The Housekeeper's Diary by Wendy Barry

Wendy Berry served as the housekeeper for Prince Charles' mansion,

Highgrove, from the mid '80s until the early '90s. That's the time span before Britain's Prince of Wales was separated from Lady Diana Spencer, the woman more universally known as "Princess Di." As a result, Berry was an observer to the behavior of both of those famous people, as well as their sons, Prince William and Harry, during good times and, more often, bad.

The cover says the book was "Banned in Britain", and while I'm not sure that is true, this diary is certainly contains information to which the Palace might object. It's a no-holds-barred look at the underside of British royalty. Berry shows Diana's many flaws, something rarely seen in other books on this time period in her life. Berry talks about how the Princess was moody and manipulative, trying to keep her sons away from Charles at every opportunity when the relationship between the couple started to fail. Berry also shows Charles to be a good father, a seldom seen viewpoint in much of the literature about the couple, but acknowledges the genesis of his affair with the woman who is now his wife, Camilla Parker-Bowles.

In short, this book dwells very little on the mundane aspects of keeping house for such rich and famous people, and wallows instead in their dirty secrets, making it a terribly juicy read. Berry doesn't hold back even when discussing the tricks the little princes played on the staff, or the behavior of other royals and servants. All of which makes this book a much better read than the average politically-correct versions of royal British life, and that makes it a perfect read for steamy summer days and nights. 

Submitted by Gerti