Dickie Arbiter's Book: on His Time w/Prince Charles, Diana & Other Royals

[Limabeany]

Prince Charles' 'anger' as former press secretary to the Queen releases book revealing secrets about the breakdown of his marriage to Diana | Mail

The Sunday Mirror reports that a palace source revealed: 'Charles is furious. This man was a trusted friend.'

The book - On Duty with the Queen, published by Blink Publishing - promises to share what life was like 'behind the scenes' during the time that Mr Arbiter worked at the Palace in 'the most turbulent period in the history of the modern British monarchy'.

Mr Arbiter worked at the palace between 1988 and 2000. He witnessed the breakdown of Prince Charles' marriage to Diana and the affair with Camilla Parker-Bowles.

He has previously said the book 'is not a kiss-and-tell but an autobiography'.

He said: 'It's a candid look behind some of the most salacious and sensational royal stories of those days from the perspective of someone who was not only there, but who also had experience of the monarchy.'

[PrincessOfPeace]

The Queen's former press secretary Dickie Arbiter is promoting his memoirs, which are believed to contain explosive insights into the inner workings of the royal family.

His book, On Duty with the Queen, is said to claim that Diana felt "humiliated" by Charles' affair with Camilla Parker-Bowles.

It is also reported to describe the reaction of Prince Charles and the Queen to Diana's sudden death in a car accident in 1997.

A palace source told the Daily Mirror: "Charles is furious. This man was a trusted friend."

More: New book by royal aide to describe Prince Charles and Princess Diana's divorce | Royal | News | Daily Express

[Trudie]

Naturally Charles is furious all his expensive and hard efforts to rehabilitate Camilla will probably turn back the clock.  :happy15:

[amabel]

its disgraceful of Dickie Arbiter to do this..

[Canuck]

Agreed, Amabel.  Even if everything in the book is positive towards Charles and the Queen, I can't imagine how heartbreaking it would be for a trusted friend to do this.

[Macrobug]

I guess it is simple.  I think it is incredibly disloyal and a betrayal of a friend to do this and I will not support him by buying this book. 

[sandy]

Naturally Charles is furious all his expensive and hard efforts to rehabilitate Camilla will probably turn back the clock.  :happy15:

Agree. Diana just cannot be airbrushed.
I'm buying the book.

[Limabeany]

its disgraceful of Dickie Arbiter to do this..

After all his snaky criticism about Paul Burell, he spit into the wind... Dickie's fallen off the high horse...  :happy15:

[TLLK]

 :no: I'm sorry that he's chosen to write and publish the book.

[HistoryGirl]

For some reason I doubt that this book will have too much insight on what really happened between Diana, Charles, and Camilla, but if it does, I'm always interested to read and examine a source that was actually present instead of a secondary one that's speaking as a mouthpiece for one side or the other.

[Lothwen]

Naturally Charles is furious all his expensive and hard efforts to rehabilitate Camilla will probably turn back the clock.  :happy15:

Agree. Diana just cannot be airbrushed.
I'm buying the book.

Of course you will, as long as it bashes Charles and Camilla.  Of course, if it also paints Diana in a negative light, then you'll complain that this is just PR spin to make Charles look good.

[cinrit]

Aren't the staff still required to sign confidentiality agreements?  Do those agreements expire when someone leaves the employ of a Royal?

Cindy

[PrincessOfPeace]

Dickie stated he signed the Official Secrets Act and also a confidentiality agreement but still insists he isn't breaking the deal but it appears Charles solicitors are looking over his contract in a bid to stop publication.

I personally think what Arbiter is doing is very wrong. Show some class and keep you confidences to yourself. He could still write a book about his time at the Palace without going into the gory details of Charles and Diana.

The man should be ashamed

[FanDianaFancy]

Here we go again AGAIN!!!

Lets take the  PC-PD-C emotion  out of it.

A FRIEND-----NO he was not a friend. Your employees  are NOT  your friends.  Your employers ARE not  your friends.
There can be a  cordial, close,  trusting,  good  work ethic by the employee  and  pay and rewards  for  the job well done by the  employer, but is not, never will be a  FRIENDSHIP between  employer and employee.
Also,  friendships between  staff and superviors/directors, etc  are NOT  friendships.  They  are , can be, and should  be good relationships. A  good working relationship with  respect ona  professional level both ways and  YES, due to the years  of the working relationship, there  can  develop a  close  relationship, BUT IT IS NEVER a  friendship.

People  often blur the line there and I KNOW you all have seen it end very badly  for people  and it  may have  even happened  to you.  I KNOW many  of  you will say  how thisclose you are to your  employer  and /or  your  director/supervisor, etc.
FINE!!! Please  post  when it ends badly and  it  WILL end badly!!! 

Confidentiality agreements----  Do people  in these  jobs of SERVING  the  BRF/Monarchy/Govt. have to sign  that? I guess  not.
Here in the States, No. about any  govt. officials  on any level: local, state, federal do not have to sign that and I sure  if asked  , they  would not  and  it is probably illegal. WHEN I said  the local, state, federal level, I  mean  as in on the Mayor/Sheriff's staff as  CAO, Council-at-large, etc. When I said the state level, I mean, Lt. Gov.,  and other and any  govenor  appointed and elected  poisitons. Same things as local level.
When I  said  federal level, I mean the POTUS  appointed  staff members, and and elected gov. officials  working with that  POTUS.
Ok, I think I covered everything here and I am clear.


Con. Agree.-When  people sign  to be hired by  people  in private  companies, that is different. Ex. entertainers have staff sign such. Some companies,  (big, small,)  too  depending on persons'  role and title.  That is different.  A  private company  is  a  private company  and an entertainer another type of  a  private company.

You get what you give- QEII deserves respect. She has  served her country  and her subjects and  has  lived a  decent life. NO, I am not talking about her massive  personal  wealth  because of her HRH, and her other  wealth which is hers too. I mean no scandals.  Good speeches.  Good  speech writers. Correct things to say even off cuff. She watches her words  and thinks before she speaks.  Well studied  in all her  work at home and abroad. Her support  of  her  country and subjects. Etc., that sort of thing.   One cannot hold her for her adult children's choices, their wives, girlfreinds.  Her grandchildren , for the most part  , have done well in being poised,  senesible, scandal free.  YES,  W, H, Z, P, E, B, and of course the other two  are  kids, but for the most part the  adult grandchildren have been  failry  decent,  scandal free within reason.
PC, C,  PAndrew, SF, The late  PD, respect ? Like I said, you get what you give.  What  was done was done.  Death still, no pass. Actions just don't erase, vanish  because of time, death, etc.

PC-PD-C--OBVIOUSLY there is palace  uproar  by  Ears  and  Rotweiller camp because  they are  looking favorable in this book. If  PD was trashed, there would  be no uproar. lets be real. PD is dead. PC and Cam won!!!!  Cam got it all and there has been a BIG pr  campaign to present as  QUEEN of England  to -be. Time. Time. 
It  would  be foolish  of  PC's-TPTB  not to  have started a  massive  , sublimal pr  campaign  of  CPB.  Any PR person would  agree with that. 
This book  is  a  step back. Small, inconvenient step back that will last  about  3-4 months. Still , itis a step back innthe direction TPTB do not want.
But then , as long as PD's  sons live and  their families(not yet for  PH) , she lives  as  in she cannot be a faded  piece  of Englands' dreadful history  like WSimpson.
There lies the real problem. How to fade PD from the minds of  the Britons, the media  there and abroad and  people worldwide?
Never mind  the ole  new  saying, PD has been for  20 years now. Time moves on. Most  people   weren't born then...blah and all that other nonsense.
The comparisons  of her and her sons in their milestones  keep  coming up. Ex. PK, PW and their tour with baby  to Aus/NZ.
Leaving the hopstial with  their child. Same thing will happen  when  PH gets married and has a  family.


Rights- I  do not know what Rights  people have in TheUK  and  citizens ' rights against the govt and the BRF. I know  you all  cannot have guns. As you , here we  lovelove our guns.  Big problem here , but  everyone, regardless  of  soci-econ class, has  a right to have a  gun unless....rare reasons. Still, those exceptions  can  go buy off the streets. Still.
There, the regular  people  cannot own guns, buy a gun, BUT the nobility/aristos  can buy, sell, trade,  own  guns.  One cannot go hunting without a gun.
Big here everyone  anti-gun is saying  in TheUK   people  cannot have guns. Well, that is not true. SOME people  cannot  have have guns due to the class structure.  I think,LOL, you can see I am pro-guns,yet I am gun control as in the lasw  for  guns  :waiting period, insurance, owner's   legal responsibility  , etc.

Here, media says whatever they want  about anyone.  POTUS  is  not sacred. There, the media does not  always  publish  things not  favorable to the BRF. Ex.  pics of nekked Harry.  K's bottom.  K's top.   You know, K should just  do a PlayboyCenterfold and be done with it, LOL!!!! She is  already half way there, LOL!!
I thought it was  totally stupid here some  places  did not publish nekked  Harry. They  publish  nekked   Kim Kar-trash-ian.
E! News  covered    nekked H's self with some art  band-graphics on their report.  Other  media places let it  fly,LOL!!!!

Money-I think the should have written the book. Maybe wait  for the Q  to die, but  that is a long time away and he  will be dead first.
How  much do these kind of people  earn for being BRF Chief of Staff  Butler/Household manager, Private Secretary, etc.? I do not mean people in housekeeping and groundskeeping.  I do not the titles  of the  people.  I sort  of  mentioned a  title and job description because I do not know. I mean the top people  who are superviors of the  staffs under them .
I  would think they  earn a low  6-figure salary   and more salary depending on their job title and years  and resume and education.
When somebody's writes a book, it  is for money. Obviously he needs money and has a family he would like to live something to.

[Trudie]

Fan that is a fabulous post what you are saying is absolutely right there is never a friendship in the true sense of the word between employers and employees and the book is not all about Charles marriage failure it is about his time in his position where he witnessed a lot of history Anne and Mark, and Andrew and Sarah's marriage failures along with the Windsor Castle fire and the death of Diana. So far there doesn't seem to be a fuss by his siblings no Charles most likely is afraid something new that had not been told before will come out and as I said all his expensive rehabilitation efforts will probably undermine the new for some respect Camilla has now that she is HRH. This time the person talking is someone who was there day to day not someone like Lady Pamela Hicks nee Mountbatten and her delightful sister who trashed Diana with Charles full blessing but were not privy to the day to day interactions that Arbiter was. Like Sandy I too will buy the book

[Canuck]

I will have to remember to come back and read this thread again if the book is largely positive towards Charles.  I think some posters will be changing their tune and suddenly extremely upset about invading Diana's privacy and the whole thing having been a PR campaign for Charles.   :censored2:

For me, REGARDLESS whether the book is positive towards Charles, or towards Diana, or neutral towards both of them -- I think it's an enormous violation of privacy and real betrayal.

[Trudie]

Unfortunately for Charles he is a very public person and with that very little privacy in the public interest. Everyone here that adores Charles call this a betrayal IMO why don't you same people call Charles Dimbleby book that he authorized a betrayal of HM and the DOE and most of all Diana, or why not denounce all his friends who betrayed his wife pretending to befriend her then leaking stories and stabbing her in the back?.  Yes Canuck come back after the book is published and then lets see how many attitudes get adjusted.

[sandy]

Naturally Charles is furious all his expensive and hard efforts to rehabilitate Camilla will probably turn back the clock.  :happy15:

Agree. Diana just cannot be airbrushed.
I'm buying the book.

Of course you will, as long as it bashes Charles and Camilla.  Of course, if it also paints Diana in a negative light, then you'll complain that this is just PR spin to make Charles look good.

I am just as much as entitled to my opinion as are all the Charles and Camilla fans. I read on these very boards a Charles person being happy about how Penny Junor slams Diana. Yet the Charles people did not make critical comments. I also noticed no outrage among Charles fans when Diana is gratuitously put down by his cousins (which was very recent).

It is not "bashing" Charles and Camilla when a person does not whitewash what they did.

There is freedom on choice and I am buying the book.

[Canuck]

Trudie, I think all of the books written by former employees/"friends" of the BRF are betrayals.  I was appalled by Paul Burrell's behaviour after Diana's death, and by Tina Brown's book.  They're all looking to cash in on their association with the BRF by betraying the confidence they were placed in during their employment and/or friendship, and I find the whole thing gross.

[sandy]

Tina Brown has no association with the RF. She had one lunch with Diana and claimed to be her "friend." Fortunately for her Diana was not around to refute this.

I think Diana was savvy enough not to confide personal stuff to Tina.

[wannable]

Oops, think Victoria will have to reinvent her career, royal reporting has gone out the window. Daddy messed up.

Opening up old wounds, must be dire for cash.

[Lady Adams]

From the Express article:

Arbiter,  who was once quoted as saying "We would all have loved to rip Diana's knickers off"...

And Charles thought him to be a trusted friend?

:hmm: :blink:

(Oh and I agree with History Girl. I love memoirs and biographies from all perspectives, and will be reading this one.)

[cate1949]

I too agree strongly that an employee/employer relationship is not friendship.  You do not pay your friends.  There would be a difference between a confidentiality agreement and signing a state official secrets act compliance agreement.  Quite a bit of difference.  Arbiter would risk imprisonment if he revealed what are state secrets.  Of course - not everything he witnessed would fall under that category.

Arbiter was privy to some serious events - the divorces and the family's dealing with Diana's death.  He certainly has some interesting stuff to tell but I very much doubt he will tell.  He said when he signed the book deal that he was writing an autobiography - a story about his career not a RF tell all.  Since his career includes his time with the RF I am sure there would be RF content but if it really is just anecdotes about his career - I would not see that as betrayal.  The RF especially PC is so sensitive about some issues and they assert all this privilege they do not really have the right to claim.  PC and Camilla have a history - a very unpleasant history that includes adultery, betrayal of their marriage vows.  And there is the matter that Diana is dead - not their fault of course but her death makes the whole PC-C-D story weightier.  Charles is  going to face some disapproval - disapproval he cannot avoid.  And all his tantrum's and seeking legal advice cannot change that some  of the public are not impressed with how he conducted himself in his marriage.   He earns more negative opinion by making a fuss over the book.  He would be wiser to just ignore it.

I would be very surprised if the book turns out to be some sort of huge expose.

[Curryong]

So would I, cate. I think it's going to be a very different kettle of fish to the Housekeeper's Tale (written by the housekeeper at Highgrove) which really dished the dirt in the wake of the Wales' marriage. That had to be published in the States, I believe, and the author concerned feared prosecution years later when she returned to England, though in the end Charles 'forgave' her.
I think Dickie's revelations will probably turn out to be very tame.

[Trudie]

Perhaps Charles has somehow seen an advanced copy of the book which is why he is so angry. Charles certainly wasn't from all appearances upset with Paul Burrell's or Patrick Jephson's books why because they were former employees of Diana and he probably thought they would trash Diana let us not forget Camilla is non negotiable. Charles cousins the Mountbatten sisters write books and give interviews and trash Diana the mother of his Sons that doesn't even upset him, perhaps Charles is not happy that the truth of his and Camilla's treatment of Diana will undo all the careful PR .