Behind the scenes of the private world at the heart of royalty, as revealed by a distinguished royal commentator.
This is the real story of what goes on inside the royal palaces, as witnessed by members of the royal staff and household past and present. Buckingham Palace is effectively an independent kingdom with its own rules and customs, now explained by Brian Hoey. Hundreds of anecdotes reveal the conditions in which the staff live and work and also their relationship with the Royals they serve.
How does one get a job as personal footman to the Queen? Why does Prince Charles still have to send a note to her Page of the Backstairs requesting a meeting with his mother? How much do members of the household earn? Why does the Queen hate men in three-piece suits? Why are the Queens bedsheets six inches longer than Prince Philips? Why do her maids have to vacuum walking backwards? Why doesnt the Queen allow square ice-cubes to be put in her drinks?
Brian Hoey has been a writer and broadcaster for over thirty years. He is Princess Annes biographer, author of Monarchy (BBC Books), Invitation to the Palace: How the Royal Family Entertain (Grafton), All the Queens Men (HarperCollins), a biography of Lord Mountbatten (Macmillan), and Her Majesty (HarperCollins).
