Author: Brian Hoey

Publisher:Haynes Publishing, Sparkford, Yeovil, Somerset BA22 7JJ. Tel: 01963 442080

ISBN: 978 1 84425 556 6

Pages: 176

Illustrations: 128 coloured and 50 monochrome

Date: November 2008

Cover: hardback with dust cover

Size: 257x250 portrait

Price: £19.99

Index: good

The Queen loves it, claiming this is one of the few places left on earth where she can literally kick off her shoes, put up her feet and relax in total privacy. Prince Philip, who likes to make the most of every minute of the day, uses it as a mobile office. And the Prince of Wales says he could not live without it.

This is the Royal Train. First used in 1840 by the Dowager Queen Adelaide, wife of King William IV, the Royal Train remains just as popular today. Each journey involves hundreds of people, from engineers and technicians to police forces from every authority along the route, and journeys are planned months in advance.

For the first time, the inside story of the Royal Train is told in this new book. Drawing on extensive interviews with Royal Train personnel, the author describes in detail what happens when The Queen and her family take the train. He explains their individual tastes and requirements and reveals, for the first time, a wealth of fascinating inside information.

For example, The Queen likes a copy of the Racing Post brought to her with her breakfast. The staff on the Royal Train wear a special tie (which they must purchase themselves for £10) and the Train Chief Steward must learn the particular way to make The Queen's favourite drink of gin and Dubonnet (with balls of ice, not cubes). Prince Charles has a personal container of condiments, which only he is allowed to use in the Royal dining car.

Brian Hoey examines every aspect of the Royal Train including the rolling stock, the locomotives, operating routines and refreshments. He describes the décor in the Queen's personal saloon and that of Prince Philip.

Surprisingly, the Royal Train is not as luxurious as many people imagine, although successive monarchs have influenced the interior. In 1869, Queen Victoria (who felt it 'unnatural' to eat on the move) commissioned a special set of coaches, which she paid for with the assistance of the LNWR, at a cost of £1,800. King Edward VII ordered a new Royal Train in 1902 'to be as much like the Royal Yacht as possible' and in 1915, King George V, had the distinction of installing the first bath on a train anywhere in the world.

With chapters exploring the history of the Royal Train, its home at Wolverton, how journeys are undertaken and meals served, the book relates a fascinating story.