3. Kensington Palace: An Intimate Memoir from Queen Mary to Meghan Markle

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WHO WROTE IT?

Tom Quinn is a prolific writer of books that explore England’s history, including Mrs Keppel: Mistress to the King and Backstairs Billy: The Life of William Tallon, the Queen Mother’s Most Devoted Servant. WHAT’S IT ABOUT?

The tell-all gathers stories from generations of former servants and courtiers who have worked at Kensington Palace, which the author notes “has been described as a royal menagerie, a hive of industrious freeloaders, an ant heap and even a lunatic asylum”.

JUICIEST DETAILS:

According to one staff member, Queen Elizabeth once had to travel to Kensington Palace to stop Prince Harry, Meghan Markle, Kate Middleton, and Prince William from bickering over the size of their living quarters.

Meghan cops a critical assessment in the book, portrayed as unpopular with her staff. “Like many people not used to dealing with servants, Meghan overdoes the imperiousness,” a source is quoted as saying. “So on the one hand, she wants to be like Diana, a people’s princess, and on the other, she wants people to stand to attention when she clicks her fingers.”

Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, on the other hand, is a staff favourite. Why? “Rather than command people to do things, she asks them to do things,” says a source.

One insider claims that Meghan’s new status “went to her head” so much so that Prince William and Prince Harry would “meet without their wives in tow to avoid rows and stony silences”.