The Queen's House: A Social History of Buckingham Palace [Paperback]

Edna Healey (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 26, 2000

With access to the Royal Archive and the blessing of the royal family, this charming social history of Buckingham Palace opens the doors to the grand halls and private parlors of the English monarchs who have dictated the tastes of London society for two hundred years.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The mansion the Duke of Buckingham built overlooking St. James's Park was so elegant that King George II tried to buy it?he couldn't afford the asking price. But the Buckinghams fell on hard times, so, in 1761, George II's grandson, George III, bought it for #28,000. That is the real beginning of this entertainingly gossipy look at Buckingham Palace and its royal inhabitants that Healey (Lady Unknown) has researched in the Royal Archives and in interviews with many members of the present queen's household. The house was transformed by John Nash under George IV into an extravagant palace for his rich furnishings and art, but his successor, William IV, so hated the huge pile that he tried to give it away to Parliament. Healey gives a lively description of succeeding changes in monarchs, entertainments, ceremony, architecture and amenities from Victoria (who introduced water closets) to Elizabeth II (who has lived in the palace since she was 10). Healey reserves her greatest admiration for George VI and Queen Mum and their decision to remain in the palace throughout WWII, despite the heavy damage caused by Nazi air raids. In her final chapter, Healy abandons a witty pungent style for a more defensive, sycophantic tone praising Elizabeth II's thrifty ways, devotion to duty and warm, open manner. Perhaps Princess Di's partisans will resent the cozy portrayal, but others will delight in this well-written chronicle of the house of the House of Windsor. 8 pages b&w and 16 pages color photos not seen by PW.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

Healey, wife of former cabinet minister Lord Healey, has written an informative and entertaining history of Buckingham Palace. The palace has been home to British monarchs since George III bought Buckingham House in 1761 for #28,000. He gave it to his young bride, Charlotte, and throughout his lifetime it was known as the Queen's House. Healey does a fine job of detailing the building's transformation into a palace, but those looking for scandal won't find it?Healey is interested in art, architecture, and history, and her stories of the royal family, while fascinating, relate strictly to her subject. Andrew Morton's Inside Buckingham Palace (Summit Bks., 1991), in contrast, deals with the people inside the palace and not the palace itself. Libraries that own Compton Mackenzie's The Queen's House (1953) will want to purchase Healey's more thorough work. Recommended for academic and public libraries.?Elizabeth Mary Mellett, Brookline P.L., MA
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 434 pages
• Publisher: Carroll & Graf (January 26, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 078670716X
• ISBN-13: 978-0786707164
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6.1 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 1.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,434,690 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars The royal family through rose-colored glasses, October 10, 2001

By 

saskatoonguy (Saskatoon, Saskatchewan Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Queen's House: A Social History of Buckingham Palace (Paperback)

The problems with this book begin with its title: It's neither a social history, nor does it have much detail about Buckingham Palace. Instead, Edna Healey has written a sugar-coated history of the royal family. Some of her sources are linked to the royal family, and the resulting book is so unabashedly fawning that all credibility is lost. Even Edward VIII is described in a sympathetic light. Those with a serious interest in the history of Buckingham Palace as a physical structure will be disappointed in the amount of detail, and there are other authors who have written more balanced treatments of the royal family.