| Biography & Autobiography |
| Rich & Famous |
| Royalty |
Summary
Summary
The first definitive, in-depth portrait of the man who will be king of England-and the story of his relationship with the woman who will be his queen
His face is recognized the world over, his story is well known. But what is Prince William really like? As Diana's eldest son, he was her confidant. While the tabloids eagerly lapped up the lurid details of his parents' divorce, William lived painfully through it, suffering the embarrassment, the humiliation, and divided loyalties. He watched his father denounced on prime time television; he met the lovers. And when he was just fifteen, his beautiful, loving mother was suddenly, shocking snatched from his life forever. The nation lost its princess and its grief threatened the very future of the monarchy. What was almost forgotten in the clamor was that two small boys had lost their mother. His childhood was a recipe for disaster, yet as he approaches his thirtieth birthday, William is as well-balanced and sane a man as you could ever hope to meet. He has an utter determination to do the right thing and to serve his country as his grandmother has so successfully done for the last sixty years. Who stopped him from going off the rails, turning his back on his duty and wanting nothing to do with the press--the people he blamed for his mother's death? Where did the qualities that have so entranced the world, and his new bride, Catherine, come from? In the last thirty years, Penny Junor has written extensively about his parents and the extended family into which he was born. With the trust built up over that time, she has been able to get closer to the answers than ever before.
Author Notes
Penny Junor is the author of The Firm: The Troubled Life of the House of Windsor; Charles: Victim or Villain and the New York Times bestselling Diana: Princess of Wales . She is the co-author of the #1 New York Times bestselling Wonderful Tonight (with Patti Boyd) and lives in London.
Reviews (2)
Publisher's Weekly Review
The British Royal Family has long been the subject of passionate interest and gobs of gossip-from the tragic sort, the sordid, and the celebratory: pestering paparazzi drove Princess Diana to her death, News of the World reported that Prince Harry had been smoking pot, and millions showed up and tuned in to watch Prince William wed commoner Kate Middleton. Here, Junor, bestselling author of Diana: Princess of Wales and expert on the royal family, focuses on the life of the eldest son of the Prince of Wales, detailing his gilded childhood, his parents' troubled marriage, his coming-of-age to embrace a strong sense of societal duty and dedication to his country, and-of course-his own courtship and wedding to Kate in 2011. Throughout, Junor insists that "William has striven for normality all his life," and his oft-maligned father is presented as a sympathetic figure. She also emphasizes the intimacy enjoyed by William and his brother Harry, writing that, in the wake of their mother's untimely death, "what probably helped the boys more than anything was having each other." Having reported on and worked closely with the Royal Family for 30 years, Junor is privy to plenty of drama, but this bio comprises more than just dirt and hearsay; Junor sheds light on the day-to-day ordeals that try a family and a man, royal or no. Color photos. (June) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Library Journal Review
Junor's (Charles, Victim or Villain) biography of the second in line to the British crown is entertaining although predictable. (Parade of royal ancestors? Check. Mismatched parents and acrimonious divorce? Check. Tragic death of his mother? Check.) It offers a portrait of a man in an extraordinary situation, who turned out to be a decent chap, making a life of his own that also fulfills his duties as a future king. Especially interesting are the details about the enormous amount of work required to manage William's royal obligations and charitable commitments. There is much about the prince's relationship with Catherine Middleton, whose "normal" family and upbringing appealed to him, and their wedding. Many of Junor's sources are former staff members or press who covered the royal family for years. William was not interviewed by the author but allowed some of his household staff to speak to her. Verdict There are some oddly unsympathetic notes about Diana here and much that will already be familiar to readers on this topic, but more recent gossipy details will please royal watchers.-Megan Hahn Fraser, Univ. of California Los Angeles Libs. (c) Copyright 2012. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
