The History Book Club discussion

Bentley wrote: "Hello Sally, I know that you are busy on your tour but when you get back to us, I think that you will see some questions ahead on mine which are new questions which I hope you will have time to res..."

I don't know what the Queen thought of Jackie, and my sense of the first lady's reaction was that she may have felt some insecurity. Also, I can imagine that her later descriptions were intended to have some dramatic effect on her listeners, and she may have indulged in exaggeration for that reason.

Many of the comments on the reading threads reflected your sense of Jackie's insecurity.

Bentley wrote: "Question regarding Princess Margaret:

In the interviews that you had; did you find anyone who discussed the relationship that Princess Margaret had with the Queen before the Townsend "forced decis..."

All that is very much in the realm of speculation. I have often wondered if the Queen regretted the decision forced on her sister, although she is not one inclined to have regrets. At the time, the Queen did what she had to do. It's also possible that Peter T might have been every bit as unsuitable for Margaret as Tony S was. Margaret had some endearing qualities, but she was quite spoiled. Nevertheless, the Queen was always extremely loyal to her wayward sister, with whom she had a strong bond from childhood. Another factor would have been the Queen's tolerance, sometimes to a fault.

Jill wrote: "I noticed that when Lord Home was appointed PM, he renounced his peerage.....has that become a requirement for modern Prime Ministers, since many PMs in the past were of the peerage?"

The practical fact is that the prime minister must be an elected member of the House of Commons, and he can't be in the Commons if he holds a peerage. I'm not sure about the constitutional history of this, but it was certainly the case from the 20th century onward.

Cheryl wrote: "I have a question about the documentary, Royal Family. It does not seem to be available anywhere that I can find online - did you have access to the entire documentary for this book? Do you think i..."

After its initial multiple showings, Royal Family was never available again except in brief excerpts included in other documentary films--all of which I saw. I asked Buckingham Palace why this is so, but did not receive a satisfactory answer. I think they feel to this day that the documentary revealed too much about the private side of the royal family, which they work very hard to protect.

Bryan wrote: "Sally, did you get any impressions about the relationships among members of the Queen's household and among her ladies in waiting? For example, do you know if any of the staff were jealous of Bobo..."

There is a bit of rivalry among the ladies in waiting for plum assignments, but it is such a strict hierarchy that there's nothing much they can do. The last thing would be to make any special pleading to the Queen! I'm sure there was some grumbling among the staff about Bobo, as there is today about Angela Kelly's closeness to the Queen. But nobody wants to jeopardize their positions in the royal household, so everybody accepts the rules, and at least among the courtiers and ladies in waiting, there is very little gossip, as Esme Cromer and others described it to me.

TJ wrote: "Great book. Once I started I couldn't put it down. You mention, "It was understood that those employed by the royal family would regard their work as confidential." Is this still just an assumption..."

There are confidentiality agreements, although I'm not sure how far down the line they apply.

Lewis wrote: "Sally,
Thank you so much for your wonderful book and for the so many days and hours you put into producing it...so that folks like us could taste and enjoy it. A great look into the lives of the Ro..."

Many thanks. I have much enjoyed reading all the perceptive comments written by the group.

Jill wrote: "Did you broach the subject of Princess Diana with the Queen or was it a subject that was better left unsaid?"

The Queen of course does not give interviews, but I certainly discussed the Queen's relationship with Diana with many people close to both of them.

Bentley wrote: "Sally, we do hope that you pop back in soon (as soon as your tour winds down). There are a lot of new questions for you since post 63."

I have enjoyed answering all of your questions and will check again in a week or so to see if you have any more. I have loved participating in this wonderful book club, and have especially appreciated the "whole and final thoughts" from Stacy and Jill that I read this morning.
all best, Sally

Thanks for joining us Sally, and I hope the book tour is going well.

It must have been pretty amazing to be at dinner with Charles and Camilla with all the "trimmings."

We appreciate your taking time from your schedule to chat with us......and as you browse the comments, you will notice that all of us love the book. Thanks so much!!

Sally wrote: "Cheryl wrote: "I have a question about the documentary, Royal Family. It does not seem to be available anywhere that I can find online - did you have access to the entire documentary for this book?..."

That is very interesting Sally, it appears that they had a change of heart about doing it and revealing so much about themselves. Too bad; I so enjoyed the clip about the boys going for ice cream in the store and their cook out and banter around the dining room table. Great and wonderful insights.

Thank you so much Sally for all of your wonderful answers to the questions by the group members. We so enjoyed your book and your interaction. This was a wonderful opportunity.

Bentley wrote: "Thank you so much Sally for all of your wonderful answers to the questions by the group members. We so enjoyed your book and your interaction. This was a wonderful opportunity."

You are more than welcome. It was great fun for me. Glad to hear your nasty cold is gone. Agree that airplanes are the culprit, and next time I'm on the road for an extended period I'll be better fortified with vitamin C. all best, Sally

Thank you Sally. The pleasure was ours in having you join us. Lots of fun for us and a delightful book. Power C does help (smile). Yes, and finally the cold is gone and I am only dealing with jet lag.

All best and much gratitude for the time you spent with us,

Bentley