Count is panned for royal family book

Those who make a living from writing books about the British royal family are seldom given an easy ride, especially by their subjects. However, Count Alexander von Schonburg, being a nephew by marriage of Prince Philip, probably expected a warm reception for his own offering, Everything About The Royals, which he claims, despite the populist title, is a work of scholarly history.

Unfortunately, that has not happened, with snipers claiming it is little more than gossip. And they have a point. Among the count's disclosures is a tale about how the former Camilla Parker Bowles (pictured) was once ticked off by the Queen Mother for putting her elbows on the table. Other titbits include what the Queen keeps in her handbag and why Prince Charles doesn't like his toast cut into triangles.

Oxford-educated Alexander, 38, who is the brother of Maya Flick, the ex-wife of Mercedes Benz-heir Mick Flick, is furious at the carpers. He tells the Daily Mail: "It is an intellectual book about kingship - covering 4,000 years from the kings of Babylon to the fall of the Hapsburg empire - not a book of gossip."

Despite his protestations, Schonburg includes snippets culled from other works, including Jeremy Paxman's revelation that Charles's staff have to prepare seven variously boiled eggs. But Schonburg insists he is being unfairly maligned: "I haven't revealed a thing. Not one single confidence. It's all been taken out of context. Of 270 pages, only three or four are devoted to the British royal family."