Power and the Palace - by Valentine Low (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

'Lively . . . peppered with entertaining lines. One of [Low's] skills as a journalist is an ability to sift through mountains of archive material and pick out the gems' - Telegraph

Covering 200 years of royal history from Queen Victoria to King Charles, and looking forward to the future reign of King William, Power and the Palace is the gossip-laden and highly revelatory account of the relationship between the sovereign and the prime minister - the real story behind The Crown.

Power and the Palace lifts the lid on the mysterious power nexus at the heart of the British state: the secretive and little understood relationship between the monarchy and the government. In vivid, page-turning prose, Valentine Low takes us behind the scenes of the weekly audience to uncover the ever-changing dynamic between sovereign and prime minister - from the romance and flattery that bound Victoria and Benjamin Disraeli, to the personal and political gulf that separated Elizabeth II from Margaret Thatcher.

He reveals how the monarchy has gradually ceded political power over the past two hundred years while behind closed doors fighting to keep its finances secure - ensuring the long-term survival of the institution. But it has not all been smooth sailing, and the book includes moments of dramatic tension when the relationship threatened to unravel.

Based on nearly 100 interviews with senior politicians, top civil servants, royal aides and constitutional experts, Power and the Palace rewrites our understanding of the political power of the monarchy.

From the Back Cover

Praise for
COURTIERS

'Illuminating . . . These figures have hovered in the backgrounds of the palaces over the years, clearing their throats like characters in Act II of Hamlet, and Low helpfully sorts them out and immortalises their moments of success or failure - or more often initial success followed by being cast into outer darkness'
The Times

'Low's enjoyable account . . . chronicles, and explains, the role of those courtiers whose role comes closest to public accountability . . . there are tantalising unattributed snippets from private interviews . . . Low's conclusion is a valuable one'
Telegraph

'This book is riveting. Extraordinarily well written, it canters along, packed with impeccable inside information. Low . . . is one of the exceptional minds writing about the British monarchy today'
Literary Review

'Courtiers is a suave history of the monarchy over the past century, seen through the prism of those who serve it . . . a remarkable insight . . . and an important addition'
Spectator

'Engaging and thoroughly researched . . . Low doesn't stint on insider gossip, thanks to his unprecedented access to royal households, and he has perceptive things to say about power and responsibility too'
Observer

About the Author

Valentine Low is a writer and journalist who was for many years royal correspondent at The Times. He has written about the royal family since 2008, and during that time has produced a number of exclusives, including the exposure of bullying allegations against the Duchess of Sussex which made headlines around the world. His last book, Courtiers: The Hidden Power Behind the Crown, was a Sunday Times bestseller. He lives in London.