It has been reported that Paul Burrell is about to speak out on the Queen Mother’s relationship with Diana, Princess of Wales.

Burrell, the Princess’ former butler, was said to have been disappointed that Diana was barely mentioned in William Shawcross’ official biography ‘Queen Elizabeth: The Queen Mother’.

A so-called ‘insider’ said: “To be fair, if anyone knows what really went on between Diana and the Queen Mother, it’s Paul. The Shawcross book may just force him finally to tell it how it was, as he can’t stand the idea of Diana being ignored in such a way.”

Steve Dennis, however, says otherwise.

Dennis, the ghost writer for Paul Burrell’s books “Remembering Diana” and “A Royal Duty”, has set the record straight.

“FYI, Paul Burrell’s not spilling the beans at all. Don’t so readily trust everything you read,” Dennis told me via Twitter. “I’m his media advisor. Trust me, these articles are inventions.”

So will Burrell be coming out with another yarn to earn a buck, or is he staying silent like Steve Dennis claims? I guess time will tell…

Steve Dennis is also the author of the book Britney: Inside the Dream and has been an on-air contributor on the Fox News Channel.

An Uncommon Woman – The Empress Frederick: Daughter of Queen Victoria, Wife of the Crown Prince of Prussia, Mother of Kaiser Wilhelm

You will feel great sympathy towards Vicky, the Empress Frederick, who was an unfortunate hostage to the intrigues of the German court. Sympathy will soon give way to awe at her courage and determination to do her best while having to perform the impossible: being all things to all people…

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She’s the anti-Paris Hilton. If one’s skirt goes too far up the thigh, she calls it as she sees it: a fashion faux pas that screams desperation.

Jordan Christy, the 24-year-old author of the book How to Be a Hepburn in a Hilton World: The Art of Living with Style, Class, and Grace is slender, blonde, and elegant. She is full of enthusiasm as she speaks about her values and the need for etiquette among young girls and women today.

Jordan says her ideas for ‘How to Be a Hepburn in a Hilton World’ started in junior high, when she felt surrounded by “stupid girls.” To her, it seemed that the smart, classy, modest girls were always in the minority. The fact that many female celebrities began making headline news with their bad behavior didn’t help. People like Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera raised tacky and crass antics to superstar heights, and behind them followed impressionable young girls.

“I couldn’t help but wonder…why were these girls the ones representing our female gender?” says Jordan. “Why were we just sitting back and allowing our timeless values and standards to be trampled into the ground by their stiletto heels? By the time I reached my 20s, I realized that many other girls felt the same way I did, and set out to make intelligence, self-respect and class attractive again.”

The pretty southerner has certainly proved that intelligence and class are attractive – and fun. Jordan’s book is full of great advice, fun assignments, notable names and real-life examples. She makes etiquette entertaining, and covers a range of topics: diet, speech, work ethic, friends, relationships, manners, makeup and fashionable – yet modest – clothing. It’s everything you would find in Fleur Britten’s Debrett’s Etiquette for Girls and more.

Jordan even likes the style of royal women and this royal blogger, too.

“Mandy and her site are the perfect example of ‘How to Be a Hepburn in a Hilton World!’ The problem these days is the fact that we’ve forgotten where we’ve come from. Incredible women like Abigail Adams, Jane Austen, and Audrey Hepburn worked to make so many great advances for the female gender – the least we can do is honor them with our dress, speech and conduct. Some of the greatest people we can look to for style and etiquette tips are royalty. They continue to be shining examples that intelligence and class are truly some of the most valuable virtues we can possess.”

Jordan Christy’s website: http://www.jordanchristy.com/ (Photo by Sarah Barlow)

You might also like: Mandy Talks Style

Thankfully, it is now sans problems. Enjoy!

King, Kaiser, Tsar

Hooray! It’s here! The latest addition to my royal library is entitled “King, Kaiser, Tsar: Three Royal Cousins Who Led the World to War”. I can’t wait to dive right into this and then bring you a review. It looks like it’s going to be fascinating.

The subjects of the book:

King George V: The son of King Edward VII, who was the brother of the Prussian Empress Friedrich. George’s mother, Queen Alexandra, was born a Danish princess and was the sister of the Empress of Russia.

Kaiser Wilhelm II: Son of Empress Friedrich of Prussia (Princess Victoria of Great Britain), and grandson of Queen Victoria.

Tsar Nicholas II: Son of Tsar Alexander and Tsarina Maria Feodorovna, formerly Princess Dagmar of Denmark and sister of Britain’s Queen Alexandra.

Born to Rule: Five Reigning Consorts, Granddaughters of Queen Victoria

Once there was Vicky, Alice, Helena, Louise, and Beatrice…

Now with Marie, Maud, Ena, Alix, and Sophie, we see the face of Europe change once more. Julia Gelardi’s book is a fascinating study of the lives of Queen Victoria’s granddaughters. It gets slightly difficult to read at times, because each woman’s life is chronicled along side the other. Winding is a good word for the style, but nevertheless, this book is a captivating look at another quintuple of royal kin. The first set was, of course, Queen Victoria’s own daughters, some of whom were the mothers of these powerful women…

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