Behind Palace Doors: My Service As the Queen Mother’s Equerry
- ISBN13: 9781844544448
- Condition: NEW
- Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
Product Description
The Queen Mother did not give one media interview in her 101 years. This is a brief glimpse into that wonderful world by a man who spent two years constantly at her side from 1994 to 1996 and then as a close friend until her death in 2002. In this sharp, funny, and evocative memoir, Major Colin Burgess draws on his years as her right-hand man to recount numerous stories of an extraordinarily long and eventful life. From dancing with Fred Astaire to living through th… More >>
Behind Palace Doors: My Service As the Queen Mother’s Equerry
That book is not what I have expected. A phrase here and there from the Queen mother and that’s about all we learn from her. Very disappointing.
Rating: 2 / 5
This book is a fun read if you have an interest in the Royal Family. It did get bogged down at times with some details but not so much that I wanted to stop reading.
Rating: 3 / 5
A fun book and an easy read by the equerry to
Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother for two years.
Very little has been written about her private
life so this was interesting. I just wish the
book had been longer!
Rating: 5 / 5
First, the author comes across as one of the nicest people you would ever meet. He had great respect for the person he served and for the position he held; yet he was able to walk away from his appointment after two years without pretense of a lofty place in Britain’s still-stratified society.
The editor, however, should be consigned to a job where he says “Do you want fries with that?” There is relentless repetition, sometimes in adjoining paragraphs. In reality, this should be a much shorter book. Perhaps the editor was assigned to do anything to triple the length.
The anecdotes are refreshingly new. If you are an avid reader of things Royal, you have a great deal to enjoy. Thanks to the editor, things to enjoy over and over and over.
The author may have unwittingly made a very strong case for the republican movement in Great Britain. While the Queen Mother made enormous contributions to morale as Queen Consort during World War II, she made absolutely no effort to cut back on her lifestyle as Queen Mother. Enormous sums of money were spent to keep this one person in the style to which she was accustomed. I am hardly the first person to observe that enormous amount of good could have been accomplished with the money spent on the Queen Mother.
However, if you cut through the terrible editing job and look for the core of the story (political considerations aside), it’s an excellent and fun read. A better-written book would have gotten five stars from me.
Rating: 3 / 5
Major Colin Burgess’ book about being the Equerry to the Queen Mother from 1994-1996 makes a wonderful read. Real insight to what its like to be “behind the scenes” of Clarence House from someone close enough to see quite a bit. He does not reveal anything that isn’t really already known about the Royal Family. In fact, he is quite diplomatic about the Royal Family, but what makes this book such a fun read is learning the little quirks and interests about the Queen Mother. It is sadly a bit of a quick read, but I enjoyed it!!
Rating: 5 / 5