HRH Prince Philip: Escape from the Palace

This entertaining and thought-provoking novel from Thomas J O’Mara provides a humorous ‘analysis’ of Prince Philip’s role within the Royal Family – but it’s not a straight-up satire. HRH Prince Philip: Escape from the Palace is an everyman story that asks the question many of us ask ourselves at some point in our lives: how much personal freedom should we forfeit for the sake of the common good?

“I have always liked and admired Prince Philip,” the Irish author explains, “in particular the way he has refused to be completely absorbed by ‘the royal machine’. Always the edgy member of the family, he has maintined a sizeable chunk of his individuality, despite conforming to his duties as royal consort.” O’Mara’s novel is based on an idea of hidden friction between The Queen and Prince Philip, whose roles were reversed in their marriage. “He was a born leader who chose to follow, she was a born follower destined to lead. This must have caused quite a deal of hidden angst in the royal couple over the years!”

The story begins in 1966 and Prince Philip has a dilemma. He longs to break free of the royal shackles and dreams of escape from his gilded cage. He’s cracking up, he has to get away... but how?

One night, Jones the butler informs him that he has found “a hole that nobody wants” and an entirely new, sanity-saving world of adventure opens up for the prince. With the aid of the self-titled ‘Earl of Buckingham’ (a hermit who lives in the underground palace), Philip begins to abscond on a regular basis. That’s when the fun begins…

Will The Queen find out? Are his disguises up to the task? What if MI5 find out and close down his precious escape route? Can ‘The Earl’ be trusted to keep a secret? And of course, the press can never find out!