Books About Royalty

I have been enjoying two books about royalty recently: Courtiers: The Hidden Power Behind the Crown by Valentine Low was all about the private secretaries and staff who keep things on track for the royal family and I found it quite eye-opening. I had no idea of the rivalry between the various ‘houses’ – Buckingham Palace, Clarence House, Kensington Palace, etc, and of the challenges of doing a job that sometimes involved extremely difficult employers (Harry and Meghan being one example). There was some fabulous gossip, but also an astute analysis of where and how the royal administration has needed to change and what further changes might be necessary to keep it relevant and popular. The book was often very frank (about the total lack of brains in Prince Andrew’s head, for example) and it was an extremely enjoyable read that gave me a new awareness of the powerbrokers behind the British throne.

I have long admired the books of Justine Picardie who has written excellent biographies of Coco Chanel and Miss Dior. Her latest is Fashioning the Crown: A Story of Power, Conflict and Couture which is gorgeously illustrated. It tells the story of a tumultuous half-century of British history as seen through the lens of royal fashion and image-making. Queen Mary, the Queen Mother, and Queen Elizabeth II all had to make sartorial decisions. They were guided by Hardy Amies, Cecil Beaton, Norman Hartnell and Edward Molyneux and the book shows the importance of visual iconography. It shows wonderfully how royal fashion can be wielded as a weapon.

The book has been published ahead of the centenary of Queen Elizabeth II’s birth. It also coincides with the major fashion exhibition currently on at Buckingham Palace: ‘Queen Elizabeth II: Her Life in Style’ which runs until mid-April next year.