The court of st James's

London England: Book Club Associates, 1979. Hardback.. Written with the help and co-cooperation of the Royal Household, this book recounts in intimate detail the life, work and entourage of Queen Elizabeth II and of her immediate predecessors from the time of her great-great-grandmother, Queen Victoria. It examines their dealings with their Ministers, ambassadors and heads of foreign states, and reveals the changing character and duties of the servants of the Crown. The role of the Monarchy and the functions of the Court as seen to be closely related to the individual characters of the sovereigns portrayed, from the formidable and demanding Victoria and her pleasure-loving son, to the dutiful George V, the opinionated, charming and wayward Edward VIII and the shy, conservative and conscientious George VI. In this book the author provides not only an entertaining and perceptive impression of the Court's recent past, but also the most reliable and informative account yet written of its present organization, its ceremonies, the honours system and the royal finances, and the Queen's relationship with her Private Secretaries and Ministers from Winston Churchill and Harold Macmillan to Richard Crossman and Harold Wilson. Slight yellowing of the pages. 1 or 2 slight indentations on the dust cover otherwise like new.