Award-winning journalist, author, and royal authority John Fraser explores the endurance and allure of the Crown in Canada. With his trademark wit and artful agility, Fraser looks at the Crown's evolution from the Age of Deference to the era of celebrity to the present popular revival. He examines the differences between tribal monarchy and constitutional monarchy, the key roles of the governor general and the lieutenant governor, and the media's insatiable appetite for the Royal Family. Finally, he speculates on the future reign of Charles, Prince of Wales, and pays homage to Queen Elizabeth II on her Diamond Jubilee. Erudite and highly entertaining, The Secret of the Crown offers a captivating appraisal of Canada's long-standing affair with royalty. This volume includes a lavish 32-page photo insert to create a spectacular visual history of the once and future crown.
King Ludwig II ruled Bavaria for twenty-two years, commissioning extravagant castles throughout his homeland and exhibiting such bizarre behavior that he was eventually declared insane. According to legend, Ludwig had stockpiled a massive cache of gold and jewels that would finance the construction of the largest castle of all time. But in the years since the king’s mysterious death, no one has found any evidence of such a trove. Until now. Jonathon Payne and David Jones are pulled into the mystery by a colleague, who asks them to investigate the legend. They agree, and quickly find themselves in a life-or-death struggle to uncover the truth about Ludwig’s death, his mythical treasure, and who would be willing to kill for it.
When Aldwyn, a young alley cat on the run, ducks into a mysterious pet shop, he doesn’t expect his life to change. But that’s exactly what happens when Jack, a young wizard, picks Aldwyn to be his magical familiar. Finally off the tough streets, Aldwyn thinks he’s got it made. He just has to convince the other familiars—the know-it-all blue jay Skylar and the friendly tree frog Gilbert—that he’s the telekinetic cat he claims to be. But when Jack and two other wizards in training are captured by a terrible evil, it will take all of Aldwyn’s street smarts, a few good friends, and a nose for adventure to save the day!
Prepare for the unfamiliar When every bit of human magic disappears suddenly from Vastia, it falls on the familiars—Aldwyn the telekinetic cat, Skylar the know-it-all blue jay, and Gilbert the gullible tree frog—to find the Crown of the Snow Leopard, an ancient relic that can reverse the curse. They learn that the only way to do this is by following in the paw prints of Aldwyn’s missing father, who went searching for the Crown several years earlier. This magical spirit trail extends into the Beyond, where our heroes encounter new enemies and danger, while Aldwyn learns about his mysterious past. Full of high-flying adventure and heartwarming friendships, Secrets of the Crown will make readers want to get even more familiar with The Familiars!
A Daily Mail Book of the Year and a The Times and Sunday Times Best Book of 2021 'Monumental.. Authoritative and highly readable.' Ben Macintyre, The Times 'A fascinating history of royal espionage.' Sunday Times 'Excellent... Compelling' Guardian For the first time, Spying and the Crown uncovers the remarkable relationship between the Royal Family and the intelligence community, from the reign of Queen Victoria to the death of Princess Diana. In an enthralling narrative, Richard J. Aldrich and Rory Cormac show how the British secret services grew out of persistent attempts to assassinate Victoria and then operated on a private and informal basis, drawing on close personal relationships between senior spies, the aristocracy, and the monarchy. This reached its zenith after the murder of the Romanovs and the Russian revolution when, fearing a similar revolt in Britain, King George V considered using private networks to provide intelligence on the loyalty of the armed forces - and of the broader population. In 1936, the dramatic abdication of Edward VIII formed a turning point in this relationship. What originally started as family feuding over a romantic liaison with the American divorcee Wallis Simpson, escalated into a national security crisis. Fearing the couple's Nazi sympathies as well as domestic instability, British spies turned their attention to the King. During the Second World War, his successor, King George VI gradually restored trust between the secret world and House of Windsor. Thereafter, Queen Elizabeth II regularly enacted her constitutional right to advise and warn, raising her eyebrow knowingly at prime ministers and spymasters alike. Based on original research and new evidence, Spying and the Crown presents the British monarchy in an entirely new light and reveals how far their majesties still call the shots in a hidden world. Previously published as The Secret Royals.
Stori is in love with a boy who doesn't love her back. Her mother is sick and her father has gone missing. She tries to keep it all together by pursuing the mystery behind her father's disappearance---- in hopes that his return will set her life right. But the deeper she digs into her father's past, the closer she comes to life-threatening danger and, worst of all, heartbreaking disappointment. But nothing will stop her. Family is first. And she will die before she lets anything bad happen to her family. Emboldened by devotion she keeps searching and finds herself face to face with a mysterious woman who has the clues she has been looking for all along. Not only does Stori learn of her father's whereabouts she comes to discover a powerful book that was written by a philosopher of ancient times. And a secret brotherhood that is hiding this book in order to overtake her city and destroy all its families. With her newly gained knowledge and friend, Stori uncovers more secrets about herself, her father and her city. And about this holy, ancient text that has the power to change the very world and save many lives. Will she have the courage and the grace to accept the truth, will she have enough love in her heart to accept her destiny and see her quest to the end?
In The Caper of the Crown Jewels, Jack is summoned to solve a matter of grave national importance: the theft of the Crown Jewels of the British Empire from the Tower of London. Arriving on the scene, he is greeted by a traditional Tower guard- a Yeoman Warder (or Beefeater)- who explains what's missing: The Imperial State Crown, the Sovereign's Orb, and the Sovereign's Scepter with the cross containing the finest-cut diamond in the world, the Star of Africa. Jack identifies Ivan the Incredible and his assistant, Jazz, as the thieves immediately--but puzzling out how they did it is stickier. The famous Tower has the most advanced security in the world, and even using his impressive gadgets (the Encryption notebook, Heli-Spacer, Rock Corer, and Rope Tornado) Jack is flummoxed by how the jewels were spirited out. However, Jack can conjure up more than gadgets--he foils the evil magicians with some powerful mojo of his own, dispels an invisibility enchantment, and narrowly avoids the executioner's block before restoring the jewels to the crown and earning the gratitude of the Queen herself!
"Off the coast of Brazil, a team of scientists discovers a horror like no other, an island where all life has been eradicated, consumed, and possessed by a species beyond imagination. Before they can report their discovery, a mysterious agency attacks the group, killing them all, save one: an entomologist, an expert on venomous creatures, Professor Ken Matsui from Cornell University. Strangest of all, this inexplicable threat traces back to a terrifying secret buried a century ago beneath the National Mall: a cache of bones preserved in amber..."--
An anonymous barrister offers a shocking, darkly comic and very moving journey through the legal system – and explains how it's failing all of us. The Sunday Times number one bestseller. Winner of the Books are My Bag Non-Fiction Award. Shortlisted for Waterstones Book of the Year. Shortlisted for Specsavers Non-Fiction Book of the Year. You may not wish to think about it, but one day you or someone you love will almost certainly appear in a criminal courtroom. You might be a juror, a victim, a witness or – perhaps through no fault of your own – a defendant. Whatever your role, you’d expect a fair trial. I’m a barrister. I work in the criminal justice system, and every day I see how fairness is not guaranteed. Too often the system fails those it is meant to protect. The innocent are wronged and the guilty allowed to walk free. In The Secret Barrister: Stories of the Law and How It's Broken I want to share some stories from my daily life to show you how the system is broken, who broke it and why we should start caring before it’s too late. A Sunday Times top ten bestseller for twenty-four weeks. ‘Eye-opening, funny and horrifying’ – Observer ‘Everyone who has any interest in public life should read it’ – Daily Mail
