When housemaid Jane Bee accompanies the Royals on their annual Christmas jaunt to Sandringham, she believes she’s in for a bit of a snooze. Aside from her regular duties, there’s nothing much to do in the wilds of Norfolk, until the body of a woman turns up in the village hall—a woman who just happens to be a dead ringer for the Queen, right down to her glittering crown. While the royal bodyguards tighten their security and the police concentrate their efforts on a notorious animal rights group, Her Majesty bids Jane to do her own discreet digging. But when Jane learns the origin of the dead woman’s tiara, she finds herself suddenly unstitching an upstairs/downstairs tapestry of indiscretions going back fifty years. And then a second brazen murder occurs in the very heart of Sandringham House, and it looks like the coming New Year could be more horribilis than any yet.
Jane Bee came to Europe for adventure, only to end up with the job of a lifetime: housemaid at Buckingham Palace. Now her greatest challenge is removing gum from State Room carpets—until she comes across a nasty accident right outside the Royal Apartments. The Queen herself has literally stumbled across the dead body of Jane’s good friend, footman and aspiring actor Robin Tukes, in what appears to be a suicide. But why would handsome, impetuous Robin, having just toasted his engagement to a gorgeous housemaid, not to mention his impending fatherhood, want to die? Buck House buzzes, but only Jane, and the Royal Personage known belowstairs as “Mother,” suspect foul play. At Her Majesty’s behest, Jane launches a discreet inquiry that takes her from the Servants’ Hall to the highest echelons of the Palace. Yet the more Jane uncovers, the clearer it becomes that this latest royal scandal is a real killer.
Housemaid Jane Bee's summer duties run to dusting the props for a week of pageantry at Windsor Castle, the Queen's favorite haunt. But the Investiture of the new Knights of the Garter ends up combining pomp with a extremely unpleasant circumstance.... Mild-mannered art curator Roger Pettibon is found dead, a ceremonial sword in his back and a Royal Garter around his knee. The police are quick to arrest moody Court painter Victor Fabiani, at work on a portrait of the regal face that launched a billion postage stamps. But Fabiani's confession--despite its story of art forgery and blackmail--doesn't ring true to Jane. Nor to Her Majesty, who dispatches her on a discreet inquiry among the cream of society gathered for the Ascot races. And, as Jane traces the twisty lineage of more than one family, Windsor's ancient battlements witness a second death--and their second ordeal in five years, by fire and water....
The 4th and 5th Battalions, the Norfolk Regiment were formed in the early days of The Great War as part of the Territorial Force and deployed with 54th (East Anglian) Division to Gallipoli in 1915\. Most significantly the 1/5th Battalion was unique in that it contained The Sandringham Company, the only unit to be raised entirely from a Royal Estate. Tragically the Company, along with King George V’s Agent Captain Beck, disappeared without trace on 12 August 1915, presumed to have been overcome by their Turkish adversaries. The Battalion was rebuilt and saw out the ill-fated Gallipoli Campaign being evacuated to Egypt in December 1915\. Thereafter the Norfolks served with distinction in Palestine as part of the Egyptian Expeditionary Force. The Author has compiled a fascinating history of these Battalions’ distinguished service using contemporary records and personal accounts illustrated with a splendid selection of photographs. The result is a fitting tribute to the memory of these brave volunteers.
This book is more than a biography of kings and queens; it is an encyclopaedic work on every aspect of monarchy in Britain from semi-legendary times to the present day. Arranged in an A-Z format, it includes mini biographies on each of the forty-two kings and queens who have ruled since the Norman Conquest, details of the royal lines in Scotland before the Act of Union, the background to the royal houses of Britain and the consorts – largely foreign – who have married into the monarchy. Royal scandals, wars, ceremonies, households, tombs and insignia make fascinating reading, and this book is the ideal reference work for all those who want to know more about individual monarchs and the impressive legacy of myths, traditions, beliefs and practices that have grown up around the institution of the monarchy.
This book, Lives of Reigning and Consort Queens of England: Englands History through the Eyes of its Queens, is a factual narrative on lives of Norman, Plantagenet, Tudor, Stuart, Hanover, and Windsorqueens covering a millenium of English History. The biographical portraits start at the close of the Dark Ages with the Norman Conquest of 1066, and continue to Modern Time in the life of present Queen Elizabeth II. This narratiev of fifty short chronologicalbiographies gives a view ijnto life and courtly customs from an age far removed from the present toward the way of life we know today. Through the lives of these women, one sees Englands history unroll. Although the narratives are brief, they bring individuals to life withoutjudgmental prejudice as unique personalities. One of the fifty personalities, 7 were reigning queens, 38 were queen consort wives of moonarchs, and 5 were wives of favorites who did not reign, but who played a significant role during the life of a ruling king. This sample of wo0men on the throne, or close to the throne is too large to expect any single quality can characterize them all: Some served as exemplary reigning queens, or as consorts whom actively supported a sovereign husband or son. Some assertively played the part of regent as a significantr power behind the throne. Some infliuenced historic events forr eliegious reasons. Many avoided political involvement, but ahd great influemnce on culture and custom. Some had personal qualities that made them inherently interesting and desetrving of friendship. A relatively small number of the queens were entirely unsuited to be queens. Some queen consorts resisted familiarity and remain enigmatic effigies. Some were apwns manipulated by historic events of the time and deprived them of opportunity to elave a personal mark of hsitory. Others served chiefly as supportive mothers and wives.
Here, in a single convenient volume, is the essential reference book for anyone with an interest in British history. First published in 1997, under the editorship of the late John Cannon and in consultation with over 100 distinguished contributors, this Companion has now been updated by Robert Crowcroft to include the very latest scholarship and research. It describes and analyses the people and events that have shaped and defined life in Britain over more than 2,000 years of political, social, and cultural change, encompassing topics as diverse as the War of the Roses, the Blitz, Stonehenge, Henry VIII, the suffragettes, the industrial revolution, the NHS, the Suez Crisis, the TUC, and the Afghan campaign. Over 4,500 entries provide a wealth of fact and insight on all aspects of the subject and from a variety of perspectives, including social, political, military, cultural, economic, scientific, and feminist. Entries cover not only monarchs, battles, and political events, but also the wider aspects of British history over the centuries. New entries on topics such as alternative vote, the 2008 financial crisis, Olympics in Britain, and the Scottish Independence Referendum, and UKIP ensure that the Companion remains relevant and current. Useful appendices include maps and genealogies, as well as a subject index. Coverage includes authors, composers and musicians, legal and technical terms, newspapers and periodicals, ranks and orders, sport and leisure, and scholarship and education. For those who like to explore history on the ground, there are also entries on individual counties, cathedrals, and churches, palaces and royal residences, and a range of other sites of historical significance. As well as providing reliable factual information, the Companion also offers detailed interpretation and analysis, giving readers a sense of how events and personalities relate to each other, whilst its multi-disciplinary approach places topics in a wide context. Whether you need to check the date of the Peasants' Revolt, understand what happened at the Battle of Imphal, find out about the history of maypoles, or compare the careers of successive Princes of Wales, The Oxford Companion to British History is a book no home reference shelf should be without.
