"On Duty With The Queen" - Dicke Arbiter (2014)
"On Duty With The Queen
My Time as a Buckingham Palace Press Secretary"
by Dickie Arbiter
Hardcover
Publisher: Blink Publishing
Publication date: 1 October 2014
Blink Books blurb
Dickie Arbiter was the Press Officer for Buckingham Palace for 12 years. Previously Court Correspondent for IRN, Dickie was a poacher turned gamekeeper before moving to work at the Palace in 1988. At the forefront of royal engagements Dickie was privileged to work alongside Princess Diana, Prince Charles, The Duke of Edinburgh and the Queen as well as some of the minor royals. His career spanned some of the most turbulent times for the monarchy, the divorce of the future King and the death of Princess Diana, to name just two.
His memoir will convey what life was like behind the scenes at Buckingham Palace and his personal and witty anecdotes bring detail to events and warmth to the royals that has never been seen before.
MailOnline
The book promises to share what life was like 'behind the scenes' during the time that Mr Arbiter worked at the Palace in 'the most turbulent period in the history of the modern British monarchy'. It was previously reported that Mr Arbiter, a respected royal pundit around the world, had turned down countless previous offers to write his memoirs.
Mr Arbiter worked at the palace between 1988 and 2000. He witnessed the breakdown of Prince Charles' marriage to Diana and the affair with Camilla Parker-Bowles. He was also working for the palace the day Diana was killed in a car crash in Paris.
A palace source told the paper: 'It is just a case of a man who he [the Prince of Wales] thought was a friend and who could be trusted cashing in on the misery of that time. It is disloyal.' Mr Arbiter has previously said the book 'is not a kiss-and-tell but an autobiography'. He said: ‘It’s a candid look behind some of the most salacious and sensational royal stories of those days from the perspective of someone who was not only there, but who also had experience of the monarchy.’
A Palace spokesman told the MailOnline: 'We wouldn’t comment on the contractual obligations of employees, past or present, of the Royal Household.'
Express
Prince Charles is said to be "furious" that a trusted aide has written a book which gives details about the breakdown of his marriage to Princess Diana.
The Queen's former press secretary Dickie Arbiter is promoting his memoirs, which are believed to contain explosive insights into the inner workings of the royal family. His book, On Duty with the Queen, is said to claim that Diana felt "humiliated" by Charles' affair with Camilla Parker-Bowles. It is also reported to describe the reaction of Prince Charles and the Queen to Diana's sudden death in a car accident in 1997.
Arbiter, who worked for the palace between 1988 and 2000, is the first former press secretary to write a book about his time with the royals.
He signed a confidentially agreement as part of his role - but has denied that the book breaks any obligations of secrecy. He is reportedly set to make £250,000 from the memoirs, despite previously criticising former royal butler Paul Burrell for cashing in on his royal connections.
v cover
Reproduced for promotional purposes