Scandals of the Royal Palaces: An Intimate Memoir of Royals Behaving Badly

by Tom Quinn

Overview

George Orwell once said that the British love a really good murder. He might also have said that the only thing the British love more than a good murder is a really good scandal, and best of all are the political and sexual scandals that take place in Britain’s royal palaces.

Dozens of royal scandals have been covered up or suppressed to some degree by an establishment that is famous for its determination to keep royal secrets, well, secret.

This book is the first in-depth look at the outrageous behaviour not just of the royals themselves but also of palace officials, courtiers, household servants and hangers-on. Covering existing royal palaces in some depth as well taking a look at scandals linked to long-vanished royal residences, such as Whitehall, Nonsuch and Kings Langley, Scandals of the Royal Palaces also includes new information on well-known and not-so-well-known scandals, including those that have only recently been revealed in detail through the release of previously secret official papers.

As this glorious romp of a book reveals, scandal and the royal family have always been bedfellows, and the key to the sometimes extraordinary scandals the royal family have become involved in are the palaces in which they live.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781785906527
Publisher:	Biteback Publishing, Ltd.
Publication date:	04/05/2022
Pages:	320
Sales rank:	607,647
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 9.30(h) x 1.20(d)

About the Author

Tom Quinn is the author of several bestselling books, including Kensington Palace: An Intimate Memoir from Queen Mary to Meghan Markle; Backstairs Billy: The Life of William Tallon, the Queen Mother’s Most Devoted Servant; Mrs Keppel: Mistress to the King; and The Reluctant Billionaire: The Tragic Life of Gerald Grosvenor, Sixth Duke of Westminster (all Biteback Publishing). He lives in London.

Table of Contents

Introduction Strange Bedfellows vii

Chapter 1 The King and His Husband 1

Chapter 2 Traces Remain: Palaces Rise and Fall 23

Chapter 3 Sweet Child and Wife: The Forbidden Loves of James I 29

Chapter 4 Charles II and the Trick Worth Forty Wenches 47

Chapter 5 William III's Ménage à Trois 75

Chapter 6 Dark Deeds at Night: Queen Anne's Ladies 87

Chapter 7 Monsters and Madmen: The Hanoverians 95

Chapter 8 Bad Behaviour: The Sons of George III 119

Chapter 9 John Browns Legs: Victoria's Second Husband 151

Chapter 10 Hell-Bent on Pleasure: Edward VII's 'Loose Box' 167

Chapter 11 Brothel Creepers: Prince Eddy and the Boys 183

Chapter 12 'Not a Woman at All' 197

Chapter 13 Rent Boys at Clarence House 237

Chapter 14 Love and Loss: Princess Margaret, Diana and Meghan Markle 245

Chapter 15 Car-Crash Andy: The Prince and the Paedophile 273

Epilogue 279

Bibliography 283