Hugo Vickers is a writer, lecturer, and broadcaster, and an acknowledged expert on the British Royal Family. He has written biographies of the Queen Mother, Cecil Beaton, Vivien Leigh, and Princess Andrew of Greece. His book The Kiss won the Stern Silver Pen Award for Non-Fiction and his recent bestsellers have included The Quest For Queen Mary and The Sphinx, the life of Gladys Deacon - the Duchess of Marlborough. His most recent books, Malice in Wonderland and Behind Closed Doors, are available from Pegasus Books.

"A definitively brilliant history of the whole story."

-- "A.N. Wilson, The Evening Standard"

"A page turner. Hugo Vickers' compelling account makes one feel that Wallis did the Queen a favor."
-- "Literary Review"

"With a lifetime's interest in the subject, Vickers knows everything there is to know about the Windsors. The first half of Behind Closed Doors, as well as being an accumulation of evidence against Blum, is the story of a personal journey into the world of the Windsors. It is also a hugely entertaining account of the battle between biographers for ownership of their subject .The book's second half is a biography of Wallis Simpson. Vickers delves into her family tree with his accustomed detail."-- "The Telegraph"

"A devastating account of the last years of the Duchess of Windsor. In likening Maître Blum in style to Gertrude Stein, Hugo Vickers gave me a clue to her character. Behind Closed Doors is filled with many more such revelations."-- "Isabella Rossellini"

"Hugo Vickers always brings history to life and the reader feels like they are looking through the peephole and listening through the door."--Joan Collins

Publisher: Pegasus Books

Pub date: 2026-05-05

Length: 480 pages