A Year with the Queen [Hardcover]

Robert Hardman (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 4, 2007

Every year over 5000 royal engagements take place around the world, from the Queen's famous summer garden parties to the mysterious world of the Privy Council and high-profile overseas tours. But little is widely known about the inner workings of the institution that lies at the very heart of the British nation. For the first time ever, "The Monarchy" takes the reader behind the scenes, meeting the people that keep the royal machine running like clockwork. With unprecedented access to the key players and organizations involved, "The Monarchy" follows the working life of the Queen over the course of a whole year, both home and abroad.Ever wondered who opens the Queen's mail, who pays the bills, or even how the royals follow the score in the Ashes? Alongside such trivial matters sit weightier concerns, such as audiences with the Prime Minister, the formal honouring of bravery and excellence, and the sensitive issue of the royal response at times of controversy or crisis. Accompanying a major BBC1 television series, "The Monarchy" provides a fascinating insight into the public and private lives of this most familiar of families. Written by the "Daily Mail's", Robert Hardman, and lavishly illustrated with exclusive colour photographs, this book will appeal both to avid royal-watchers and anyone fascinated in the history and heritage of the United Kingdom.

--This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Robert Hardman is the writer and associate producer of the BBC television documentary series A Year with the Queen. He is also the writer and associate producer of the acclaimed 2005 documentary series The Queen's Castle. Since 2001, he has been the author of the "How I See It" column in the Daily Mail, before which he spent ten years as royal correspondent for the Daily Telegraph. He has interviewed many members of royal families around the world including the Prince of Wales, Prince Philip, the Emperor and Empress of Japan, the King and Queen of Norway and the Queen of Denmark. Educated at Wellington College and Cambridge, he is married and lives in London.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 272 pages
• Publisher: Touchstone (December 4, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1416563482
• ISBN-13: 978-1416563488
• Product Dimensions: 9.8 x 7.5 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #453,287 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

36 of 37 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Informative for Americans, February 18, 2008

By 

J Keistler "[e-mail]" (Lake Jackson, Texas USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Year with the Queen (Hardcover)

I suppose I can understand why a prior poster would label the life of the Queen and her family as 'small talk'. It is difficult for those of us who are American to understand the significance of the continuity of the British royal family, even in this year of elections over here. Unlike the house of Orange in the Netherlands, the Queen is sworn to work for her country until she dies. Not a burden many of us would choose, regardless of all the finery.

Most of us will live our lives in anonymity, and the ability to do what we want, when we want, without much public scrutiny. That this woman hasn't had a day of privacy since childhood is indeed an amazing concept in this day where any obligation, even marriage, is taken lightly.

This is an excellent insight into the amount of work the Queen and family perform, certainly not just 'small talk'. Would only that our politicians could turn out the same amount!

27 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Year with the Queen, January 29, 2008

By 

Margaret Yim - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Year with the Queen (Hardcover)

I am an avid royal watcher and my personal library contains well over 30 books and DVDs, plus over 20 year's worth of Majesty magazines on the British royal family. While I haven't kept every book I've ever read on this subject, this book is definitley a keeper. It is my new favorite. This is because it gives the reader a "fly-on-the-wall" look at some of the events that mark the royal calendar. While there are other books and videos that have done this in the past, none have ever done it as well.

The book describes how each member of the royal family helps to support the Queen; contains interviews with some of the less well known members of the royal family such as the Duke of Gloucester; goes behind the scenes to give the reader an idea of what goes into planning and preparing for a royal event; explains the honors system; and provides quotes of the various people who either work for the Queen or are about to meet her, and their impressions afterward. The book also invites the reader to one of the Queen's tea parties and makes the reader feel as though they are right there. None of the books or videos I own have given such a comprehensive peak into the inner workings of what life is like behind the palace walls.

This is just a quick overview of the book's contents, but the book is easy to read and contains great photographs. I can't lavish enough praise for this book.

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars THE QUEEN OF CANADA RULES, OK?, February 18, 2008

By 

Timothy C. Wingate "History Buff" (Ottawa, Ontario, CANADA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Year with the Queen (Hardcover)

This is a pleasing adjunct to what is being broadcast now on our national broadcasting network - the CBC (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation) with the last 2-hour instalment being aired on February 24th.

The cover photograph by Annie Liebovitz is STUNNING and the tale behind that photographic session is quite amusing. Annie really got to like HM's feistiness and frankness - after all she is a Taurus - and even stood up to that sometimes bossy woman - Leibovitz I mean, NOT HM. But Ms. Leibovitz got the results she wanted except for having The Queen being mounted on a horse in Garter robes in one of Buckingham Palace's drawing rooms. What WAS she thinking?

THe State Visit to Washington was intriguing to see and the preparations were exhaustive. Even President Bush's comments showed him to be almost human and he appears to have really like and actually admired our Queen of Canada (by law). Laura Bush got her white-tie dinner with the Queen of England and more power to her, even if President Bush looked a bit uncomfortable at times.

Some of the photos reproduced are a bit fuzzy as if improperly scanned or from secondary or tertiary sources but, for the most part, the photos are crystal clear.

Having been to Garden Parties at Buckingham Palace and the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Scotland they really do put on a show and serve a nice tea. The lemon tarts are to die for.

This is the perfect book to accompany the television series and you can rest assured that when the DVD of it comes out I will buy it posthaste.

An enjoyable read, if not overly scholarly, but then it was designed for a mass audience and for that it does RObert Hardman much credit. The appendices are helpful and will explain much to the American reader.

Much recommended and an enjoyable read.

Timothy Wingate Ottawa CANADA