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

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These are the admin staff, those who come as junior secretaries, work in the press office and never get their fingers dirty and eat quite separately. Instead the offender pretends to be the victim and claims that marginalized folks are too sensitive or think everything is racism. I personally preferred the chapters about how the advisors interacted with the Royal Family, but I understand the purpose of including that information as well. I did enjoy reading about the trials and tribulations of Will and Harry and their wives - to me that was the best part of the book.

Low broke the story of claims of bullying of royal staff by Meghan, Duchess of Sussex in an article for The Times in May 2021. I won’t spoil them here but they only confirmed my thoughts about how she really is and not the persona she is trying to portray. There are politics within these ‘back office’ roles if you will, as they are trying to prove their relevance for their next role, particularly when a regime change is coming. At first I wanted to read the Harry and Meghan stuff, but then you get down to it, Valentine has given us a history lesson of all Private Secretaries for the main Royal households. In other words, when things were going his way he was a reasonable human being, but when they weren't he was a spoiled overprivileged brat who used his position to make everyone else miserable knowing they couldn't even answer back.Go back to what your mother taught you': TV presenter Susannah Constantine on the six money-saving hacks that helped her cut energy use on laundry by a THIRD! Here's where that defense falls apart: if she was always going to use this as a weapon against the institution wouldn't it have made more sense to get her help?

Low also described the 'crushing' phrase that the Duchess used to one of her team and went into detail into what he believes really happened during the Tiaragate saga. The author claimed that the Duke feared that royals become less relevant as they grow older and move down the line of succession, and was eager to build a lasting legacy before Prince George's 18th birthday. That said, it was an interesting insight into the workings of the monarchy and made me dislike Harry and Meghan even more. I truly want to let those who have reached out to me know how much I appreciate them and their comments.Meghan Markle and Prince Harry acted like 'a couple of teenagers,' palace sources allege in explosive new book". Low also claims that the duke had tried to inform the late Queen of his plans ahead of the trip, having hoped ‘to see his grandmother alone before he left Canada. Courtiers provides a historical account of the British monarchy's courtiers, the trusted advisers in the King or Queen's inner circle, from King George VI to the present. Low claims that Harry and Meghan initially ‘wanted to find a compromise whereby they could live part of the year abroad but carry out some royal duties at home. The question of who is entrusted to guide the royals has never been more vital, and yet the task those courtiers face has never been more challenging.

That their behind-the-scenes existence is beyond the public gaze is occasionally reason enough for fervid curiosity.Their interactions with royalty, good and bad decision-making, and how they exited the job are discussed. I finished the book feeling “ah, that makes sense and there’s hope for slow change” compared to the frustration and “people suck” that Spare left me with. The fact that he had had so long to think about it was made abundantly evident 24 hours after he became king, when he made a well-judged — and well-received — address to the nation in which he spoke of his “darling Mama” and promised to serve the nation “with loyalty, respect and love”. We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you’ve consented to and improve our understanding of you. Prince Harry's fear of becoming "irrelevant" and an attempt at bridge building by William that was turned down are two of a number of bombshell claims to come from a new book about the royals.