Power and the Palace cover art

Power and the Palace

The explosive new royal book that reveals what happens between 10 Downing Street and Buckingham Palace in times of crisis

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Power and the Palace

By: Valentine Low
Narrated by: John Sackville
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About this listen

 '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

Covering 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.

Power 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.

He 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.

Based 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.©2025 Valentine Low Elections & Political Process Europe Great Britain Political Science Politics & Activism Politics & Government Royalty Winston Churchill

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Critic reviews

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. (Anita Singh)
Eminently readable . . . eye-catching anecdotes (Sean Coughlan, BBC)
well-researched; flashes of brilliance . . . Where the book succeeds is in tone: brisk, clear, never reverential. Low is a lovely writer. (Robert Jobson)
Valentine Low is an old-school royal journalist . . . It is his disarming charm . . . that has guaranteed him access to the great and occasionally ghastly in the higher echelons of British society. Low's gilt-edged gossip would not eventually disappoint . . . Even [his] musings on monarchy's historic power games proved a pleasure. (Tessa Dunlop)
A serious and nuanced analysis which is also a rollicking read, spiced with plenty of good stories (Robert Hazell)
Based on extensive interviews with civil servants, royal aides and politicians, Low's hugely entertaining account of the vexed relationship between Buckingham Palace and Downing Street is awash with gossip, anecdotes and revelations.
All stars
Most relevant
The splendid way the story was narrated and the clarity of the presentation etc etc

The Narator

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I can't say I was surprised by this book. I've never thought I was that aware of UK political history. I was disappointed by the book. I was hoping for something more interesting.

Predictable, dull.

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A clear and in depth view of the changing relationship between the monarchy and parliament. A subject that has never really interested me before but I found this book captivating and I have discovered an interest I never knew I had.

Clear and captivating

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It didn’t really tell me anything. I didn’t already know and the delivery was dull. I’d have liked a bit more about the controversial subjects such as Charles and Diana’s divorce the York s, Prince Harry et cetera and the effect that the relationship with the politicians had on both

Disappointingly predictable

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