Behind the Throne

August 15, 2018
From bedchambers to ballrooms, a revealing portrait of daily life among the royals.Steeped in British history, Tinniswood (History/Univ. of Buckingham; The Long Weekend: Life in the English Country House, 2016, etc.) offers an intimate and entertaining look at the private lives of monarchs from Elizabeth I to the current occupants of Buckingham Palace. Funded grandly by their subjects, kings, queens, and their families have always inhabited "a cocoon of support to ease their paths through life": cooks, dressers, housekeepers, valets, wet-nurses and governesses, pages, footmen, gardeners, butlers, secretaries, and a hierarchy of staff overseers. "The rituals of royal care," Tinniswood writes, "are there to separate sovereigns from the rest, to remind their subjects that they are not like other people, not even presidents and billionaire executives." In centuries past, body servants included a bedchamber-woman who handed the queen her fan, poured water out of a jug when the queen washed her hands, and pulled on the queen's gloves; a page was called in to put on the queen's shoes. Some 1,200 employees attend to the household of Elizabeth II; her great-great-grandmother Victoria had 921 salaried retainers. Royals were rarely alone. Charles II, annoyed that Whitehall palace was "cluttered with people," devised a set of household ordinances to control the throngs. Royal palaces, the author asserts, were not "like some regal version of Downtown Abbey"; Whitehall, particularly, "was more like a vast apartment complex" with around 1,500 lodgings for countless servants, government staff, menials (who slept in closets), and squatters. Tinniswood cheerfully chronicles the flirtations, affairs, family squabbles, back-stabbing, and jockeying for favor that characterized the royal courts, even giving pets a quick nod. George V, for example, doted on Charlotte, a parrot who had the habit of defecating on the tablecloth. The author also recounts the madness of George III, whose "weeping, insomnia, and feverish agitation" may have been caused by acute attacks of porphyria or, as recent historians suggest, "recurring bouts of manic-depressive psychosis." Some sovereigns, the author admits, "are more interesting than others."Deft, zesty social history.

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August 27, 2018
Beginning with Elizabeth I and ending with her reigning namesake, this well-researched, often entertaining narrative illuminates the domestic army of little-known names that manages palatial daily duties and orchestrates elaborate special occasions. Tinniswood (The Long Weekend) describes the behind-the-scenes drudgery of complex Tudor tours of the realm, lavish Stuart masquerades, and the nearly futile efforts of private secretaries attempting to rein in spending (not to mention mistresses, in the cases of Charles II and Edward VIII). Usefully for American readers, Tinniswood explains touchy political matters such as Victoria’s refusal to employ both Tory and Whig ladies of the bedchamber, resulting in a scandal and the famed Sir Robert Peel’s resignation. Twentieth-century royals receive an especially rich treatment, partly because of the advent of television coverage; devoted watchers of The Crown will especially enjoy the nimble analysis of both the narcissistic Edward VIII’s brief reign and Princess Margaret’s doomed romance. In keeping with the sometimes gossipy tone, Tinniswood recounts tell-alls with glee even as he bemoans the lack of privacy for the royal family. Utilizing a Downton Abbey approach, this enlightening narrative allows the royal family mystique to disappear just a little, so those working quietly to maintain the world’s most famous monarchy receive recognition.

October 1, 2018

When Elizabeth I (1533-1603) went on progress to her various palaces and courtiers' estates, those whom she visited were expected to bear most of the cost, from lodgings for her royal highness to kitchens and accommodations for all of her household and court. One particular three-day visit to a Sir Thomas Egerton reportedly cost him over £2,000 at the time. In her latest work, Tinniswood (The Long Weekend) explores the inner workings of the well-oiled machine that is the household, servants, and monarchy of Britain. Using personal stories of courtiers and hired help from the period, Tinniswood brings history to life through the eyes of those who lived it. Stand-alone chapters for each royal build upon the successive history from Queen Elizabeth I to Queen Elizabeth II. Insightfully covered topics range from the architecture of palaces to explorations of the varying personalities who wore the British crown in this intelligently written chronicle that will appeal to history buffs and laymen alike. VERDICT Tinniswood has crafted a masterpiece of history that reads like a novel; a true delight.--Stacy Shaw, Denver

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