Royals in Popular Culture

 Routledge

The aim of this book is to examine royalty – both real and imagined –  in popular culture via the lens of material culture, celebrity studies, mediated images, consumerism, and gender. The central focus is on the British royal family because of its global cultural reach however other royal families are also examined to offer cultural comparisons. Also considered are those considered ‘royal’, Jackie Kennedy for example, the culturally influential American First Lady, and even Tina Turner, the Queen of rock and roll, to those seen as the Queens of daytime TV. Even imaginary royals are considered, including Disney’s most famous royals. As such this book examines how royals are mediated, romanticised, imagined, and contested within a range of popular culture spaces.