In Behind the Throne, historian Adrian Tinniswood takes us on a remarkable journey across five centuries of everyday life at the English court - from one Queen Elizabeth to another, from clerks and courtiers to clowns and crowned heads. Tinniswood uncovers the power struggles and petty rivalries, the tension between duty and desire, the practicalities of cooking dinner for thousands and of ensuring that the king always won when he played a game of tennis.

Behind the Throne draws from interviews with members of the royal household, diaries and memoirs by butlers and women of the bedchamber, masters of ceremonies, and mistresses of kings. Tinniswood reveals an astonishing history of the monarchy, the networks that support it, and the details of day-to-day life in the court.

With Tinniswood as our guide, we learn about the intricacies of royal life - from James I, who was forced to cut back on his alcohol bills, to George VI, who liked to dance the conga around the state rooms of Buckingham Palace. We learn about the logistics of royal travel and courtly security, the place of royal bastards, childrearing in the medieval court, and a typical day for a royal equerry under Queen Elizabeth II.

With deep research and an insouciant wit, Tinniswood offers a grand tour of England's grandest households.