'Courtiers' by Valentine Low

[RandomPenguinHouse]

Extracts of this were being discussed on a previous thread ('The Times) which just finished.

I'm interested in buying this book, despite never having ever bought any other book about the Royal Family and never having watched The Crown.

I'm interested however in the archaic rituals of the Royal Court and how it works as an employer, and also how the courtiers advise.

Yes the excerpts were focused on Harry and Meghan but presumably that's just for clicks given the relevant timing, and that the book goes well beyond that.

Poignant that in the synopsis for it on The Foyles website it says:

The Queen, after a remarkable 70 years of service, is entering the final seasons of her reign without her husband Philip to guide her. Meanwhile, Charles seeks to define what his future as King will be, with his court wielding ever greater influence as he plans for his imminent accession.

www.foyles.co.uk/witem/biography/courtiers,valentine-low-9781472290908

Anyone else thinking of buying this?

They're doing their jobs - being seen and talking to people. Not a PR stunt, a regular occurence. Would you suggest they do this behind closed doors and ban photographers?

The fact that they carry out these duties with such charm and ease really seems to rile some people.

Her life expectancy before Oct 2021 could have assumed this ….. but her very obvious and reported “mobility issues” since then would tell anyone otherwise…..she was 96 and frail with a likely serious underlying health condition - most were hoping she would make it to the Jubilee - so still stuck on why PH didn’t plan to pop in to see his adored Grandmother when he was over on business from the US.

Sorry, Meghan, but Sting's got the Tantric Sex Mental Boak market pretty much covered for anyone over 30.

@DFOD that is the part I don't understand. In pretty much all of their interviews they are at pains to stress how close the relationship to the Queen is, how special that relationship is and how often they talk.

If this is true then they must have know she was failing.

Yet they didn't visit. They had the opportunity, the invite and certainly the means - yet they didn't go. I can't understand why not.

'so she should have just put up with their non pc jokes????'

I also think we all have slightly non pc of jokes with our nearest and dearest.

It's perfectly possible to refer to the general vileness on twitter without repeating particularly unpleasant, unfounded, nasty rumours "as an example".

As you well know.

So skip the * innocent face. It doesn't fool anyone.

I think he assumed she'd live longer @DFOD and he's been out of the loop with his family for so long now that he didn't know how little time she had left.

The efforts to be relateable. William talking about how the funeral procession brought back memories of his mother. Now talking about a lady who made him tea in the train in Wales. It’s all a bit try too hard. Just my perspective .

Considering that this thread is just one of many filled with unpleasant speculation nasty rumours about Meghan and Harry, it is a bit rich of you to chastise me for condemning an unpleasant rumour about William.

But I clearly missed the memo: let the Bitchfest continue.

I don’t understand either.

Was he not trying to make some sort of point about security ? I think he is still wrangling with the Home Office so presumably doesn’t want to be seen travelling in a country he doesn’t feel safe .
Also , was it not the case that HM insisted he saw his father before he saw her ?

Ok fair enough. I just see a shift in tone and how they do things. They are doing their jobs of course, but I think they’ve been advised to change their approach a bit. I admire them both.

Surely it was visible at the Jubilee that HMQ was getting very frail and weak.

I remember hearing her last speech when she mentioned Camilla to be Queen thinking, that's a goodbye speech. If, big IF, she's still here at Christmas it will be Charles who does the Christmas one.

I'm glad she managed to get most of her GC and GCC together at Balmoral. Special memories for them all.

Officers now have 'up or out' weeding points. If you can't secure promotion after a certain time in the rank, then you are out. There are very few exceptions made, because they will not allow blockages to promotion prospects to thse in the following cohorts.

The only exceptions I've heard about recently are those who have been injured in the line of duty, but are still capable of desk jobs. They do have to pass the relevant division of staff college though

Hmm.. that’s interesting.

Well done for not falling into the second stage trap of the stealth post of repeating the offensive and unhinged SM hate

We're discussing the book "Courtiers" aren't we?

And sticking, in the main, to those households mentioned in the extracts published so far

(Many thanks for share tokens!!)

@MrsMitford3 if you have a kindle the Tom Bower book is on Kindle Unlimited .

Boy from broken home with poor exam results, joins the army and has the time of his life. Everyone says it's the making of him.

The man then leaves the army because the next steps aren't what they want.

The man then struggles with civvy street and has poor mental health.

Sadly not a rare scenario. Fortunately for Harry, he isn't going to be on the streets with a royal corgi on a length of string any time soon, but he is fragile and I suspect volatile. Much as don't think M is good for him, I can imagine he could be difficult to live with. Not only did she completely misread what the Royal Family were about, I suspect she really didn't know what she was getting into with Harry's personality either.

Seems that you did. It’s not a bitch fest to expect vile SM not to be repeated - it’s basic manners and standards.

But now you are aware of the standards you can look to step up.

If they have consciously or been observed to up their game - then that’s a good thing for tax payers surely?

@EdithWeston

This thread was ostensibly started to discuss the book, but as with all Meghan threads, it has simply become another bashing thread in which her motives are questioned, she is psychoanalysed as controlling and Harry as a victim, posters hope for their divorce, and every single negative thing said about her is believed, no matter the agenda. It is the same old same old, and is utterly relentless.

I started a non-bashing thread a few weeks ago to make room for those who wanted to discuss Meghan rationally without the toxicity, but some of the same posters here followed us there, and insisted on poisoning the discussion.

So no, this is not a discussion about Courtiers. It is simply a pretext for more of the same Meghan bashing that Mumsnet posters love so much.

The extracts from Courtiers book, does a good job of showing how abusive MM was to staff.
Experienced staff who'd been successful elsewhere couldn't work with the Sussex either.
What more is there to say?

Can I suggest we ignore the obvious attempts to derail the discussion?

Yes. I read somewhere she had been shocked at some of his antics related in his forthcoming book. Doesn’t suggest she knows him very well.