“It’s a good yarn…The Princess has an infectious enthusiasm for detail… and a gift for storytelling” Tim Adams, The Observer

“Descended from both the beautiful and bewitching Diane de Poitiers and her ’hating and waiting’ rival Catherine de Medici, Princess Michael’s real sympathies lie clearly with the former. In The Serpent and the Moon she presents Diane in all her seductive splendour and describes with affecting poignancy the sad ending to one of history’s greatest love stories.” Virginia Rounding, author of Grandes Horizontales: The Lives and Legends of Four Nineteenth Century Courtesans

“I always knew that Diane de Poitiers was the mistress of a French king, but I never knew her fascinating three-in-a-marriage romantic history until reading THE SERPENT AND THE MOON by Princess Michael of Kent. The author, who knows a thing or two about palace intrigue herself, writes with style and panache and serves up marvelous details of pageantry, court fashion, furniture, and gossip worthy of the master of the genre, the duc de Saint-Simon.” Dominick Dunne

“Impressive account of the life and times of King Henri II of France the author’s comprehensive research ensures that readers will get a solid picture of the three main players and the complex negotiations required by life at court.” Publishers Weekly

“Catherine de Medici and Diane de Poitiers–the unattractive wife and beautiful mistress of King Henry II of France were both ancestors of the author, H.R.H. Princess Michael of Kent, who has constructed a brightly-colored, ever-moving kaleidoscope of love, pomp and politics in the fascinating courts of the Renaissance and the Reformation.” Hannah Pakula, author of The Last Romantic and An Uncommon Woman

“The Mistress, Diane de Poitiers, and the Queen, Catherine de Medici, fought a fierce but stealthy battle for the heart of the King, Henri II of France. This fascinating tale is now retold, in unprecedented detail, by a Princess who is directly descended from both women. I was shocked and informed by this gripping book.” Paul Johnson, author of Art: A New History

“. . . an absolute minefield of interest . . . I’m deeply impressed with the amount of hard research. . .tells us not only about the life at court; it gives us insight into any number of fields as well…” John Julius Norwich, author of Paradise of Cities: Venice in the 19th Century

“As engrossing as a novel, studded with detail that can only come from arduous, painstaking research, The Serpent and the Moon transports the reader to Renaissance France and provides a unique look at a fascinating love triangle.” Arnaud De Borchgrave, bestselling co-author of Monimbo and The Spike

“History as high adventure! A fascinating period of time brought to life by a scholarly and masterful writer.” Danny Danziger, author of 1215 and The Year 1000

“Princess Michael of Kent has written an absorbing account, centered on the glamorous Diane de Poitiers, of a dramatic time in French history. Vivid evocations of court life under Henri II accompany shrewd analyses of the politics of royalty.” Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr.

“Overcrowded royal marriages hold a particularly enduring fascination no matter in what century they take place, as British royal Princess Michael of Kent ably demonstrates in her latest work, The Serpent and the Moon….” Leonie Frieda, author of the recent biography Catherine de Medici.

Princess Michael of Kent was presented with the award of Le Prix Histoire 2005 for her acclaimed book “The Serpent and the Moon” by the French Minister of Culture, Monsieur Rennaud Donnedieu de Vabres. The occasion was the prestigeous annual Literary Festival in the Touraine called La Forêt des Livres.