Behind the pomp and circumstance, away from the processions and the power, there is something rotten at the heart of the House of Windsor. Like characters in a Shakespearian tragedy the Princes and Princesses, Dukes and Duchesses, seem hell-bent on self-destruction. Certainly, argue Nigel Blundell and Susan Blackhall, the mighty British royal dynasty will not survive in its present form. The authors have uncovered the great untold secrets of the royal household.

The scenes move from country houses rife with intrigue to Highland heaths where lovers reunite in secret. We even peer behind the barred porticos of the lunatic asylum where royal relatives were hidden from the world. No one is spared. The astonishing innermost secrets of the lives of Princess Diana, the Duchess of York and Prince Edward are among the stories told in a sympathetic and hugely readable style.

Cynical betrayals are revealed together with details of secret fortunes, sexual subterfuge and much, much more.