The Palace Papers by Tina Brown

I was in the middle of listening to this book on audio from the library app Libby, when Queen Elizabeth II died. As I continued with the book, I began to watch television coverage of the days before and then after her fascinating funeral. The stories in the book, as you can imagine, began to take on greater weight and importance for me than before her death. Much like the Netflix series "The Crown," Tina Brown's "Palace Papers" provides a behind-the-scenes look at the House of Windsor, otherwise known as "The Firm." The cast of characters have a long history with each other, particularly King Charles and Queen Consort Camilla, and this book offers new insights and details. The narrative is full of secrets such as Princess Margaret giving unwrapped household items to staff for Christmas, Prince Andrews part in the Epstein sex-trafficing scandal, and Princess Harry taking at least three other women to Botswana before Meagan Markle. Brown, former editor at "Vanity Fair," "The New Yorker" and "Tattler," writes with an insider's eye for detail, and her tone is confident, newsy and witty. It remains to be seen how the death of the Queen will change the dynamics of the royal family, but one thing remains for sure: Our fascination with the young royals is only going to intensify, the closer Prince William gets to the throne. To buy this book on Amazon click here.