The Palace Papers

Author: Tina Brown
Genre: Non-Fiction
Publisher: Crown Publishing Group, 2022
Pages: 592
Rating: Recommend

Synopsis: "Never again" became Queen Elizabeth II's mantra shortly after Princess Diana's tragic death. More specifically, there could never be "another Diana" - a member of the family whose global popularity upstaged, outshone, and posed an existential threat to the British monarchy.

Picking up where Tina Brown's masterful The Diana Chronicles left off, The Palace Papers reveals how the royal family reinvented itself after the traumatic years when Diana's blazing celebrity ripped through the House of Windsor like a comet.

Brown takes readers on a tour de force journey through the scandals, love affairs, power plays, and betrayals that have buffeted the monarchy over the last twenty-five years. We see the Queen's stoic resolve after the passing of Princess Margaret, the Queen Mother, and Prince Philip, her partner for seven decades, and how she triumphs in her Jubilee years even as family troubles rage around her. Brown explores Prince Charles' determination to make Camilla Parker Bowles his wife, the tension between William and Harry on "different paths," the ascendance of Kate Middleton, the downfall of Prince Andrew, and Harry and Meghan's stunning decision to step back as senior royals. Despite the fragile monarchy's best efforts, "never again" seems fast approaching.

Review: I had eye surgery last week so I have to listen to audio books right now. I took full advantage and chose a long book that would likely take me weeks to read in hard copy. 

This book was so good on audio, although I imagine some parts would drag in print. 

Brown is a royal family expert and I thoroughly enjoyed this comprehensive look at Queen Elizabeth, nearly her jubilee, Camilla, Kate,  Meghan, and other royals.