A new royal book aiming to explore the “secretive and poorly understood relationship” between the monarchy and the government will hit bookshelves later this year, on September, 11, 2025. Titled ‘Power and the Palace: The Inside Story of the Monarchy and 10 Downing Street’, the book has been written by former royal correspondent of The Times, Valentine Low.
Promotional material released ahead of the launch states: “The new book lifts the lid on the mysterious power dynamic at the heart of the British state – the secretive and poorly understood relationship between the monarchy and the government.
“Featuring every sovereign from Queen Victoria to King Charles, and looking forward to the future reign of King William, the book seeks to understand how Britain has gone from a country where the monarch assumed the right to appoint the prime minister of their choice to one where they go to almost extreme lengths to distance themselves from the process. At the same time, the monarch retains a crucial role as head of the nation.”
The book states it will explore the “icy chill” between the late Queen Elizabeth II and former prime minister, Margaret Thatcher, and discuss the regular wartime meetings of King George VI and Winston Churchill.
Nearly 100 interviews with senior politicians, top civil servants, royal aides and constitutional experts were conducted to obtain material for the book. Valentine Low, the former royal correspondent at The Times, has been writing about the Firm for over a quarter of a century.
In a press release, the author stated: “Just as Courtiers showed the inner workings of the palace, this book explores the little-understood relationship between the monarchy and those who actually run the country – between those who reign and those who rule. It is a subtle, constantly changing dynamic which can leave one asking: who is actually in charge here?
“And it is as relevant today as it has ever been, as was highlighted in Washington recently when Keir Starmer tried to use the power of the monarchy to win over Donald Trump.”
Back in 2021, Low broke the story that Meghan had been accused of bullying two staff members out of Kensington Palace by then press secretary Jason Knauf in an article for The Times, where he was royal correspondent. His book, Courtiers, gave further detail, with accounts of Meghan reducing staff members to tears.
Buckingham Palace launched an investigation in March 2021, after it was alleged Meghan drove out two personal assistants and staff were “humiliated” on several occasions. The duchess’s lawyers denied the allegations when they were made.
The Palace’s inquiry resulted in changes to “policies and procedures” which were made known to “all members of staff, all members of the Royal Family”. But details of what has been implemented were not revealed and it is not known who contributed to the investigation.