Power and the Palace lifts the lid on the mysterious power dynamic at the heart of the British state: the secretive and little understood relationship between the monarchy and the government. In vivid, page-turning prose, Valentine Low examines the extraordinary political life of Queen Victoria, who exerted her will in a way that no monarch has done since, the effect that had on her son Edward VII, and the turbulent and fascinating political times of George V. We are taken behind the scenes of the wartime meetings between George VI and Winston Churchill (the origin of the weekly audience) and discover how Elizabeth II played a crucial role in modernising – and saving – the monarchy.

At the heart of the book are the famous meetings between sovereign and prime minister. Low shows how, from Victoria and Benjamin Disraeli to Elizabeth II and Margaret Thatcher, personal chemistry proved just as important as the constitutional relationship.

Based on nearly 100 interviews with senior politicians, top civil servants, royal aides and constitutional experts, Power and the Palace rewrites our understanding of the political power of the monarchy.

‘Fascinating’ The Times
‘Tantalising’ Telegraph

The gripping account of how the royal family really operates. Valentine Low, royal correspondent for The Times, asks the important questions: who really runs the show and, with Charles now crowned as King, what will happen next?

Today, as ever, a vast team of people hidden from view steers the royal family’s path between public duty and private life. The question of who is entrusted to guide the royals has never been more vital, and yet the task those courtiers face has never been more challenging.

With the departure of both Harry and Meghan and the disgraced Prince Andrew from royal life, the complex relationship between modern courtiers and royal principals has been exposed to global scrutiny. William and Kate – equipped with a very twenty-first-century approach to press and public relations – now hold the responsibility of making an ancient institution relevant for the decades to come.

Courtiers reveals an ever-changing web of complex characters, shifting values and ideas over what the future of the institution should be. This is the story of how the monarchy really works, at a pivotal moment in its history.

‘Tantalising . . . Low’s conclusion is a valuable one.’ The Telegraph

The gripping account of how the Royal family really operates from the man who has spent years studying them in his role as Royal correspondent for The Times. Valentine Low asks the important questions: who really runs the show and, as Charles III begins his reign, what will happen next?

Throughout history, the British monarchy has relied on its courtiers – the trusted advisers in the King or Queen’s inner circle – to ensure its survival as a family, an ancient institution, and a pillar of the constitution. Today, as ever, a vast team of people hidden from view steers the royal family’s path between public duty and private life. Queen Elizabeth II, after a remarkable 70 years of service, saw the final seasons of her reign without her husband Philip to guide her. Meanwhile, newly ascended Charles seeks to define what his future as King, and that of his court, will be.

The question of who is entrusted to guide the royals has never been more vital, and yet the task those courtiers face has never been more challenging. With a cloud hanging over Prince Andrew as well as Harry and Meghan’s departure from royal life, the complex relationship between modern courtiers and royal principals has been exposed to global scrutiny. As the new Prince and Princess of Wales, William and Kate – equipped with a very 21st century approach to press and public relations – now hold the responsibility of making an ancient institution relevant for the decades to come.

Courtiers reveals an ever-changing system of complex characters, shifting values and ideas over what the future of the institution should be. This is the story of how the monarchy really works, at a pivotal moment in its history.