This is just what the title says: A collection of royal portraits. The sequence begins with William the Conqueror and runs through Elizabeth II. The earliest images are from seals and coins (plus the Bayeux Tapestry). Starting with Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine, we have effigies. The first portrait is of Richard II. With Victoria, we start getting photographs -- and cartoons.

Most of the images, especially in the early sequences, are of the monarchs themselves, but their spouses and families also get some attention. Some monarchs are pictured more than others; there does not seem to have been a particular rule for how many images to include.

The back of the book includes some information about the sources of the images and about the monarchs themselves, but with 177 images and only two dozen pages of notes, this material is very limited. The book is not a significant source for historical data; it's truly all about the pictures.

For the early monarchs, there were few artifacts to choose from, so there will be little debate about the choices. For the twentieth century rulers, I think the same is true, because there are so many choices that no one can reasonably declare a particular image the "right" picture of Elizabeth II. If there is any disagreement, it will be about the monarchs in the middle. Is it really proper to have eight images of Elizabeth I (one color plate of a portrait, six black and white reductions of portraits, and one copy of an engraving) while giving only two images of her sister Mary, both from the same painting? And shouldn't there be a copy of the only genuine portrait of the conquering monarch Henry V? (The actual image shown is from a book illumination and almost certainly is not from life.) And what about one of the early images of Henry VIII, showing what he was like before he went bad? There are many places one could quibble.

On the other hand, every monarch is here. Often in ways that show how they presented themselves, or even how their enemies presented them. Internet searching might find you more, but this is a good place to start on English royal portraiture.