Behind the Throne: A Domestic History of the British Royal Household

An upstairs/downstairs history of the British royal court, from the Middle Ages to the reign of Queen Elizabeth II<br><br> Monarchs: they're just like us. They entertain their friends and eat and worry about money. Henry VIII tripped over his dogs. George II threw his son out of the house. James I had to cut back on the alcohol bills.<br><br> In <i>Behind the Throne, </i>historian Adrian Tinniswood uncovers the reality of five centuries of life at the English court, taking the reader on a remarkable journey from one Queen Elizabeth to another and exploring life as it was lived by clerks and courtiers and clowns and crowned heads: the power struggles and petty rivalries, the tension between duty and desire, the practicalities of cooking dinner for thousands and of ensuring the king always won when he played a game of tennis.<br><br> A masterful and witty social history of five centuries of royal life, <i>Behind the Throne </i>offers a grand tour of England's grandest households.<br><br>