Courtiers

The gripping account of how the Royal family really operates from the man who has spent years watching them in public and behind the scenes as Royal correspondent for The Times. Valentine Low asks the important questions: who really runs the show and, with Charles now crowned as King, what will happen next? Today, as ever, a vast team of people hidden from view steers the royal family's path between public duty and private life. The late Queen Elizabeth II, after a remarkable 70 years of service, lived the final year of her reign without her husband Philip to guide her. Now, after years in which he wielded ever greater influence as he prepared for his role as King, newly acceded Charles seeks to define what his future as sovereign will be. The question of who is entrusted to guide the royals has never been more vital, and yet the task those courtiers face has never been more challenging. With a cloud hanging over Prince Andrew as well as Harry and Meghan's departure from royal life, the complex relationship between modern courtiers and royal principals has been exposed to global scrutiny. William and Kate - equipped with a very 21st century approach to press and public relations - now hold the responsibility of making an ancient institution relevant for the decades to come. Courtiers reveals an ever-changing web of complex characters, shifting values and ideas over what the future of the institution should be. This is the story of how the monarchy really works, at a pivotal moment in its history.