At Home with the Queen: Life Through the Keyhole of the Royal Household
£6.20£8.50 (-27%)
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 Queen’s bedsheets six inches longer than Prince Philip’s? Why do her maids have to vacuum walking backwards? Why doesn’t the Queen allow square ice-cubes to be put in her drinks?
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Additional information
| Publisher | HarperCollins Publishers Ltd (9 Aug. 2003) |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Paperback | 348 pages |
| ISBN-10 | 0007126190 |
| ISBN-13 | 978-0007126194 |
| Dimensions | 11.1 x 2.21 x 17.81 cm |
by Suzanne Mead
It’s a book that’s dated, but a true eye opener to how this family by accident of birth truly live.
The lifestyle is almost stomach churning. The money that they spend on themselves (not the servants that go into the hundreds receive). The main objective being “PRIVALGIGED” to work for this bunch of highly spoilt and truly demanding family.
No wonder all staff have to sign the Official Secret Act”. For most of us living in a 2 up 2 down would find 600 rooms in Buck House let alone all the other resistances appalling.
It’s more the fact that these people can’t even dress themselves or run a bath that amazes me. In fact even a fountain pen has to be placed in a personal box with special paper etc…..it just goes on. More privaliige, Corgis eating fillet steak ????…. Buy this if you want a sycophantic but quite entertaining read of how these people REALLY LIVE
by janet simkiss
this book gives you a new and amaz ing insight to royal life would reccomend if you like our Royal family
by joanne walker
I like it alot
by Amazon Customer
I am spending many hours reading this book and goodness knows when I will finish it as I can’t help myself reading parts out to my husband . I am not sure if he appreciates it as much as I do but he always says ” That’s nice ” so that is kind of reassuring , I think anyway , or am I missing something here ?
by anngie
Delivered on time. Bought as very good. However, whilst all pages are intact, sadly all pages are browning – sign of age/storage? Makes it more difficult to read. Will keep though.
by MRS JANET E WATSON
A pleasant read although much out of date now.
Still, an insight into how The Palace runs so sweetly.
by linda lancashire
i really enjoyed this book…..but there again….i am a great royalist and love reading all the biographies and anything i can find in magazines and newspapers. the queen does a marvelous job and i am a great admirer of all that she stands for. what other OAPs work as hard as the queen and prince phillip at their ages? absolutely incredible.
this book is well written, informative and interesting. yes….i highly recommend it.
by Alexandra
A good book. A text that does not deal with affairs, but describes useful facts. The photographs are authentic. I found out a lot about the Queen’s staff(not servants nowadays) and the countries she visited. The style was excellent.