ROYAL PALACES: Secrets and Scandals

A lively description of 30 royal residences in the British Isles is a very good read with delightful, coloured illustrations. Palaces are places where monarchs are born and die, where they plan battles and conduct intrigues, and included here is the Tower of London, where Anne Boleyn was imprisoned in disgrace and where her triumphant daughter Queen Elizabeth I emerged from the very same chamber to be crowned queen. Another featured residence is Hatfield House, which sheltered Elizabeth I when her sister Queen Mary Tudor suspected her of treason. Edinburgh Castle, like the Tower, was a fortification which repeatedly saw sieges and gunfire, but eventually morphed into a tourist attraction. Balmoral was where Queen Victoria and Prince Albert could relax far from the pressures of London, and after Albert's death it was at Balmoral that Victoria became devoted to her servant John Brown, to the great resentment of her children. Queen Elizabeth II also enjoyed its informality, though Princess Diana hated it and always escaped back to London as soon as possible. Diana's home was Kensington Palace, developed in the 17th century by Christopher Wren to the instructions of William and Mary, and it was there that Diana secretly filmed the notorious interview that precipitated the end of her marriage. It has also been home to Princess Margaret and Prince William. Windsor Castle, home of the princesses during World War II, dates back to the Conquest and was developed by Elizabeth I, though the Stuarts who succeeded her preferred Hampton Court, and Queen Victoria spent more time at Osborne House on the Isle of Wight. Edward VIII abdicated his kingship from Fort Belvedere on the Windsor Estate, and other residences in the Windsor grounds are Frogmore House, built as a retreat for George II, and Frogmore Cottage, home of the Sussexes during their most controversial period. Clarence House and Glamis Castle, both associated with the late Queen Mother, are among the other palaces featured. 240pp, numerous colour illustrations.