England has always been proud of her royal family. We buy souvenir mugs with the Queen's face on it, attend royal processions to see the royal wave, go "Ooh" and "aah" over how the future King has grown (I mean William, not Charles!)
Now imagine if the Republican Party won the general elections - the royal family booted out of their lavish palaces along with the Queen's corgis. No more precious gems, no more caviar, no more 'Your Majesty', no more fancy hats. What are they going to do? Where are they going to go? Will Charles be the filial son and get a job to support his family and ageing parents?
Sue Townsend paints a hilarious picture of what might become of them if that did happen. The royal family is sent to live in MIdlands, in a council estate dubiously nicknamed ' Hell's Close' by the locals.
The Queen tries to pull the family together and makes the best of the situation, but it proves harder than thought. Phillip is sulking over his lost privileges, Charles goes to jail, Diana has the eye for a young chap, William and Harry are roaming in packs and her beloved corgi is hanging out with the local mutts.
Will the royal family rise to the occassion and fight for survival? Or is it really not that hard and they really are like everyone else?
The book is truly funny. But to fully appreciate the humour, you should know about the going-ons of the Royal Family in the 1990s. Better yet, if you have an inkling of what each member of the family is like. That way, you can understand why each character acts they way they do in the book.
Townsend is a brilliant writer who decribes the characters so vividly that you can imagine what the family would really be like if they were sent to live normal lives. The supporting characters add colour and life into the story, showing the royal family what life truly is like.
Please note that the book was written before Princess Diana's death. Fans of the princess, a word of warning - she is portrayed as a little dippy here but endearing all the same.
Now, wouldn't it be really fun if someone organises a charity where the royal family lives in council estates for one week (or better yet, do it Big Brother style) and all proceeds will go to several charity organisations. I am sure that people will pay big bucks to see that.
I know I will!
# of pages: 288 Published by: Penguin Books Published in: 2002 ISBN: 0141010878 Price: £7.99
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Advantages: It will brighten up your day without a doubt. You'll never look at the Queen mum in the same way again. You can just imagine her in her council bungalow, savings 50ps for the gas meter. Disadvantages: The poor ending. It actually seems as if Townsend had ran out of time at the end and just think of something at the last minute.
Advantages: It will brighten up your day without a doubt. You'll never look at the Queen mum in the same way again. You can just imagine her in her council bungalow, savings 50ps for the gas meter. Disadvantages: The poor ending. It actually seems as if Townsend had ran out of time at the end and just think of something at the last minute.
Jan 27th, 2006
very helpful by (36%):
helpful by (64%):
