Review

The Palace Papers is a lively, well researched, and informative account of life in Britain's Royal Family from Queen Elizabeth's early days on the throne to the present. British American author Tina Brown and a veteran at collecting inside information has written an outstanding well documented report of the challenges and travails of the last three generations of the House of Windsor with forays into earlier times to unearth intriguing stories and facts relevant to the main story. Many family members are seen in a very different light from how they have been covered by the media, itself a major figure in the drama. This very readable book includes an insightful account of the Harry and Meghan drama which is at once sympathetic and critical. The author concludes with some informed speculation about predictions for the future of the Royal Family after the reign of Queen Elizabeth. Tina Brown presents objective, fact-based portraits of the late Queen Mother, who lived to 101 and did not believe in formal education for women, including Queen Elizabeth; of the Queen herself who put the Crown above family; of Prince Philip, who has been often underestimated and who was her chief adviser and her lifelong soulmate despite his difficult role as both her husband and her subject; of the Queen's sister, Princess Margaret, a victim of the old traditions; and of the complex, sometimes baffling Prince Charles, Princess Diana emerges as less than her sainted image. Camilla Parker-Bowles is seen as a perfect mate for Charles and a wise and patient mistress who played her hand expertly. Prince William is very close to his brother Harry, to a point, and very different. He appears prepared to wear the Crown when the time comes. Kate Middleton is impressive and smart and comes to life in Tina Brown's hands. Prince Andrew was a problem child long before his disastrous adventures with Jeffery Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell, both of who he invited to high level Palace events before they were all exposed. Prince Harry is lauded for his authentic combat record in Iraq and Afghanistan, which ended only after his presence on the front lines was exposed by the British press, endangering all the soldiers in his unit and causing him to leave the military rather than take an Army desk job in London. His antipathy to the Press is legendary and understandable. Brown posits that Harry was happiest in the military, far from London and the Royals and the press, doing a real job. Brown is particularly astute reporting on Meghan Markle. She explains how Ms. Markle had climbed the ladder of success in TV and was striving for recognition on the world stage in humanitarian causes (think Angelina Jolie). That experience left her unprepared for life in the royal family and for the British press. Ms. Markle did not prepare herself for her new role and appears to have been unaware that Hollywood and Buckingham Palace are very different. The Palace Papers is an in-depth study of the Royal Family replete with many revelations and memorable anecdotes which bring the characters alive, including: • Prince Philip owned a classic London taxicab he drove around London when he did not want to be recognized. • When Prince Charles was invited to one of England's stately homes for a weekend, he was preceded by a truck which delivered his own bed and all his bedroom furniture including his bedroom paintings. • Prince Andrew wanted to wear an Admiral's uniform to Prince Phillip's funeral even though he had never been in the Navy. The Queen banned all military uniforms for family members. • Princess Diana would alert the press to her visits to Clubs and restaurants and then complain about the media mob. She refused protection (Secret Service) from the Palace. Brown speculates that her fatal accident would have been avoided had she accepted professional protection in place of an inebriated driver who challenged the Paparazzi to a chase. • Camilla's husband, a well-known philanderer who, like many aristocrats, winked at infidelity, was known as the 'Man who laid down his wife for his country.' • A man who consulted his lawyer about an affair with Princess Diana was surprised to learn that adultery with the spouse of an heir to the Throne was treason, punishable by death. And so, it goes. This is a very readable, well written book about an often-dysfunctional family and the how the Queen managed her duties as the Sovereign of the Realm and the head of the Royal Family.

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