The rough guide to the Royals - James McConnachie

Britain's royals are the official face of the state and the centre of a worldwide media circus.

This entertaining Rough Guide to the Royals explores the paradox of one of the world's oldest monarchies. It casts a quizzical eye over the current royal family and their privileges, roles and relationships, from former Olympic horse rider Anne and industry ambassador Andrew to current favourites William and Kate. It answers such burning questions as what they do, where they get their money from, how fundamentally British are they, and how much they cost the British public.

It looks at the most extravagant royal ceremonies and the heros and villains, from Henry VIII to the scandalous Caroline of Brunswick (who was banned from her husband's coronation but turned up anyway). The best and the worst monarchs are reassessed, with investigations into how the likes of alleged nephew-killer and hunchback, Richard III, achieved their reputations.

Whatever you want to know about the British royal family past and present, The Rough Guide to the Royals reveals it all.

This is a work of love far more than commission
The Guardian on The Rough Guide to Shakespeare