The Power and the Glory tells the story of royal fleet reviews from the fifteenth century to the 2005 International Fleet Review, commemorating the 200th anniversary of Trafalgar, which was the final exhibition of that pomp and ceremony that had been an essential if irregular expression of naval strength for more than 500 years. Whether to impress or deter a foreign power, often when mobilizing for war, provide reassurance for domestic consumption or celebrate a sovereign's accession, royal naval reviews were an integral part of political positioning and national pride.

Political maneuvering, technological change and the personal stories of many of the naval characters involved are all told with pace and verve, as are the histories of some of the ships involved. The Power and the Glory is a celebration of the Royal Navy and its role in history, and of its essential importance to the pomp and glory of Britain's maritime heyday in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.