{"product_id":"power-and-the-palace-9781035418831","title":"Power and the Palace : How the Royals Exercise Political Influence","description":"\u003cp\u003e'Lively . . . peppered with entertaining lines. One of [Low's] skills as a journalist is an ability to sift through mountains of archive material and pick out the gems' - Telegraph\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eCovering 200 years of royal history from Queen Victoria to King Charles, and looking forward to the future reign of King William, Power and the Palace is the gossip-laden and highly revelatory account of the relationship between the sovereign and the prime minister - the real story behind The Crown .\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003ePower and the Palace lifts the lid on the mysterious power nexus at the heart of the British state: the secretive and little understood relationship between the monarchy and the government. In vivid, page-turning prose, Valentine Low takes us behind the scenes of the weekly audience to uncover the ever-changing dynamic between sovereign and prime minister - from the romance and flattery that bound Victoria and Benjamin Disraeli, to the personal and political gulf that separated Elizabeth II from Margaret Thatcher.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eHe reveals how the monarchy has gradually ceded political power over the past two hundred years while behind closed doors fighting to keep its finances secure - ensuring the long-term survival of the institution. But it has not all been smooth sailing, and the book includes moments of dramatic tension when the relationship threatened to unravel.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBased on nearly 100 interviews with senior politicians, top civil servants, royal aides and constitutional experts, Power and the Palace rewrites our understanding of the political power of the monarchy.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eAuthor: Valentine Low\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003ch4\u003eUnited Kingdom, Great Britain, 20th century, 21st century, 20th century history: c 1900  to c 2000, 21st century history: from c 2000 -, Social \u0026amp; cultural history, Politics \u0026amp; government\u003c\/h4\u003e\u003ch5\u003ePublished on 16 Jul 2026 by Headline Publishing Group.\u003c\/h5\u003e\u003cbr\u003ePaperback \/ softback\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Valentine Low","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":57322204135802,"sku":"9781035418831","price":12.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0373\/4125\/files\/9781035418831.jpg?v=1790686174","url":"https:\/\/belfastbooks.co.uk\/products\/power-and-the-palace-9781035418831","provider":"Belfast Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}