Invitation to the palace - Brian Hoey

This is an inside account of the pageantry and ritual of royal entertaining, starting with a state visit and state banquet, followed by weekends at Holyroodhouse, Balmoral, Sandringham and Windsor Castle and working lunches on the royal train.;This "fly-on-the-wall" tour describes how the Queen, who is the country's official hostess, attends more than 80 of her own functions each year. No other king, queen, president or head of state entertains on the same grand scale or in so many different places. The book reveals what goes on at these functions, what is the protocol, who chooses the menu, who gets invited, which member of the royal family entertains most royally, what are their individual tastes regarding food and guests, and asks why no women wait at a royal table.;Members of the royal household, from the yeoman of the cellars to the page of the backstairs, are assigned their tasks by the Master of the Household who caters for the diverse eating habits of each member of the royal family. There are also chapters on royal recipes and royal suppliers. The author also wrote "Princess Anne".