Not In Front of the Corgis: Secrets of Life Behind the Royal Curtains

Packed with interesting facts. I am English so I found it very interesting. A bit snarky in spots. Obviously not a Royalist. Who knew the Queen Mother left a 2 million overdraft at her death for the Queen to pay off? (Which she did immediately) Prince Charles can't even put his own toothpaste on the brush? Camilla's smoking habit is 100 a week? I think the author likes Anne the best. As who doesn't.

I enjoyed parts of this book immensely. It was a lot of fun to read about the Queen and her family and household (and especially her corgis - or perhaps I should say corgyn - more of them PLEASE!) I was especially astonished to learn that she pays her staff quite low wages but that they are happy to work for her because it may lead to a really well paid job elsewhere later. BUT there was a LOT of this book devoted to details of just how much everybody made working for her and I found that extremely boring but trudged through it anyway hoping for it to get better, which it does in spots. The author has kind, readable style and I enjoyed his writing. So, a star for the good writing, a star for the fun parts of the book, and two for the corgyn. I'm leaving one off because of the boring parts.

I bought this book thinking that there would be at least a chapter or two about the Corgi's, though I knew most of the book was focused elsewhere. I did learn two things about the dogs: only the Queen feeds them, and they often poop in the Palace. Not enough to make the book worth while from that perspective! But I have to admit that I read the entire book with interest, though it is pretty much a dry, obsessively detailed account of who does what job in which Royal building for how much. I am a fan of HRM, have been since I read THE LITTLE PRINCESSES when I was ten, and I took a chance with this book. If you have a lot of time on your hands and you want to get an idea of just how extensive an operation Her Majesty heads up, you might like this book. Otherwise, rent the terrific DVD about Her 50+ years in charge. Or even better, read Alan Bennett's marvelous short novel, AN UNCOMMON READER (guess who?)--full of truth and wondrous humor.

Along with telling us more about the individual eccentricities of the Royals (before Harry added Meghan to the esteemed family), we learn about the daily operations of the massive business which keeps the monarchy functioning year after year.. I found it quite interesting and informative. But don't expect to read much about the Corgis, they are adored by the Queen but are not particularly popular with everyone else.

If you are interested in all things English, this book is great fun. It is very chatty and tells you many details about the way the Royals live. The author writes about their homes and staffs, their personality quirks, their finances, and their interactions with household members. Sometimes there is more information than you want to know, especially about staff salaries, so skipping through some sections is allowed. But on the whole, it is a quick and most enjoyable book written with humor and affection for its subjects.

Over the years I've read a number of Brian Hoey's books and they tend to be an interesting and non-intrusive look at the British royal family. This book was short and since the Queen is the only one who has the pack of corgis, the book's unrelenting tally of staff salaries and duties got tedious pretty quickly. Knowing how much members of the family receive from the Civil List or other sources of income for page after page doesn't really tell much about the day-to-day activities of the Queen or her family. It's a short book, less than $10 on the Kindle and not an unpleasant diversion for several hours.

This book is basically job descriptions (and salaries which are likely already outdated) of the many ,many job titles and duties of those working for the British Royal family and the related enterprises. A good read for anyone looking and hoping for Royal employment. Surprising number of positions and varying degrees of education and expertise described.

"Not is Front of the Corgis" is for lovers of the Royal family. I enjoyed this book immensely. I willingly admit that I am a fan of the Royal family, I love the pomp and ceremony that goes with all the Royals. Just for the record I am not a fan of the corgi breed of dog but am a dog lover and have been all my life. Getting a humorous insight into the life at the various royal homes and palaces, along with the titbits of gossip regarding the different aspects of each and every 'department' that is responsible for the daily running of Buckingham Palace is amusing to say the least. The mystery that surrounds the goings on of the royals will always fascinate people. They are different, pompous, spoilt, consider themselves above the normal run of human society, and have become accustomed to every type of luxury that we only dream about! However would I change places with anyone of them? Not a chance! I have absolute admiration of the Queen. She is one amazing lady with the ability to never turn a hair in public over any aspect of wild antics that the royals get up to. Prince Charles will never be able to step into her shoes as the Crown Head of the United Kingdom. More is the pity!!

I found most of the Royal family to be a boring lot! Wouldn't recommend it except to an ardent monarchist.

This was a fun book to read. Mr Joey is extremely thorough and observant in his description of the Royal family. Although amusing and interesting it does seem unfair that the royals can never live without being spied upon every moment of theiŕ lives. However the pŕice of privilege. ....extreme privilege, is privacy.

Interessant, einmal einen Blick hinter die königlichen Kulissen zu werfen.

I have been disappointed and bored by lots of too detailed descriptions of the Royal Household and of the incomes of the Firm and relatives which are not so interesting, especially if the author goes on writing for pages

I loved this, I appreciate that some of it is duplicated but for people who like reading things about the Royal family it is light, fun, easy reading. I thought the 'Not in front of the corgis' was just a witty title but it is actually a serious one as it means be careful what you say, if the corgis appear it is likely that the Queen is not far behind.