Hardman has had superb access to senior & junior members of the Royal staff, to prime ministers, politicians & prelates, & to Prince William & the Duke of York.
And he provides plenty of not-so-trivial trivia, has a crafty sense of humour which made me laugh out loud more than once, & a sympathy which once or twice made me feel a bit weepy.
Of course you do have to aim off a bit while reading – this is not a warts & all biography.
I for one had not noticed that a second function has been added to the monarch’s role as Head of State – that of Head of Nation.
This term was first set down in print by Antony Jay (who wrote Yes, Minister) in 1992. He defined the duties as those which ‘can be done well, or adequately, or badly, or not done at all. They are the ones concerned with behavior, values & standards; the ones which earn the respect, loyalty & pride of the people. If the Sovereign becomes just another occupant of a high office of state with no more relevance to people’s daily lives & inner feelings than the Lord Chief Justice, then that crucial link between nation & state will be seriously weakened & will perhaps break.’
This definition is now incorporated into the Role of Monarchy section on the official Buckingham Palace website.
In the book there are long sections about how the management of the whole business has been transformed – hence the management guru status - & I was especially intrigued to read that the expulsion of hereditaries from the House of Lords was regarded almost as something to be welcomed because it decoupled the Royal family from the idea that it depends upon & is a part of an exclusive aristocracy, & so leaves them free to make clear that anybody (well, almost) can be a welcome & honoured guest at an official Royal function.
Some bits of trivia to mention here – merely because I have previously noted them on this blog:
- The Queen’s lifeboat hat was by Rachel Trevor-Morgan.
- These days the Queen seldom troubles the big name designers, preferring to leave her outfits to a small in house team led by Angela Kelly (her dresser).
- The beads & crystal embroidered national birds & flowers of Trinidad &Tobago on the Queen's dress (by Angela Kelly) were unthreaded & re-embroidered in a maple leaf pattern for the next year’s tour of Canada. Her team call this ‘credit crunch couture.’
- The garden party rule for guests used to be just a spouse of the invitee plus any unmarried daughters aged 16-25. In the 90s the Queen decided no one should come without someone with whom to share the day. The rules were amended to include a friend ‘of whatever complexion’ - & unmarried sons were added for those with families.
Only one real worry: “After 60 years on the throne, the Queen no longer depends on Parliament to provide public funds to keep the monarchy afloat. It is now supported by the property market.”
So fingers crossed there then – let us hope monarchy does not go the way of others who believed that, with property, the only way is up.
