Latest Royal Book Worth Reading
Details and stories directly from the Royal Family and their closest advisors
One of my favorite pictures of the Queen. Doesn’t she look like a Grandma waiting to hear everything? Reuters
Happy Sunday!! Well, things can happen in a whirlwind and today we saw that play out. After stunning the world with her announcement to abdicate on December 31, 2023, Queen Margrethe II of Denmark was succeeded today by her son and daughter-in-law, Prince Frederik and Princess Mary. Yes, we have a new Queen Mary of Denmark. I know Kate fans especially love her and it’s exciting to watch this new era unfold. One thing I love about royal watching is the subtext of so many things that happen. Today, we lived that. I think Margrethe wanted to secure that the monarchy was in solid hands moving ahead and those hands are Mary’s. Mission accomplished.
As I’ve mentioned before, I rarely recommend royal books to read. The most recent one I did was Courtiers by Valentine Low. If you haven’t read it, you must. Make sure you purchase the updated version. We summarized both versions in our newsletter. Low discloses several fascinating, new things. The Queen insisted on watching the Oprah interview Meghan and Harry did with the rest of the country when it played in the UK. I greatly respect that she wanted to judge it herself, but the pain she must have felt watching it, especially being so sick. Low also reveals a major policy change at Buckingham Palace, all due to Meghan.
So, it’s with Low’s insights, that I poured over the excerpts from the latest royal book that I will be reading when it comes out January 18th, The Making of a King: King Charles III and the Modern Monarchy by Robert Hardman. I think it’s important to note that both books serve very different purposes. Many of Low’s sources remained anonymous and rightly so. I thought he gave a very well balanced accounting of events. Hardman’s sources are equally impeccable, but many are named. From Princess Anne to Liz Truss and the Archbishop of Canterbury, they all reveal private moments the public would never know about. But, going in, I think it’s clear, this is more of the Royal Family’s version of events. A different lens than Low was looking through.
I think it’s important to remember also that time. The Oprah interview had been out, but the book and Netflix show had not. The Queen was suffering from several serious medical conditions, as Hardman reveals. So serious, a cause of death could not be pinpointed. Indeed, several times in the previous few years, it looked like the end was close for the Queen, that was the magnitude of the illnesses that she had been dealing with. Rumors were circulating that Harry’s publisher was waiting to release SPARE until after the Queen’s death. Almost like a morbid deathwatch from a once beloved grandson. It was a turbulent time for the Royal Family, mixed with the sadness of watching a beloved grandmother dying.
The Wales children visiting their new school, Lambrook. Getty.
· One of the biggest misconceptions Hardman sets straight, Kate was not excluded from going with William to see the Queen when she was dying. Different versions of this story have been reported, but Hardman dispels them all. Kate decided to stay at home in Windsor because it was the children’s first day of school, at their new school, Lambrook. Kate’s presence was a sticking point for Harry and Meghan, with Harry insisting on bringing his wife to see the dying Queen. Only after hearing that Kate wouldn’t be there, did Harry backdown.
· Hardman also reveals the government “secretly feared civil unrest after the death of the Queen.” It was only after knowing the crowds were cheering Charles that they were secure in the knowledge that it would be a peaceful transition. Upon returning to London after the Queen’s death, Charles had his driver stop by the gates of Buckingham Palace to speak with the crowds. But the first person who greeted him asked, “Can I have a hug?” “Of course,” Charles replied. This moment powerfully struck Charles’ Private Secretary, Sir Clive Alderton. Noting to staff, “This reign will have an informal formality to it.” And I do think we can now see that in the playful way Charles has continued to act with the public during walkabouts.
· Anne was crying after her Mother’s death and a senior member of staff spontaneously reached out and hugged her. Anne responded with a wry smile, stating, “That is the last time that is going to happen.” However, Anne greeted Harry at the door of Balmoral Castle with a hug and walked him to the Queen’s suite. Where he was left alone to say his goodbyes, later he had dinner with the rest of the family. Hardman notes that Charles and William spent the evening at Birkhall, Charles’ residence when at Balmoral. They had dinner together, made decisions about the coming days, and studied a video made by staff detailing the issues around the Queen’s death. Hardman makes a point to say that had things been normal in regard to Harry’s relationship with the family, he too would have joined Charles and William that evening. And I think that’s completely true. He was included in so many things, they were a tribe of three before Meghan sowed distrust and envy.
William leading the charge on what he thought his grandmother would have wanted. Getty.
· It was purely William’s idea to ask Meghan and Harry to greet crowds, a close advisor to William confirms. Surprising the world on Windsor’s Long Walk when they arrived, William and Kate, along with Meghan and Harry, came together to greet the mourning crowds. William thought it was the right thing to do to honor their grandmother. I remember at the time, people were saying it was a thaw in relations. We said no, this is just what mourning looks like. “I know it’s awkward, but isn’t it right in the context of my grandmother’s death?” William said to an advisor.
· The Queen had what many would consider a good death. Two days before she died, although not well enough to carry this duty out in London, the Queen ushered in a new Prime Minister, Liz Truss. One of the hallmarks in the UK as the job of a monarch. Afterwards, her filly, Love Affairs, won her race at Goodwood. “She was quite buzzy over pre-dinner drinks and talking about various prime ministers she had known. But, then she said she was going upstairs and would have dinner alone,” revealed a source present that evening. The next morning, she announced she would stay in bed that day, but would attend via Zoom the Privy Council meeting. That never took place and was cancelled the council was told “on medical advice”. Up until her death the following day, she was surrounded by family and was not in pain. Just weeks before, she had made a special point to ensure that all the family was invited during August to stay at Balmoral, knowing it would probably be her last. She especially wanted her great-grandchildren to have one last memory with her there.
· The Queen was furious that Meghan and Harry lied and said she gave her blessing to name Lilibet after her, using her beloved childhood nickname. New babies in the family were honored after the Queen with the name, Elizabeth. But, no one ever used the name, Lilibet. A member of staff said the Queen was “as angry as I’ve ever seen her” when the Sussexes revealed the Queen was “supportive” of them using her childhood nickname. And when their law firm sent a letter threatening the BBC, because they reported the Queen never agree to this, the palace refused to back the Sussexes.
Hardman’s book comes out on the 18th and I will be reading it, understanding this is the account of events the Royal Family wants to share. We will summarize it here, just like we did with Courtiers. Be sure to subscribe so it’s delivered directly to your inbox!
I wonder how Doria feels about Lili's name? She wasn't honored in it, but the family that supposedly caused so much pain was. The matriarch of that family.
All this information coming out about Lilibet's name is maximum cringe. The palace is just not going to take it anymore. I wonder if Harry and Meghan will respond and what they might say. I think we all assumed this was the truth, but it's still a lot to finally hear it's the truth. The poor Queen.