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The Secret Royals

Spying and the Crown

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The Secret Royals

By: Richard J. Aldrich, Rory Cormac
Narrated by: Joan Walker
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About this listen

For the first time, The Secret Royals uncovers the remarkable relationship between the royal family and the intelligence community, from the reign of Queen Victoria to the death of Princess Diana.

In an enthralling narrative, Richard J. Aldrich and Rory Cormac show how the British secret services grew out of persistent attempts to assassinate Victoria and then operated on a private and informal basis, drawing on close personal relationships between senior spies, the aristocracy and the monarchy.

In 1936, the dramatic abdication of Edward VIII formed a turning point in this relationship. What originally started as family feuding, escalated into a national security crisis. Based on original research and new evidence, The Secret Royals presents the British monarchy in an entirely new light and reveals how far their majesties still call the shots in a hidden world.

©2021 Richard J. Aldrich and Rory Cormac (P)2021 W. F. Howes Ltd Europe Great Britain Royalty World Monarchy
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Most relevant
I suppose 'Royals' in the title is bound to attract monarchists, just as the word 'spying' no doubt attracts fans of MI5 and MI6 derring-do. And, of course, no book can fail when the name 'Diana' is featured on the cover and, to a lesser extent, 'Victoria'. The word 'secret' gives it all an added filip, although I didn't detect much secret or new in the book. Given that the front cover is packed with words to attract a certain audience, the mostly glowing reviews reflect the political and cultural views of readers and should be taken as such. On the other hand, anyone queasy over the amount of money spent on security for the Windsors, or who isn't happy with anti-colonialism protestors in Commonwealth countries being labelled 'terrorists', or who holds to the quaint view that the Windsors are meant to be a-political, this is a book to raise blood pressure and the occasional chortle. Joan Walker does an excellent job as narrator: her enthusiasm for the plucky Windsors and their gung-ho minders shines through, but I fear I detect a note of forelock tugging.

A super book for monarchists

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