What a Thing to Say to the Queen!: Charming anecdotes from the House of Windsor - Updated edition

by Thomas Blaikie

'What do you do?' a guest inquired of the Queen at a Buckingham Palace garden party. ' I had no idea what to say, ' the Queen told friends afterwards. This specially updated edition, released to mark the passing of the late and much-missed monarch, is a collection of warm, amusing recollections from the royal household celebrating the lighter side of palace life. As the longest reigning monarch of this realm, the Queen represented stability, hope and continuity. We loved her because she was always there, didn't make a fuss and was dedicated in her duty even in old age. But alongside her stoic and sensible exterior , she was also renowned for a playful and keen sense of humor, as seen when she delighted audiences all around the world by inviting Paddington Bear for tea to celebrate her Platinum Jubilee. How exactly did the Queen react when she found her footman draped in her jewels? What did she do to amuse herself to while away the hours spent sitting for her portrait? How did she respond when faced with a plate full of Mexican food? This characterful, illustrated book answers these questions and poses many more in its affectionate celebration of the diverse personalities of the House of Windsor . Gathered together in this amusing tribute are a compendium of stories which provide access to the unique world of the royals.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Royalty

184 pages, Hardcover

First published November 3, 2015

Reviews

[Hazeanni · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's 3.5 stars from me. This book is a compilation of royal anecdotes of the House of Windsor. Divided into 23 themes, it featured mainly the Queen and Queen Mother. Some anecdotes dated as late as 2014.

The issue I had with this book is I drowned in so many. It had to do with each anecdote is short. Sometimes just 3 sentences. Some worked well, but in others, I need to know more of the background story in order to understand it. This style of book could be more absorbent to me if it had been divided by the personage instead of theme. I guessed too many goodies, some here, some there made me spoiled and scattered my concentration. If anybody understood what I meant.

That aside, this book put more human touch to the British Royal Family than we usually assumed. Their sense of humour, habit, everyday lives. For one, this book is not scandalicious.

[Eden · Rating 3 out of 5]

2021 bk 116. A cute book of quips quoted from members of the royal family or about the royal family. This was a quick read, amusing, provided some laughs, but by and large not a keeper.

[Irene · Rating 5 out of 5]

BRILLIANT!!
This collection of royal anecdotes shows you a different and very amusing side of the Royal Family, worth reading!!

[Alicja · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was worried that this would be a book that’s boring or hard to read, however I have found it a lot easier to read then some of the others I have read recently.

I do agree with the reviews which said that they wished that they had more of a context to stories listed in the book however I think the idea was to give people snips of the life of the Queen and the Royal family which the short instances listed were able to do.

However, I would definitely recommend that the people who read this book put themselves in the shoes of the Queen because some of the stories can come across as condescending or out of touch or even borderline rude if you read it as through she was someone whose not within the Royal Family.

[alison blackwell · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some amusement

Some of the anecdotes were humorous
Others a bit boring
Its nice to know that like everyone else they have a sense of humour

[Michell Karnes · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a fun little book full of short anecdotes about various members of the royal family.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

#5 of 120 books pledged to read during 2022

[Nidhal Ben Tahar · Rating 1 out of 5]

The most boring and uninteresting piece of cr*p I've ever layed my eyes upon.

[Jo Matey · Rating 2 out of 5]

Somewhat garbled and out of context but with a few amusing tidbits.

[Blair · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's filled with little funny passages about the British Royal family. If you're looking for a quick entertaining read then this is a good pick. I do wish to learn more about the background and contexts behind certain passages but I guess that isn't the point of this book.
Still, I really enjoyed it.

[Leslie Goddard · Rating 2 out of 5]

Very quick, brief anecdotes. Unfortunately, sometimes they are so brief it's hard to tell exactly what they mean. For an American, there are far too many references that a non-Brit wouldn't get -- television programs I've never heard of, slang I don't know. Disappointing because there's interesting, fun stuff here but I felt like I was being left out of the joke.

[Marianne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quick read but very interesting and amusing. some anecdotes are hilarious and some are a bit uninteresting. Good insight in the life of the royals.