The Book of Royal Useless Information : A Funny and Irreverent Look at the British Royal Family Past and Present

Did you know? * Prince Philip quit smoking on the night before his wedding. * Queen Mary refused to acknowledge the existence of the telephone. * Wallis Simpson admonished her lover, Edward VIII with the joke, 'You can't abdicate and eat it.' * The Tudors were originally called the Tewdwrs. * The Queen has sent around 100,000 telegrams to centenarians in the UK and the Commonwealth. Bestselling authors Noel Botham and Bruce Montague irreverently present everything you could ever possibly want to know about the Royals...and a little bit more! So raise the Union Jack, feed the corgis, make yourself a nice cup of tea, and enjoy this truly mind-boggling collection of totally useless information.

Born in York and educated at Dulwich College, Noel Botham had a long and distinguised career as a national newspaper journalist before becoming a full-time author. He was a crime and parliamentary reporter and war correspondent covering several major conflicts before becoming an editor. Now a New York Times number 1 bestselling author, he has written more than 30 books and is published in more than 40 countries. His book The Murder of Princess Diana was an international bestseller and became a successful film. He has also featured in many major television documentaries. He lives with his wife, Lesley, in London and Hove. Together they own London's most famous Bohemian bar and restuarant, The French House, in Soho. Bruce Montague trained at RADA and achieved rapid leading man status in the theatre. In his early twenties he starred in a round the world tour with Vivien Leigh. He has appeared in over 300 television productions but is probably best known for his five-year run in the popular BBC sit-com Butterflies as Wendy Craig's secret lover, Leonard. More recently he has returned to the theatre, starring in Fiddler on the Roof as Topal at the Palladium, Oliver, (three years), and Phantom of the Opera, (two years). He has written numerous plays and muscials for the stage and BBC, and scripts for Hollywood. He lives in Brighton with his actress wife, Barbara Latham.