Behind Palace Doors My Service As the Queen Mother's Equerry

by Burgess, Major Colin; Carter, Paul

• ISBN13: 9781844544448
• ISBN10: 1844544443
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2008-05-28
• Publisher: John Blake

Summary

The Queen Mother did not give one media interview in her 101 years. This is a brief glimpse into that wonderful world by a man who spent two years constantly at her side from 1994 to 1996 and then as a close friend until her death in 2002. In this sharp, funny, and evocative memoir, Major Colin Burgess draws on his years as her right-hand man to recount numerous stories of an extraordinarily long and eventful life. From dancing with Fred Astaire to living through the Blitz; from the time Princess Margaret caught fire at a dinner party to when Prince Charles sought solace in his grandmother as his marriage collapsed; each anecdote and observation provides an historic insight into one of our longest-surviving institutions. Constantly fascinating and packed from start to finish with previously untold stories that lift the lid on the idiosyncrasies of royal protocol, this is warmly remembered celebration of a life goneand a way of life fast disappearing.

Author Biography

Major Colin Burgess worked as equerry to the Queen Mother between 1994 and 1996 and was made a Member of the Victorian Order by the Queen at an investiture at Buckingham Palace. Since leaving active service, Colin has worked in television production and management, producing over 87 broadcast documentaries. Paul Carter is a sports journalist, and is the editor of Sunday Sport.

Table of Contents

Introduction	p. xi
A Sleeping Lunch	p. 1
Don't Mention the War!	p. 21
Shooting Squirrels With a Sniper Rifle	p. 47
When Is Nelson Mandela Going To Stand Up?	p. 67
'Will One Of You Old Queens Bring This Old Queen a Gin And Tonic?'	p. 83
'Have I Died Again?'	p. 113
'Oh, Bloody Hell!'	p. 127
The Reluctant Royal and A Man In a Hurry	p. 139
Princess Margaret Is On Fire	p. 153
Setting the Hounds On The Boys From Eton	p. 169
'Go On, Go On, Hit Him, Go On Punch Him!'	p. 197
'Get Your Black Tie On Because One Of The Guests Has Died'	p. 211
'Did You Get Lucky This Weekend, Colin?'	p. 227
It's Groundhog Day	p. 239
Epilogue	p. 263
Sources	p. 271
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