The Duke: A Portrait of Prince Philip by Tim Heald
Published 1991. 263 p.
I've been interested in reading more about Prince Philip for quite some time now - and while I thought Gyles Brandreth's book Philip and Elizabeth: Portrait of a marriage was very interesting - I wanted something more. I'm not sure if this book by Tim Heald was what I was looking for, but after reading it I feel satisfied with what I've read, with a few minor exceptions.
I think that it is interesting that Heald have chosen to bring along sources that he personally find to be dubious, such as Crawford's accounting of events, or Philip's cousin Alexandra of Yugoslavia. He states that [paraphrased] while these sources have been decorated on, they still may contain some grain of truth from time to time. I also thought it amusing how the Duke countered a lot of the statements he was asked to comment on, and told the author that he'd never been there, and he didn't remember it like that... and so on.
In a way I think Hugo Vickers' biography on Princess Andrew of Greece, Prince Philip's mother, is a more interesting read - both in the fluency in which it is written, and the fact that the author writes more objectively. What I do find admirable in this book is the fact that the author has tried to take up both negative and positive sides of his subject. The emphasis being on has tried - given that it was supposed to be read through by the Palace, I doubt he's taken up some things.
What I find surprising, is that the only one of Philip's children who contributed was the Princess Royal. Certainly, it is rumoured that she has the closest relationship with him of the children, but I can't help but feel that the picture would be a bit more nuanced with the others chiming in as well. As for the grandchildren - aside from a picture at the end, they're hardly mentioned at all. Heald has focused on the Duke with his work, and less on the personal family life.
A conflict with Brandreth's book, as far as I can recall, is that it was mentioned there as well as in this book by Philip's friends that he never had a home growing up - which Philip himself disputes in this book, which was published before Brandreth's. (Heald has a kick in Brandreth's direction once or twice, by the way.)
Last tidbit that I found interesting: One of the enemy ships that he faced early in WWII was called Zara. Approx. 40 years later, his granddaughter was given the same name.
All in all, an interesting read, but I wouldn't say particularly well written.
