Book description
Ambitious and talented people flocked to court in search of power
and prestige, but Kensington Palace was also a gilded cage. While its
inhabitants were cocooned in comfort and splendour, successful
courtiers had level heads and cold hearts; their secrets were never
safe. Among them, a Vice Chamberlain with many vices, a Maid of Honour
with a secret marriage, a pushy painter, an alcoholic equerry, a Wild
Boy, a penniless poet, a dwarf comedian, two mysterious turbaned Turks
and any number of discarded royal mistresses. An eye-opening portrait
of an enthralling group of royal servants, Courtiers also throws new
light on the dramatic life of George II and Queen Caroline: a lover
murdered, babies snatched, horrific illnesses and tearful deathbed reconciliations
Chief Curator of the Historic Royal Palaces (including Hampton
Court and the Tower of London), Lucy Worsley is a leading young
historian. She regularly appears on TV and radio shows including
BBC1's The One Show and Timewatch. Her first book, Cavalier, was
published in 2007 to critical acclaim.
