In recent times the British monarchy has become an 'ultimate family' of international superstars, their adventures and personalities transmitted round the globe like episodes in the world's most popular soap opera.

The process began with Queen Mary's transformation of the family into symbols of middle-class morality, but accelerated greatly with the televising of Queen Elizabeth II's Coronation and the euphoric sense of a 'new Elizabethan age' about to begin in gloomy post-war Britain.

Prince Charles's Investiture in 1969 was the springboard of a major PR campaign to provide royalty with a human face and helped shape the contemporary image of the royal family as both 'special' and 'ordinary'.

First published in 1986, this work came at a time of heightened interest in the royals as it followed the establishment of Lady Diana as the 'ultimate dream princess', Diana, and arrived in the wake of Prince Andrew's wedding. John Pearson's fascinating book defines the Royal Family for the 1980s.