Book of the Week: Family Royal

Audrey Whiting's Family Royal

The British Royal Family are the most photographed, most talked about family in the world. Because of their unique role—they are the longest-surviving functional monarchy in the world today—their responsibilities and duties as super-ambassadors for Britain expose them to constant public scrutiny, both at home and abroad.

They are an intensely closely knit and loyal family who can really relax and be themselves in the company of each other and that small band of relatives and intimates who know and understand the rigorous demands made upon them by the Court Calendar, their own high standards , centuries of tradition, and by our changing society which puts a sometimes-intolerable burden of accountability upon them.

Audrey Whiting’s Family Royal takes a refreshingly intimate and understanding view of what the Royals are really like as a family. At the center is Queen Elizabeth II herself, whom the world has come to recognize and value as a woman with a great sense of duty. The author introduces us to the more private side of the Queen’s life—preparing picnics at Balmoral, playing games at Windsor, her relations with her devoted staff, with her friends and intimates, and with her husband, Prince Philip. Above all, we are offered a unique insight into the relationships between the Queen and Prince Philip and their four very different children, all of whom had come to terms with their hereditary roles.
Audrey Whiting draws on her close contact over many years with members of the family and the Royal Household to give us an exceptionally well-informed and personal view of the Windsors as they prepare to play as significant and valuable a role as they have so successfully fulfilled in this century.