The Firm: The Troubled Life of the House of Windsor

The House of Windsor is a big business, though one with more ups and downs than the stock market. Prince Philip calls it "The Firm," and all the royal executives and their powerful associates are supposed to make every effort to avoid even a hint of scandal that could diminish the reputation of the family business. Unfortunately for the royals, for the past twenty years scandal and controversy have deluged the Queen's family, putting everything at risk. Focusing primarily on the years after the death of Diana and leading up to the heir to the throne's marriage to Camilla Parker Bowles this past April 9th, royal insider Penny Junor offers a sympathetic yet utterly candid look at a family that has made itself the world's soap opera in THEFIRM: "The Troubled Life of the House of Windsor." Can "The Firm" survive much longer? Will Charles or even William decide that the throne is not worth the trouble? Can this, the ultimate family business, weather this storm of spiritual (though not fiscal) bankruptcy, or will momentum and a cadre of brilliant advisors keep the enterprise in business for years to come? THE FIRM investigates the Family's relationship with government, the press and the people. It looks at whether the institution can reach out to those, particularly the young, who see the House of Windsor as insignificant. It asks, in short, whether the British monarchy has a future. Penny Junor knows the answers in this sure-to-be controversial book--the first to be published on the newly restructured royal family.