Chapter one: History, setting the royals in context
The line of succession: House of Saxe-Coburg and the Stuarts, links
to earlier British royal dynasties. The House of Windsor: The story
behind name change
Renewing the dynasty: royal weddings, coronations, babies and
abdication, brief biogs and portraits of current royals major and
minor.
Regency: What happens in this situation. Back to the last one –
George III (the last American King)
Include portraits and biographies of the monarchs and their family,
past and present. Illustration: Family tree
Chapter Two: Realms and dominions
The British Empire, and the current extent of influence;
The Commonwealth explained. 53 nations up from 52 nations last
year. Role in the British constitution
Head of state; legal status and rules of office explained. Role of
Queen, what would happen in a constitutional crisis.
Extent/limitations of power. Meetings with PMs over the years.
Dissolving and opening parliament. Could the monarch ever actually
interfere with parliament? Precedents.
Royal tours abroad, planning and execution, staff members and
responsiblities, negotiating security.
Chapter Three: Finance and wealth
Who owns what: how it is funded. Who pays for what?
Income, assets, wealth, crown dependencies, salaries and expenses.
Add tax here?
Different revenue streams
Civil List, Sovereign Grant, Duchy of Lancaster, Duchy of Cornwall,
Crown estates.
Charitable trusts.
Royal patents, charters and patents go here? What do they mean, who
benefits? Does the Queen really use Andrex toilet paper and spread
Tiptree marmalade on her toast?
Chapter Four: The Royal Residences (perhaps this is too much on the
buildings, and we could combine this chapter with Ch5
Households)
Buckingham Palace, number of rooms, which are open to the public,
which ones are the inner sanctums, how many staff does it need to
keep in running, what is the pecking order, would be great to have
details of how many pounds of suger/eggs/dog poo bags/bottles of
champagne/etc the household gets through in a year. What are the
unbreakable rules?
Windsor Castle, favourite residence, place the family have come
here to get married – and be buried. The restoration and comeback,
post-fire. Who is there when the family isn’t?
Balmoral Castle, the Queen’s hideaway. Include Craigowan Lodge
where Queen prefers to stay especially when she only has a few
people with her. More relaxed here than other palaces? What’s the
daily routine?
Birkhall – Charles and Camilla inherit it from the Queen Mother and
base themselves there during the
summer (and New Year)
Delnadamph Lodge, regional official residences: Holyroodhouse and
Hillsborough Castle
The private homes: Sandringham, Clarence House, Highgrove,
Kensington Palace, St James’s Palace. Anmer Hall for William and
Kate. Who is in charge of running these residences, who owns them,
do they pay council tax?!
And there’s a new residence – Frogmore Cottage for Harry and
Meghan
Box out on the Tower of London, still officially a royal
residence.
Chapter Five: The Royal Households
The offices and the people who work in them. Explaining some of the
unusual names and titles, including the most minor as well as the
most important. Are there factions and feuds between the
households?
The Royal Household, Household of Prince of Wales, Household of
Duke and Duchess and Cambridge and Duke and Duchess of Sussex.
Buckingham Palace for the Queen and her children, except
Charles.
St. James’s Palace/Clarence House – for Charles and Camilla
Kensington Palace for William and Harry and their families.
Chapter Six: Royal Transport
Cars currently owned and what they are used for. Inside the Royal
Mews.
Planes and trains
Inside the Royal Train, Flights through British Airways or the
military Royal Squadron.
The Royal Yacht Britannia (out of commission). Inside the Royal
Yacht.
Carriages. One spread
State carriages like those used for the opening of Parliament to
those used recently at the weddings of William and Kate and Harry
and Meghan.
Chapter Seven: Leisure, pastimes and Pets
Dogs and horses: life hasn’t changed much since King George VI’s
day. Dogs are centre stage. Corgis, list them from Susan
(Elizabeth’s first) and how she actually has a lot of Labradors
too! Are there dog-related servants? Royal dog walker?
Sports: horse racing – Sandringham stud, Earl ‘Porchie” Carnarvon,
dressage (Olympian Zara Phillips follows her parents), polo
(Philip, Charles, William and Harry), carriage driving.(Philip)
The arts: Royal Variety Performance, Royal Shakespeare Company,
Royal Opera House, Royal Ballet, Royal College of Art, are they all
just titles?
Charities: The Prince’s Trust, the Royal Foundation, Help for
Heroes, Heads Together.
The royals and fashion; from Margaret in Dior, to the Queen in
Hardy Amies and more conventional wear, to Diana and Meghan and
Kate and how they use fashion to send signals, support British (and
Commonwealth) designers and make covert political statements; has
the Queen worn pro EU hats, and anti Trump brooches?
Sidebar on the men: Charles and his love for Saville Row, and
make-do-and-mend his clothes (he patches them); and William
choosing new Saville Row tailors like Spencer Hart
The jewellery from hand-me-downs to the new fashions.
Chapter Eight: State Occasions and Official engagements
Events and annual occasions sponsored, hosted or attended by royal
members. How they are run and who does what. How are invitation
lists drawn up, who decides on seating plans, what are the absolute
must not do rules (Trump walking ahead of QE, Michelle Obama
hugging her). How are guests briefed on arrival?
Buckingham Palace garden parties, investitures, State Opening of
Parliament, Trooping the Colour, Changing the guard, Remembrance
Day, Swan Upping
Royal Ascot, State Banquets.
Head of the British Armed Forces. Other links with the armed
forces:
Household guards, security and military units. Individual military
records of members of the royal family. Household Cavalry, Life
Guards, the. Blues and Royals, Grenadier Guards, Coldstream
Guards.
The Crown Jewels, significance, history, symbolism explained.
Worth. Security arrangements. Insurance.
Chapter Ten: Royals in Church: Weddings, Baptisms and Funerals
Queen as head of the Church of England. Brief history explains why.
What does the role mean? Is it anachronistic or is there still some
purpose? Church every Sunday. Are there chapels and employed clergy
in the households?
The weddings are the upbeat focal point of the monarchy, but the
funerals signal the end of an era and often the beginning of a new
one. Recent weddings and surge in support for a new generation of
young royals.
The different funerals of recent history. A look ahead to what the
next ones might be like. Diana’s caught everyone by surprise. Queen
Mother’s was the last v. formal one with her lying in state, or the
equivalent, at Westminster. A hint towards the future ones.
The baptism traditions – the same font, water from the River Jordan
and the replica Christening gown. Music and liturgy.
Afterword: Royal family of the future
Princess Diana’s lasting legacy and the changing face of royals,
Meghan’s impact. How it might change further. The Commonwealth in
the 21st century.
• Examines the royal finances, including personal incomes, state
salaries and charitable activities
• Details the births, marriages and deaths of the past 70 years, as
well as state ceremonies, jubilees and other royal celebrations
• Includes fascinating behind the scenes details on annual events,
domestic rituals, personalities, pets and family gatherings
• Illustrated throughout, and including Intimate, candid
photographs of how the institution of the Royal Family functions
Robert Jobson is a journalist, author and broadcaster who has reported on the Royal Family since 1991 as correspondent for UK national newspapers, US TV network ABC News and Australia’s breakfast show Sunrise. Robert has written several books on the British royals, including the best-selling ‘Diana: Closely Guarded Secret’, ‘Guarding Diana’ and the recently well-received ‘Charles at Seventy’.
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