The Palace Letters

The Queen, the governor-general, and the plot to dismiss Gough Whitlam
Jenny Hocking

‘An absorbing legal drama interspersed by accounts of other archival discoveries that spiced her determination to access the Palace Letters.’

Paul Strangio, The Age

‘A courtroom drama with political and historical intrigue, it reads like John Grisham crossed with Dan Brown – but more exciting than either because it all actually happened. This is a fantastic read and an important part of Australian history.’

Tristen Brudy, Readings

View all reviews

‘A thrilling Oz tale of politics and intrigue goes all the way to Buckingham Palace … [A] riveting read.’

Jennifer Curtin, The Listener

‘The Palace Letters… is the groundbreaking result of historian Professor Jenny Hocking’s fight to expose secret letters between the Queen and the Australian Governor-General during the Dismissal of Gough Whitlam in 1975.’

Dr Glenn Davies, Sydney Sun

‘The Palace Letters traced Hocking’s extraordinary efforts to bring to light what could have otherwise remained undisclosed.’

Vittoria Bon, Herald Sun

‘The Palace Letters is a significant and original contribution to our understanding of Australian politics. Accessibly written, [it] combines the adventure of a detective story with a scholarly meditation on Australian constitutionalism [and] sheds new light on previously unknown aspects of the Whitlam dismissal, in particular the continuing capacity of British Monarchs and their representatives profoundly to influence Australian political events. The book is also an object lesson concerning the challenges of archival research as it also tells the story behind the research materials upon which much of the study rests. The Palace Letters stands as a testament to the importance of our national archives and to the necessity for these to be accessible and transparent if our historical record is to be preserved.’

Judging panel comments from the Henry Mayer Book Prize 2021

‘Riveting … Vital Australian history.’

Nicole Abadee, Sydney Morning Herald

A political betrayal.
A constitutional crisis.
A hidden correspondence.

Gough Whitlam was a progressive prime minister whose reign from 1972 proved tumultuous after 23 years of conservative government in Australia. After a second election victory in May 1974, when a hostile Senate refused to vote on his 1975 budget, the political deadlock that ensued culminated in Whitlam’s unexpected and deeply controversial dismissal by the governor-general, Sir John Kerr.

Kerr was in close touch with the Palace during this period, but, under the cover of being designated as personal, that correspondence was locked away in the National Archives, and embargoed by the Queen — potentially forever. This ruse denied the Australian people access to critical information about one of the most divisive episodes in the nation’s history.

In the face of this, Professor Jenny Hocking embarked on what would become a ten-year campaign and a four-year legal battle to force the Archives to release the letters. In May 2020, despite being opposed by the Archives, Buckingham Palace, and the full resources of the federal government, she won her historic case in the High Court.

The Palace Letters is the ground-breaking account of her indomitable fight. Drawing on material from the Palace letters, Kerr’s archives, and her submissions to the courts, Hocking traces the collusion and deception behind the dismissal, and charts the secret role of High Court judges, the leader of the opposition, Malcolm Fraser, and the Queen’s private secretary in fostering and supporting Kerr’s actions.

Hocking also reveals the obstruction, intrigue, and duplicity she faced during her campaign, raising disturbing questions about the role of the National Archives in fighting access to these historic letters and in enforcing, against Australia’s national interests, royal secrecy over its own documents.

‘An absorbing legal drama interspersed by accounts of other archival discoveries that spiced her determination to access the Palace Letters.’

Paul Strangio, The Age

Tristen Brudy, Readings

View all reviews

‘A thrilling Oz tale of politics and intrigue goes all the way to Buckingham Palace … [A] riveting read.’

Jennifer Curtin, The Listener

Dr Glenn Davies, Sydney Sun

‘The Palace Letters traced Hocking’s extraordinary efforts to bring to light what could have otherwise remained undisclosed.’

Vittoria Bon, Herald Sun

Judging panel comments from the Henry Mayer Book Prize 2021

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Details

Format:Paperback

Size: 234mm × 153mm

Extent:288pp with 1 x 8pp b&w section

ISBN (13):9781922310248

RRP:$35.00

Pub date:27 Oct 2020

Rights Held: World

Rights Sold: Audio (Blackstone)

High-res cover:Download Image

AWARDS

2021 Henry Mayer Book Prize - Commended

CATEGORIES / tags

AUTHOR

Jenny Hocking

Jenny Hocking is emeritus professor at Monash University, Distinguished Whitlam Fellow at the Whitlam Institute at Western Sydney University, and Gough Whitlam’s award-winning biographer.

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