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

by Colin Burgess, Paul Carter

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 gone—and a way of life fast disappearing.

Genres: Biography, Nonfiction, History, Royalty, Memoir, British Literature, Audiobook

272 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2006

Reviews

[Sharon Terry · Rating 3 out of 5]

This would make a great read if you're stuck in hospital or at home, convalescing. It is totally undemanding and full of the kind of quirky anecdotes that you later realise have told you absolutely nothing about palace or royal realities! Written by Major Paul Burgess about his two years' secondment from the Irish Guards to serve as equerry to the Queen Mother, it does at least outline the duties of an equerry. This title once meant someone who looked after the horses, but now means a general assistant to a royal - someone who sees to all the details of life. It seems to be a job learned on the hop - Burgess had to be alert to tip-offs from other staff to fully understand what he had to do. The odd thing is that I came away with very little sense of the real person behind the QM mask. About the only thing that stood out was how much she drank and how she would gently nudge Burgess to have just one more! He complained he was often quite drunk after meetings with her! Still, it's such a light read that I'd only say, get it for a hospital trip and then only if you're interested in matters royal.

[Furrawn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting book written by an equerry of the Queen Mother. There were lots of tidbits that were new to me. I gained new respect for the Queen Mother. Other royals seemed just as I’d have expected. Except… Diana. The writer is definitely Team Charles. I get it. I have a tremendous respect and liking for Charles. I didn’t much care for the author’s words about Diana. Easy for me to say as I wasn’t dealing with the constant fallout of all her emotional volatility. I do quietly wonder if she might have been bipolar. Anyway, back to the book. The writer’s recounting of his two years as equerry for the Queen Mother is fascinating. Definitely worth the read. His book alone made me a fan of the Queen Mother.

[MaryLisa Gavenas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Had it contained more corgi lore, I would have given this five stars.

My hopes were high. I bought the paperback from John Blake and, although the furry little darlings do not appear in the text until page 51, each chapter featured a silhouetted corgi photo at its start. Brilliant book design!

While there were some excellent corgi photos, there was virtually no corgi coverage. But then, can there ever be enough?

[Bill · Rating 2 out of 5]

"Constantly fascinating and packed from start to finish with previously untold stories!" claims the review on the back of the book, and yet anyone who has previously read anything about Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother will have heard almost ALL of the stories before. The book written by the Queen Mother's former equerry Major Colin Burgess with help from writer Paul Carter captures like never before two years of mind numbing tedium and absolute regal pointlessness of life with the Queen Mother and her fleet of loyal staffers at Clarence House and at a litany of other royal residences. It was a life of such unbelievable luxury, privilege and protocol the pages of the book are almost too heavy to turn and as a reader you find yourself looking ahead to see how much more of this Edwardian grandeur remains to get through. Fortunately the book covers only two years. The writers have in several chapters been forced to s t r e t c h out the material just to fill pages. How many times can one inform the reader The Queen Mother loved horses? Yes you have told us that...a lot. If there were any shocking revelations.. they centred around The Queen Mother's love of hunting and killing things. She was also known to enjoy watching men punch each other's lights out on television. These two things didn't appear to jive with the mild mannered gracious lady who enjoyed a gin and tonic or ten while entertaining at splendid lunches or watching one off her favourite TV shows,"Keeping up Appearances". Burgess doesn't focus completely on the Edwardian splendour of life with The Queen Mother, he also includes his assessment of other members of the Royal Family. Burgess claims the office of Charles Prince of Wales was rife with systemic racism. This of course was the situation according to Burgess long before the arrival of The Duchess of Sussex aka Meghan Markle on the scene and the recent advent of the Black Lives Matter movement. I suppose if you are a Queen Mother fan and read everything written about her, you will also enjoy "Behind Palace Doors". Just don't be surprised when you realise very little Burgess has to say is a revelation and that you had already heard the stories before. Even the fact HM was eight million pounds in debt when she died was not a surprise.

[Whistler's Mom · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Queen with the hollow leg.

I didn't buy this book because I'm sentimental about the Queen Mother. I can take her or leave her. I AM sentimental about the Good Old Days when Kindle books on sale were priced at 99 cents. So when I saw this one at that price, my reflex action was to hit the "Buy Now" button.

On sober reflection, I expected a light read with a few laughs. The Queen in her old age was a bit eccentric and there are some good stories about her and her devoted staff. I didn't expect much substance. After all, this young man spent two years working at Clarence House when the Queen was in her mid-90's and retired from most royal duties. How much could he have seen?

I underestimated the author. Yes, there are funny stories, starting with his "interview luncheon" when the Queen and three elderly staff members (full of copious quantities of the old Queen's favorite red wine) dozed off at the table and snoozed for thirty-five minutes while the befuddled young army officer wondered what in hell he should do.

Interestingly, he refutes the most common Queen Mum annecdote - the one where she yells at two chatty footmen, "When you two old queens are finished talking, this old Queen would like a drink." He claims that this would have been totally out of character for her, since she was gracious to her staff, but never familiar. I think his reasoning is sound and it shows his excellent grasp of the royal personality.

It's a much meatier book than I expected and quite thought-provoking in some respects. Perhaps his observations were sharper because he was an outsider - a young man from a modest background in a job normally reserved for aristocrats. I was especially interested in his take on the Royals' affinity for military officers. When you see all the uniforms on the palace balcony, it looks like the whole family graduated from Sandhurst Military Academy, but that's far from the case.

In reality, few Royals have served in the military. Princess Elizabeth served during WWII, maintaining military vehicles. Prince Philip was career military and only left after his wife became queen. Of the younger Royals, only Prince Andrew and Prince Harry were career military officers. The other uniforms are strictly honorary. So why is the Royal family so much at home with military officers? The author believes it's because royalty and the military are the two remaining bastions of formal protocol. Therefore, the two groups feel at ease with each other. It makes sense.

He also opines that career military people (like most Royals) live in an insulated environment that ill prepares them for life in the "real world" - a startling opinion coming from a man from a military family. My observations agree with his and I think this accounts for the failure of programs that expect retired military brass to be snapped up as corporate executives. The military and the business world simply don't operate the same.

What surprised me the most was the opportunities he had to spend time with the Royal family other than the Queen Mother. The Royal family is known to be close and the Queen Mum was a favorite of many (not all) of them. She was also included in Christmas celebrations and other events with the family as a whole. Prince Philip avoided his mother-in-law, but the Queen was a frequent visitor. She even gave him the inside scoop on the famous incident where a man broke into Buckingham Palace and woke her up. The laxity of "security" in the Palace was breath-taking, but the Queen coped handily.

He saw a great deal of Prince Charles, too much of Prince Andrew, and very little of Princess Anne or Prince Edward. The grandchildren visited, so the author met Prince William and Prince Harry. His observations are generally shrewd, although his crush on Prince Charles is embarassing. His term of service coincided with the scandal of the Charles and Diana divorce. His take is that Charles was in NO WAY to blame since he bravely married Diana (although NOT in love) because he thought it was the right thing to do for the country. It's a shame his sense of duty wasn't enough to keep him from being unfaithful to his wife. It might have made their marriage more successful.

It's not a well-researched book. He took time to find out about things (and people) that interested him and ignored others. The Queen Mother's Ladies-in-Waiting are largely passed over. He mentions Lady Fermoy, who died before he arrived. She was the longest-serving Lady-in-Waiting and is supposed to have been the Queen Mother's closest friend. He appears unaware that she was also Diana Spencer's maternal grandmother.

He mentions Margaret Rhodes and says that she was Lady-in-Waiting because he belonged to the "famous Rhodes family." I suspect he thought she was related to Cecil Rhodes (of Rhodesia and Rhodes Scholarships fame.) Her husband was from a New Zealand family and her mother was one of the Queen Mother's older sisters. She was therefore the Queen Mother's niece and the Queen's first cousin.

There are gaps and inconsistencies, but overall it's a surprisingly entertaining and informative book. I'm glad I stumbled on it.

[Sharon · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'd seen this book coming in and out a few times at the library where I worked. I figured it was a fairly new release so reserved it for myself, but when I received it realised it had in fact been out for several years now. Considering that, it was still being requested and there was a queue of reservations waiting for me to return it showing its popularity.

I also assumed Major. Colin Burgess was an oldish gentleman, as many of these types of books are written by people who have been in service for many years. Wrong again! At the time of his service, Major Burgess was an young man and in the Irish Guards, where the majority of the Queen Mother's equerries came from. The length of service was for only 2 years, and one is "invited" to come to interview, you don't choose to apply!

The result was 2 years service to one of the most formidable women this country has seen. Queen Elizabeth, The Queen Mother was a very private person but this book shares a small snapshot of the kind of woman she was in private. Her sense of humour was obviously very dry, and Major Burgess shares plenty of anecdotes of his time spent with her.

I love books about the Royal Family, and I loved this one so much! Fabulous!! Five stars!

[Nancy Loe · Rating 2 out of 5]

Perhaps more revealing that Burgess intended. QEQM does not come across well in much of this book. When a tragedy befalls a friend or staff member, QEQM says, "Oh well. Now about lunch...." and Burgess excuses this as the result of old age and having heard it all. I think it has rather more to do with the corrosive effects of a lifetime of everyone deferring to you.

Too tough on the original iron fist the velvet glove? "Oh well...."

[Bill Tress · Rating 2 out of 5]

Why are we obsessed with the English Monarchy? Particularly when they constantly prove that they are as stupid as we are! Yet, we seem to gobble up every tidbit of information published about them. I have no rational explanation for this fascination, but I do acknowledge that I have this fault. Reading Behind Palace Doors is a continuation of my addiction to everything British.
The Queen Mother is not the Queen, she was the retired Queen and affectionately called the Queen Mum because she is every one’s favorite grandmother. Major Burgess emphasizes that he did not solicit the assignment as the Queen Mum’s Equerry, but once nominated and selected he performed the job to the best of his ability and now he tells us about his experience during his two-year assignment.
The first chapter tells the reader that the Queen Mum enjoyed her liquor. She enjoyed “steady, rather than excessive” consumption of alcohol. She starts things off with a glass or two of Dubonnet and gin before lunch, served in the drawing room or out in the garden when weather permitted at Clarence House, where she lived from 1953 to 2002. The Queen Mother then enjoyed wine with her lunch. Major Colin Burgess was responsible for mixing a martini or two before dinner for the Queen Mum, and she sipped Veuve Clicquot champagne as she ate dinner. How do you criticize the lifestyle of someone who lived to be a hundred and two?
The job of Equerry is that of an errand boy requiring consistent presence and always at the Queen Mum’s “beck and call.” Burgess’s constant complaint is that he must drink and eat too much!
One gets the impression that the Queen Mum at 95+ while quite affable does not create controversy nor express opinions. There is no sex, no violence, no scandals, and no engagement with enemies or adversaries; the reader observes her meandering from one day to the next while eating and drinking too much.
Burgess gives the reader a short biographical sketch of each of the staff that supports the Queen Mum. These people love her, and they serve her personally and professionally. This point alone says that she is a good person. The staff is loyal to her in the extreme and the Queen Mum is loyal to them.
There is a common characteristic demonstrated by all the staff and that is a focus on detail, discipline in work habits, and strict adherence to etiquette and protocol. God is in the details and whether they are trivial, e.g., polished shoes or social graces and decorum the staff rigidly observes them.
Halfway through this narrative we get our controversy, the Prince Charles divorce. Burgess likes Charles and finds him a friendly and pleasant person. He tells us that Charles is a gentle man, talented and much brighter than people believe. He loves and is devoted to the Queen Mum and visits with her at least twice a week. After Burgess presents this view of Prince Charles, he supports Charles versus Diane in the divorce; He tells us that Charles married out of obligation rather than love. He expresses a negative view of Diane and points out that the Queen Mum was not very fond of her. Burgess feels that Diane was not temperamentally prepared to be the wife of the future King, and I can only assume that he got this impression from the Palace staff, loyal to the Royal Family. Biographers have claimed that Diane provided the press with all the gossip and illicit tales of Charles and Carmella. This reader does not take a position in this matter, but I do understand her position when she said, “there were three people in her marital bed.”
Burgess comes down hard on Prince Andrew and this was before all the stories of Andrew’s sexual escapades. He considered Andrew to be a whiney jerk, who treated staff and subordinates quite harshly. Other members of the Royal Family fared better with Burgess, yet he feared Prince Phillip. Prince Phillip did not dabble in small talk and was always right to the point, so people where always weary of him. In all these observations regarding the Royal family, nothing came as a surprise because books like this one and the press vet this family thoroughly, so new, or secret issues are rarely found.
Major Burgess provided what one would expect from such a book. Certainly, not a tell all, just what it was like to an Equerry for the Queen Mum. Her family and all those close to her, see her as a very down to earth, a likable person, who had a zest for life and people. This picture of the Queen Mum is one of Burgess’s objectives in authoring this book.
There were no surprises, yet the one topic that, raised an eyebrow, was the negative attitude towards Diane. Burgess saw her as completely unhinged who did and said bizarre things. This is not the picture represented in the press.
On reflection, I have concluded that the Royal Family places too great a burden on the average British taxpayer. I question why millions and billions are spent on their care and maintenance, while the average British citizen struggles to make their financial ends meet. This feeling has been reinforced by this book; yet I remain mesmerized by this historical family and the British Monarchy.

[Sue · Rating 4 out of 5]

Possibly the most enjoyable "Royal" book, I've read. Hilarious, insightful, and full of gossip. I didn't know the Queen Mum loved 'Keeping up Appearances.' And preferred yodelling to opera music.

The author seems quite a straightforward bloke and didn't bring his own baggage to the story. His ordinariness makes his experiences of the RF more trustworthy to an ordinary reader. I was a bit shocked at how negative he was about Diana, though it felt honest as he also gave his opinion on the rest of the RF too. No surprises to hear that Andrew has always been a w#nker. Also, he found the Queen seemed to spend more time with her corgis than Prince Philip. Make of that what you will.

I was surprised to hear Colin's take on the racism accusation by a member of Charles' staff. I was even more surprised that the accuser was his wife! Also, Colin's gives his verdict on the staff member who claimed he was raped by another member of staff. It's was interesting to hear an insider's take to counterpoint the tabloid hysteria.

"She reminded me of the colonel in Apocalypse Now walking along the beach, with explosions going off around. She too had this air of indestructibility about her...."

All in all, this book gave great insight into working for the Queen Mum. Tbh, it was one long party. Staff were hired to keep her company. And that meant eating and drinking to excess and hob nobbing with the upper classes. The stories are endlessly entertaining. No wonder members of staff like William Tallon stuck with her until the end. It was a cushty number!

[Tracey · Rating 4 out of 5]

I always like the Queen Mother , she was such a character , who I always thought had a great sense of humour and a keenness for naughty moments . This book did highlight that .
The downside to this book is that it's more about Ali the others on the royal family , but no real link to what the queen mother thought which I found rather irritating.
You could tell that Major Colin Burgess had a deep fondness for the Queen Mother and a strong loyalty to her during his service with her and that was very admirable .
The Queen Mother came across as an affectionate grandmother and mother , with a funny sense of humour , an expectation of loyalty and tradition and most importantly a Queen and A Queen Mother in her own right . The portrayal of her in this book only had me liking more than I already did .

[Jeanne Hedge · Rating 3 out of 5]

The author served a 2-year term as an equerry (a sort of a cross between aide, fixer, and go-fer) to Elizabeth, the Queen Mother during his military service. There are many stories of life with the Queen Mother, as well as the author's observations and opinions of other members of Britain's royal family. There is also quite a bit about the other, senior members of the QM's staff. Several of the stories and observations are amusing or informative, such as why the QM did not like to go to Ascot or what happened when Nelson Mandela came to visit. Other stories are not much more than the author grumbling. After a bit things get repetitive, but perhaps that was just her life at that time (about age 95 or so). I was loaned this book. I'm not sure I'd buy it but there are some gems here.

[Megan Ringrose · Rating 3 out of 5]

Picked it up because it was handy on vacation. Kept reading it because the descriptions of the Queen Mother's household and daily life were interesting. Burgess (and his other writer) managed to give the readers a mental picture of the Queen Mother, who was by all accounts a very private person.

Mostly avoids the controversial issues that the British Royals were having in the 90s.

Not something to go out of your way to find, unless you want to have specific details about what sort of beverages she preferred, but not a bad read.

[V A Hobbs · Rating 2 out of 5]

Checking facts

Re: Mr s Margaret Rhodes. She was born in london, not Rhodesia,. She is the niece of the Queen Mum, being the daughter of the QM's brother Lord ELphinstone. Further Mrs Rhodes' husband is not related to Cecil Rhodes. A simple Google search would have told the author the correct facts.

[Carolyn Thomas · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Queen Mother was already 94 years old when Colin Burgess went to work for her as her equerry. Not gossipy and not giving away any secrets, he obviously had great respect and affection for the “Queen Mum” and this is a charming account of the two years he spent in her service. Not a long book but it could have been shorter without so much repetition.

[Nancy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Colin Burgess went from being a helicopter pilot to being the next equerry to the Queen Mother the Dowager Queen. I felt like he was able to tell about her without being too personal. Colin covers some of the royal family and those who worked with him and those who visited. He gives some background of her life but the story is mainly about the time he spent with her.

[micheline maynard · Rating 4 out of 5]

sweet remembrance of the Queen Mother

If you were a fan of the Queen Mother, you will enjoy this respectful book. The material is admittedly thin, because the author only worked for her for two years when she was in her 90s. It’s a portrait of a bygone era , not very juicy, but sweet.

[Virginia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Being an Anglophile and having met The Queen Mother in 1961 at a garden party I thoroughly enjoyed the anecdotes of the author and his perspective of working as equerry. (Had to look up that position)

[OvercommuniKate · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think this is a great first hand account for anyone doing research on the Queen Mother, however on its own it's not much useful. I guess if a reader likes casual and light anecdotes this book would be charming, but there's no tension as it's simply a light memoir.

[Alexandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

A humble and keen opinion about queen mother’s life
Detailed and chronological story about life inside clarence house as equerry of the queen mother. Tons of insights and facts , etiquette’s “must do” and reality being told in the honest way possible.

[Simone · Rating 4 out of 5]

Delightful!!

This book was casual and gossipy without being mean. Filled with first-hand anecdotes from the Queen Mum’s former equerry, it was a light read that keep me entertained throughout.

[Sheila Lowe · Rating 3 out of 5]

A look into the job of equerry to the Queen Mother. Interesting but I wish there had been more about the Queen Mum

[Jean · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kind of gossipy but interesting read about the Queen Mum.

[A · Rating 2 out of 5]

Some interesting parts. The author repeats himself fairly regularly. It could have been written effectively in half the number of pages.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really interesting behind the scenes perspective. Made me realize just how restrictive and monotonous a royal life could be.

[Terri · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very Nice

I enjoyed it. It was a little redundant at times, but interesting nevertheless. If you are interested in the Royal Family, I recommend it.

[Ronnett · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very delightful account. Enjoyed it very much.

[Susan Delby · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pleasant read

This is an honest and kind insight into the final years of the Queen Mother. It is a quick read and very affectionate.

[Duncan Sowry-House · Rating 5 out of 5]

Easy to read and quite enjoyable

Book about mostly the later years of her life but looking back as well on her long and eventful life.

[Neeuqdrazil · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bit of fluff. Not much there.

[Billy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful Book

Lovely book about an amazing life. Great storytelling and very interesting read.

Respectful and interesting to read form a different POV.