What is it like to be the private secretary to the Queen of England? Or the media specialist for the third in line to the throne? Do you get along with your co-workers or if the work environment hostile, where only the fittest can survive? These are just some of the questions asked and answered in Valentine Low’s book. Following several key people behind the House of the Windsor from the time Queen Elizabeth II became monarch to today, Courtiers explores the complex working environments these people find themselves in and how they balance pleasing their bosses while also working towards their end goal.

Within the last couple of years there has been quite a few new books coming out about the British Royal Family. Despite being a self-confessed lover of the British Royals I tend to stay away from these books as a lot of them repeat stories we’ve already seen in the news and don’t always offer up anything new. However, this book sparked my interest as it didn’t necessarily talk about the royals themselves but about the people working behind the scenes, something not previously spoken about.

Most of the book does focus on today’s British Royal Family so if you are looking for stories about the people who served before Queen Elizabeth II, you aren’t going to find much. However, there are enough interesting characters from Elizabeth’s reign that makes the book worthwhile. Mr. Low does a good job of illustrating the sometimes hostile environment that encases these staff members while also showing the family atmosphere that can be created, depending on the royal they are working with. He also gives us a healthy overview of key members, providing us with enough key information and interesting anecdotes but not so much that it becomes boring and you find yourself glazing over the pages. That being said, there are some parts that do seem to drag on a bit too long and why I didn’t give the book a perfect rating. Still, this is a fascinating book about those who help the royal family “rule” Britain.

I would recommend this book to anyone interested in learning more about the inner workings of the royal family and also to anyone who enjoys a bit of rich people gossip, as there is plenty of that in the book. This is also for anyone who likes a good with good intrigue, especially intrigue that is very much a true story!

4 out of 5 stars