Courtiers: The Sunday Times bestselling inside story of the power behind the crown

I would not normally have bought this book but I've been studying the royal family and its problems for some years - as someone not quite a monarchist but who can't think of an alternative. As background information to past and present court intrigues over the centuries, it was a fascinating eye-opener.The book also reinforced all I had deduced myself about Harry and the dreadful Meghan - that she had not intended to stay in the UK but had aimed all along to return to Los Angeles with a title and a trophy husband, having drawn on her acting skills to make herself a bankable feminist, bi-racial "victim".The book also made me despair even more about the scale of the royal family, and how it really must be chopped down in order to be relevant. The Queen was a unique example of a diplomatic, wise and dedicated monarch and she will be a hard act to follow. No-one knows what she was really like as a person. We all know far too much about Charles to find him awesome, and I for one don't want to bow before a King who is so childish that he kicks the furniture when thwarted. All the royal men seem to have this unattractive temper-losing trait, going back numerous generations, as revealed in this book and many others.Let's confess, we Brits watch our royalty mostly for their entertainment value - and boy, do we get our moneysworth. Who does not have an opinion about them as a tribe or individuals, both good and bad? But we should thank our lucky stars that we don't have to work for them. It would seem that it almost always ends in tears.

I bought this book off the back of the author’s previous pieces, and there have been a fair few previews centred around Harry and Meghan.If you’re here for the H&M tea then you may be disappointed. Because this book is more of a retrospective insight into the ‘goings on’ behind closed doors at the Palace. Actually, that should be Palaces….Low is great at describing, and detailing, what a courtier actually is. It sounds an exhausting job, to say the least, and apart from a few exceptions, the role tends to go to the same type. Been to Eton? That helps.I was hoping for a little more around the whole Charles and Diana period, but there wasn’t much to be garnered.I enjoyed every story that relates to the Queen - what a wily woman she was. She clearly didn’t suffer fools gladly and plays her ace card now and again magnificently.One thing I did want to question - while Charles can clearly be a piece of work at times, and Andrew is just plain rude, effing and jeffing, I’m just wondering why Meghan Markle was told ‘we don’t speak to people like that’ when clearly others already did.I’m not her biggest fan, but I did find the book was reasonably fair in discussing what went wrong with the Suxesses. All in all, a lot of the staff are treated as if they are on a human merry-go-round, and get pushed off when their boss is a bit tired of them.That’s what I enjoyed most about this well-researched and written book - it gave a real fly-on-the-wall history of intrigue, political behaviour and what happens when a courtier gets ideas above their station.(Answer - no one gets sent to the Tower but they do seem to have a lot of P45s on the go!)A great read, although obviously not as headline-grabbing as other recent books about the Royal Family.And on a final note - Prince Andrew. The chapters around THAT interview are just brilliantly written.Would I ever get a job as a courtier? I’m from Liverpool, so probably not, although Angela Kelly sounds like my kinda gal.A couture courtier? I’d love to know more about her inside scoops.A classy affair, I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and it definitely serves some Earl Grey.

A very well researched and documented account of the behind the scenes work of the discrete and wise royal courtiers focussing mainly on the period from the mis twentieth century to the present day. It reveals many intriguing anecdotes and stories associated with a number of prime ministers and other notables and gives the impression of courtiers as loyal, committed and dedicated to upholding the standing and integrity of the monarchy and its disparate members.This makes the appalling treatment meted out to these loyal members of the royal household by the Sussexes so obnoxious and vindictive. The author accurately recounts the rants, the abuse and the bullying of staff members in detail and, although much of this has been written previously, it is still shocking to read of the mental torment palace staff were subjected to the point of mental distress and anguish. To read of the bullying and belittlement of loyal, dedicated staff at the hands of an ex-actress of limited talent and a spoilt little boy that had always had his messes cleared up by these very people was absolutely infuriating.Overall, Valentine Low presents an accurate and informative work of reference as to the workings of royal courtiers over the period of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth's reign.

La maison royale britannique du point de vue de ceux qui dirigent dans l'ombre. Instructif.

An intelligent insight into the workings of the Royal Family. Thoroughly enjoyed the journey, recommended to anyone with an interest in the House of Windsor.

Un libro estremamente interessante, scritto in maniera chiara e fluida, spiega i meccanismi che regolano i rapporti tra la famiglia reale e i funzionari di palazzo che hanno il difficile compito di assistere, consigliare e guidare il lavoro dei sovrani britannici.Excursus storico molto ben fatto, la giusta dose di “dietro le quinte” e un’analisi accurata degli uomini e delle loro funzioni.Una lettura piacevole ed istruttiva per gli appassionati

Wen man mehr über diese Institution wissen möchte, sehr zu empfehlen

I like the way the book gives an overview of what courtiers do and how they conduct themselves in their normal course of work. It is not just about H and M - thankfully.