The paperback was released on May 28, 2009, and includes an extract from a new Young Bond short story by Charlie Higson, "A Hard Man to Kill".

[6] In Lisbon, OGPU Colonel Irina Sedova, also known as 'Babushka' (Russian for 'grandmother'), visits the leader of the Communist Cell in Portugal.

During this time, Bond is on his way for a school skiing trip in Austria when he runs afoul of a group of Hitler Youth members who call him a cheater for having won a game of poker.

After saving himself and his classmate, Bond is hospitalised and hears a man crying out about his cousin named Jürgen who is going to be killed.

A few days later, the boys return to Eton where Bond is introduced to the new head of his House's Library, Theo Bentinck, a cruel and sadistic individual who enjoys tormenting the younger boys, and who immediately decides to target James for his abuse, knowing that he is not afraid of standing up to older students.

A few days later, he is invited to a party given by the Prince of Wales where he meets the mysterious Graf Otto von Schlick.

As he is about to kill them, OGPU agents under the command of Colonel Sedova, who had followed the entire conspiracy since Lisbon, attacked the Germans.

In an interview, Higson stated that By Royal Command will deal with Bond being forced to leave Eton College due to an incident with a maid.

It must be admitted that his career at Eton was brief and undistinguished and, after only two halves, as a result, it pains me to record, of some alleged trouble with one of the boys' maids, his aunt was requested to remove him.

She managed to obtain his transfer to Fettes, his father's old school.According to Higson, M's comment about the incident was a deliberate attempt to cover up the truth.

[8] Even though the book will be partially set in The Alps, it does not offer any revelations about Bond's parents' deaths in an Alpine climbing accident.

[2] At the launch party for Hurricane Gold, Charlie hinted that Amy Goodenough (from Blood Fever) and the villain Babushka (from Double or Die) return in this Young Bond adventure.

[10] On 11 August 2008 Puffin Books announced the first Young Bond alternate reality game (ARG), The Shadow War, designed to tie-in with the release of By Royal Command.

[11] The online game started on 23 August, when Charlie Higson set the first mission during his appearance at the Edinburgh International Book Festival.