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  • The Palace Papers

  • Inside the House of Windsor, the Truth and the Turmoil
  • By: Tina Brown
  • Narrated by: Tina Brown
  • Length: 17 hrs and 53 mins
  • 4.8 out of 5 stars (446 ratings)

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The Palace Papers

By: Tina Brown
Narrated by: Tina Brown
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Publisher's Summary

Brought to you by Penguin.

From the queen's stoic resolve to the crisis of Meghan and Harry. From the ascendance of Camilla and Kate to the downfall of Andrew.

Full of remarkable inside access, The Palace Papers by Sunday Times best-selling author Tina Brown will change how you understand the Royal Family.

'Never again', became Queen Elizabeth II's mantra shortly after Diana's death. More specifically, there could never be 'another Diana'—a member of the family whose global popularity upstaged, outshone and posed an existential threat to the British monarchy. Picking up where The Diana Chronicles left off, The Palace Papers reveals how the royal family reinvented itself after the traumatic years when Diana's blazing celebrity ripped through the House of Windsor like a comet.

Tina Brown takes listeners on a tour de force journey that shows the queen's stoic resolve as she coped with the passing of Princess Margaret, the Queen Mother and her partner for seven decades, Prince Philip, and triumphed in her Jubilee years even as the family dramas raged around her. She explores Prince Charles's determination to make Camilla his queen, the tension between William and Harry who are on 'different paths', the ascendance of Kate Middleton, the disturbing allegations surrounding Prince Andrew and Jeffrey Epstein and Harry and Meghan's stunning decision to 'step back' as senior royals. Despite the fragile monarchy's best efforts, 'never again' seems fast approaching.

©2022 Tina Brown (P)2022 Penguin Audio

Critic Reviews

"A brilliant book. Tina Brown has inside knowledge and writes so well." (Lady Anne Glenconner, author of Lady in Waiting)

What listeners say about The Palace Papers

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Highly recommend

Amazing! I absolutely loved this book. Extremely interesting and so easy to listen to! Highly recommend!

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Riveting - listen to this , don’t watch The Crown

Factual, sensibly written, and devoid of tinsel sensationalism Tina Brown writes with authority and knowledge. Not pandering to woke brigaders or staunch one siders but fairly and evenly repeating on the life and times of Elizabeth II and family, with a concentration on Harry and Meghan. No vitriole, no victimisation. Just the very interesting facts very nicely narrated. I found it riveting and vastly prefer this to the fiction and wastrel entertainment value only, of Netflix’s The Crown.

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A rich journey from start to finish…

Juicy, immersive, nostalgic… just incredible. From the first word to the very last, I was hooked. Nobody could have done the job better than Tina Brown herself. Whether you’re pro the Royal family or not, this book has to be one of the best listens. Period.

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Thoroughly enjoyed

Not really a follower of the palace and it’s day to day runnings, but really enjoyed the insight given into each member of the Royal family. Makes you a little bit more aware of what they endure being in the public eye.

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Just wonderful

What an amazing book! So beautifully read, so very interesting and even more informative. A must read for any royalist!

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Balanced and well informed account.

An entertaining and well researched analysis of the House of Windsor. Loads of background information about the royal family and recent events.

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Interesting and informative

Tina Brown writes very well and I’m sure she checks her facts carefully. I enjoyed the Dianna Chronicles better, but this book covers a lot more ground. Thanks for the hard work Ms Brown.

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Excellent

As with the Diana Chronicles, Tina Brown presents extremely well researched information as objectively as possible. The book is well written and well narrated, and makes for riveting listening.

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Engaging telling of recent Royal history

I feel like I have a better understanding of the character of different members of the Royal family which was presented in a non-salacious way. The Royals seem relatable with their family dramas which will resonate with ordinary folks. I was engaged with most of the story except for the chapter on the paparazzi which I found boring. My husband commented on what he found to be annoying incorrect emphases of words by the narrator, especially as she is the author who should be very familiar with the content. We regularly do a 3 hour commute in the car when we would listen to this book. Overall, I thought the writing was very good and well done to the author for a well researched and fair account.

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Excellent....

Excellent all round... Narrative and narrator, interesting and thought-provoking. A must read for all royalwatchers.

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