Scandals of the Royal Palaces
An Intimate Memoir of Royals Behaving Badly
'Love and scandal are the best sweeteners of tea.' — Henry Fielding
George Orwell once said that the British love a really good murder. He might also have said that the only thing the British love more than a good murder is a really good scandal, and best of all are the political and sexual scandals that take place in Britain’s royal palaces.
Dozens of royal scandals have been covered up or suppressed to some degree by an establishment that is famous for its determination to keep royal secrets, well, secret.
This book is the first in-depth look at the outrageous behaviour not just of the royals themselves but also of palace officials, courtiers, household servants and hangers-on. Covering existing royal palaces in some depth as well taking a look at scandals linked to long-vanished royal residences, such as Whitehall, Nonsuch and Kings Langley, Scandals of the Royal Palaces also includes new information on well-known and not-so-well-known scandals, including those that have only recently been revealed in detail through the release of previously secret official papers.
As this glorious romp of a book reveals, scandal and the royal family have always been bedfellows, and the key to the sometimes extraordinary scandals the royal family have become involved in are the palaces in which they live.
Tom Quinn is the author of several bestselling books, including Kensington Palace: An Intimate Memoir from Queen Mary to Meghan Markle; Backstairs Billy: The Life of William Tallon, the Queen Mother’s Most Devoted Servant; Mrs Keppel: Mistress to the King; and The Reluctant Billionaire: The Tragic Life of Gerald Grosvenor, Sixth Duke of Westminster (all Biteback Publishing). He lives in London.