Rain Charm for the Duchy collects the poems Ted Hughes wrote as Poet Laureate, poems which call on Hughes's full powers, embodying a complete vision of royalty and nationhood.

In 1984 Ted Hughes was made Poet Laureate. Since then, he has fulfilled his duties by writing a number of poems celebrating important royal occasions. These are major works, calling on the Laureate's full powers and embodying a complete vision of royalty and nationhood. Rain-Charm for the Duchy collects these poems for the first time. It also contains a section of notes, throwing light on the context and genesis of each poem.