How the Queen Can Make You Happy

A witty and passionately argued essay calling for a return to good manners, using the Queen (the mother of all Brits) as the ultimate example. Mary Killen is an expert on manners and social etiquette, and her humorous advice column in the Spectator provides original solutions to the problems of modern life. In a world currently ruled by reality TV, over-sharing through social media, and an increasingly fractious and fractured public space, we could all do with a lesson or two in from Her Royal Highness. Examining such under-rated virtues as discretion, politeness and kindness, "My Queen" is a humorous celebration of long-held British values in an age where discretion is not generally the better part of value. Never mind the curtsey, where's the courtesy?

Mary Killen grew up in Northern Ireland. A journalist since l984, her career began on Mark Boxer's "Tatler." She has since written weekly columns for the "Times," the "Daily Telegraph," the "Sunday Telegraph" and the "Daily Express," and has written monthly columns for "Marie Claire" magazine and "Harpers & Queen." She writes a weekly advice column for the "Spectator," a column for "House & Garden" magazine, and freelances for many other publications.

Contents Introduction 9 Compartmentalizing 12 Concentration 16 Continuity 19 Digestion 25 Dignity 28 Dogs 34 Eating 36 Embarrassments 37 Faith 40 Forgiving 43 Frugality 45 Giving Your Own Parties 47 Happiness 49 Health 51 History 52 Knowing Who People Are 55 Manners 58 Mystique 65 Not Swearing 69 Power Naps 70 Prayer 71 Processing People 72 Punctuality is the Politeness of Princes 75 Rising Above Things 78 Romance 83 Routine 91 Scrapbooks 93 Smoking 95 Socializing 96 Thinking Ahead 99 Tidiness 101 Timetables 103 Treating Everyone the Same 105 Conclusion 107

Move Over Anthony Seldon there's a new happiness guru in town --Matthew Bell Independent on Sunday 'A delightful book, it gave me so much bursting pleasure that I took it straight off to visit to a neighbour in hospital, and ordered three more copies for friends.' --Vicki Woods, columnist, Daily Telegraph and Vogue 'It's so good!' --Virginia Ironside, columnist, Independent and The Oldie