mention of the titles that were added in the forgery. Yes, gone is the "Baron" in front of his father's name, and gone is the "Princess" in front of his mother's. Indeed his father's occupation is listed by the registrar as that of shopkeeper, while his mother is listed as a business employee. Through invention of ancestors and twisting of historical detail, Michel Lafosse has managed to write himself into his own imaginary version of history - and you can read it all in this book. I wonder if we need to consider the validity of the book contents at all after these simple facts. There are many, many other areas where he has been caught out - producing poor quality forgeries of Vatican documents, the apparent use of the same typesetting machine on documents supposedly hundreds of years apart (and produced by both Catholic and Protestant churches), and so on - but the space is too limited to properly counter his arguments here. Oh yes, he does claim he is directly descended from Jesus too. Should you buy this book? If you are looking for knowledge and history, NO. It is written as one man's self-serving account of history with the intention of making him look like he is someone that he is clearly not. However, if you are looking to be entertained by a delusional man, then YES. But for your own sake, do not leave it lying around the house where your school-going children might pick it up. You do not want them failing history exams or being laughed out of college. I suggest putting some highly visible stickers with the words "Fiction" or "Fantasy" on it, just in case.
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7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Pretend history, 6 Oct 2003
The last time a book was written by someone claiming to be a legitimate descendant of Charles Edward Stuart (better known as Bonnie Prince Charlie or Charles III), was in 1847 when 'Tales of the Century' was published by the brothers John Sobieski Stuart and Charles E. Stuart. The brother’s real surname was Allen, and in the ‘Forgotten Monarchy of Scotland’, the author’s real surname is Lafosse. What they all had in common was the ability to rewrite history, despite inventing their Royal Stuart genealogical background.
Lafosse, or Michael Stewart, as he prefers to be known, has written a jolly account of the Stewart dynasty, which goes some way to addressing the anti-Stuart propaganda, which was inevitable after the legitimate King James Stuart VII and II was exiled in 1688. However, the main point of the book is the claim that Charles Edward Stuart (1720-1788) had a secret marriage, after separating from his wife Louise of Stolberg, and produced a son shortly before his death. Michael's mother ( surname Dee ) is said to be a Stewart descended from this son. Unfortunately, despite my own penchant for conspiracy theories, there is no evidence for the secret marriage, son, or line of Royal Stuart's/Stewart's in exile. The present Stuart claim resides in the person of Duke Francis of Bavaria, born in 1933. However,he book contains a wonderful collection of genealogical tables, and does contain new information of interest. However, in attempting to justify his purported family tree, Michael has included tables, notes, books and archives that don't exist, or are unobtainable. It is interesting to view the book together with a recent work by Peter Pininski called 'The Stuart's last secret'. This book is a real work of historical research with easily accessible facts and footnotes, and is written by a real, if illegitimate, descendant of Charles Edward Stuart. Its recent research is in direct opposition to Michael’s claims. Steven M Robb
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6 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Interesting... but bad history, 20 May 2003
By A Customer
I used to believe the fraudulent claims of Michael of Albany. The fact that he was a very bad historian (the footnotes are few and vague, and his "arguments" are often little more than leaps of faith) did not deter me - and I am still glad to have read this book, which pointed me towards a great wealth of fascinating information (though anything you can't find supported elsewhere should be taken with a large pinch of salt).Then, however, I visited his website and took a look at the Latin texts of the alleged Vatican archive documents he quotes in support of his claims. They were patently composed not by 18th century Vatican officials, who would have been proficient in Latin, but by somebody with a dictionary and a mere nodding acquaintance with the language. The glaring errors made me suspicious and I did a little more digging into "Prince" Michael's background. He is an impostor. He may well be of Stewart blood - he has a strong Stewart look about him - but the legitimate heir of Bonnie Prince Charlie? No. That line is dead; the true Stewart heir is the Duke of Bavaria, if anybody does still care. Treat this book as what it is: engaging, intelligent historical FICTION.
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