2022 was really the year of royal biographies, memoirs, and histories. Yes, Prince Harry’s memoir was published this year. However, I will guess that many authors wanted to capitalise on the positive association and attention of the Platinum Jubilee in 2022. The book I am chatting about today falls in the middle- it was published in the UK in late 2022 and in North America in early 2023. For this week’s Book Bite, we explore Courtiers by Valentine Low!
Courtiers: Intrigue, Ambition, and the Power Players Behind the House of Windsor, Valentine Low
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.
Why You Should Read This…
Courtiers sits in an interesting spot for me. Valentine Low is a well-established and talented journalist; he clearly knows what he is doing. However, if you closely follow royal news and happenings, the chapters covering the last 5-10 years feel a tad monotonous. So much of this gets publicised now, it is hard to find new things to say.
In spite of this, I think that Low’s analysis of the royal households in the 1980s and 1990s is an invaluable perspective that is largely missing in current texts. Biographies and memoirs tend to focus on the royals themselves, but they are only one piece of this puzzle. Just like our own jobs and companies have several people to fill needed roles, so do the royal households.
Low does not sink to gossip, either. He does not name most of his sources, a standard journalistic practice, but it is clear that he is not making wild claims. I think that Courtiers would be a fantastic companion piece to The Palace Papers. While TPP focuses on the royals in questions, Courtiers nicely covers their professional counterparts. All in all, a well-written and interesting book!
Is Courtiers by Valentine Low on your to-read list?
Cheers,
The Historian
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