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terrorists. Meanwhile, Urquhart threatens the King with
Charlotte's memoirs, saying that he will be forced to publish them if the King continues publicly to oppose him. The King, however, refuses to be blackmailed. Urquhart engages in secret meetings with the King's ex-wife, who urges him not to back
558:
The beginning and ending of the novel now reflect the mini-series, though with some changes. Urquhart has been prime minister for nearly two years while the King has only just assumed the throne following the death of the Queen at the start of the revised novel. He only decides to go after the King
566:
Furthermore, there is an additional scene with the King's teenage son and
Urquhart, after his father's abdication, where the newly crowned King informs Urquhart that "nothing lasts forever", in relations to Urquhart's own power and position as prime minister. This leads to the final chapter of the
543:
The King willingly abdicates ahead of the general election, indicating that he will stand against
Urquhart. In fact, he insists on his abdication being handled before Urquhart can call the election. Rather than feeling confident that the King has been politically neutered, Urquhart is left feeling
418:
While the royal scandal succeeds in hurting the King's popularity, the polls reverse when
Conservative MP John Staines is arrested for sex with a minor. A furious Urquhart blames Stamper for the fallout, having put Staines in the public arena moments before his arrest. David Mycroft, the King's
573:
Corder's characteristics are changed to make him more in line with Edward
Meechum, his counterpart character in the US adaptation of the show. In particular, it is stated that his loyalty to Urquhart is due to Urquhart vouching for him after an unstated incident early on in his tenure with the
358:, on the condition that the information is published after her death. Urquhart also begins regularly meeting with the King's ex-wife, repeatedly assuring her that he has no intention of disturbing the Monarchy, implying he would support the early accession of her teenaged son as King.
539:
It is implied that
Urquhart is responsible for his and his wife's childlessness. Indeed, their relationship is less close than in the television series. When Landless threatens to expose Elizabeth's affair, Francis implies that he will divorce her to gain sympathy and to cling to
401:
After a brief abduction by some homeless thugs, Harding is told to "ask 'im about Mattie Storin". Despite her feelings for
Urquhart, Harding begins to question his version of events about the tragedy. She meets John Krajewski, a former colleague of Mattie's who is now a paranoid
481:
The end credits of the final episode roll with images of the crowning of the new teenaged King, showing that
Urquhart had succeeded in obtaining the abdication of the previous King. At the end of the credits, Urquhart smirks at the camera and triumphantly says,
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The ending has the King being forced to abdicate, following
Urquhart's electoral success, after Urquhart informs him that he plans on using all of the resources at his disposal to destroy the Royal Family if he does not abdicate the
458:, secretly shadowing the King's tour on Urquhart's orders, rescues him from possible harm. The King is seen as foolish for his negligence in the matter of security, and Urquhart seems like a hero for having protected him.
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Meanwhile, Corder discovers that
Stamper has passed information on Mattie's murder to Harding as insurance. With urging from Elizabeth, Urquhart orders Corder to assassinate them. The Conservatives subsequently win the
450:. The King organises a bus tour visiting disadvantaged estates to show his concern, refusing to include a security detail. Urquhart arranges for Corder to have the King abducted by thugs during his tour of an estate in
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and persuades him to choose her as a political advisor. Urquhart is impressed with Harding's intelligence and starts to favour her over Stamper, who becomes increasingly bitter over his reluctance to promote him to
577:
Mattie Storin's death is mentioned by several minor journalist characters, with it implied that many feel Urquhart did indeed kill her but that due to his power and reach, no one dare publicly accuse him.
438:, as a result of a tenant's tapping into the gas main, puts the King's arguments about social problems back into the public domain. Urquhart announces his intention of having unemployed youth from the
325:. At their first meeting, the King expresses concern about Urquhart's social policies, which he argues have led to greater problems for urban areas. Tensions escalate when Urquhart moves his moderate
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Tim Stamper takes over as Party Chairman at the beginning of the novel rather than as the plot unfolds as it is Urquhart's plan to call a snap election to increase his party's parliamentary majority.
498:, Urquhart occasionally speaks directly to the audience. He takes the viewer into his confidence, and at the end of the series, as at the end of the first, he challenges the viewer to condemn him.
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closeted advisor and Chief of Staff at Buckingham Palace, has recently separated from his wife and has entered into a romantic relationship with another man. Fearing his
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Sarah Harding does not appear. Her character is represented by Sally Quinn, an American who also feeds information about Urquhart to Ben Landless.
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Urquharts, where the Chief Whip saved his job. Similarly, Stamper's betrayal and death from the TV series is not imported into the revised novel.
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revised novel, where Urquhart ponders his legacy and whether or not he would be remembered as a bully who forced the King of England to abdicate.
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Fearing the King will weaken his position, Urquhart obtains "regal insurance" from Princess Charlotte, a royal family member. His underling,
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inner cities. The King's Assistant Press Secretary, Chloe Carmichael, leaks the outcome of the meeting to the press, which rankles Urquhart.
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with a 22-seat overall majority. With his policies vindicated by the electorate, despite the King's public opposition, Urquhart demands his
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After Urquhart stops his business interests expanding, Ben Landless becomes an opponent of Urquhart and an ally of the king.
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leaders to join forces against the Prime Minister. Irked by this intransigence, Urquhart calls an early election. His wife,
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In 2013, the novel was reissued along with the rest of the trilogy, to coincide with the launch of the American version of
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at the persuasion of his wife, who notices that Urquhart had grown bored with power and needed a new enemy to thwart.
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Mattie Storin's and Roger O'Neill's murders are not directly mentioned nor used as a plot device.
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Corder and Tim Stamper are given additional page time, with their past with Urquhart revealed.
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The book and TV serialisation follow on from the TV version of the first part of the trilogy.
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down. He also blackmails Bullerby into publishing Charlotte's memoirs in the
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with an underage boy before the arrest, Mycroft ultimately decides to
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Tim Stamper does not betray Urquhart and therefore is not murdered.
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may damage the King's standing as well as having seen Staines in a
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implicitly denouncing Urquhart's policies and covertly rally
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Chloe Carmichael was created for the television adaptation.
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to the King's press corps and announces his resignation.
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and a newly crowned king as well as the run-up to the
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442:conscripted into the
327:Environment Secretary
250:trilogy. Directed by
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741:(2013–2018)
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