1 Sussex Drive

Book excerpt: Rideau Hall, the official Residence of Canada’s Governors General, has been host to some of the greatest leaders and dignitaries in history. Members of royal families, world leaders and heads of state have stayed there and have experienced, firsthand, the warmth and hospitality so often associated with Canadians. For those chosen to serve as Governors General, as well as for their families, Rideau Hall becomes their home for five years, and sometimes longer. To the outsider, a visit to Rideau Hall as an invited guest is like watching a theatre performance, with the supporting cast and crew somewhere in the background but always where they are supposed to be. This book provides first-person narratives and real accounts of memorable moments by those who worked with quiet dignity behind the scenes, and often for the greatest part of their working lives, to make Rideau Hall a home.