'Prince William: Born To Be King: An Intimate Portrait'
by Penny Junor
Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton
ISBN: 1444720414, 9781444720419
Descriptions
Amazon
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 playmate and her confidant. While the tabloids eagerly lapped up the lurid details of his parents' divorce, William lived painfully through it. He suffered the embarrassment, the humiliation and the 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, shockingly snatched from his life forever.The nation lost its Princess that day and its grief threatened the very future of the monarchy. What was almost forgotten in the clamour 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 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. The question is how? Who stopped him 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 come from?
In the last thirty years, Penny Junor has written extensively about both 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 anyone before.This is the first definitive, in-depth portrait of the man who was born to be King and of his relationship with the woman who will be his Queen.
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The definitive portrait of the man who will be King, written by the bestselling royal biographer Penny Junor.
Prince William has emerged as the people's prince, surfacing from a lifetime of scrutiny and speculation as a discerning and charming young man, determined to serve the nation he loves. His wedding to long-term sweetheart Kate Middleton last year was watched by over two billion people around the world. Protective of his new bride, William has emphasised that he's keen to avoid repeating the mistakes of the past. William has inherited her instinctive empathy for others and in both his professional and personal life he has demonstrated a rare ability to get on with people from all walks of life.In BORN TO BE KING acclaimed royal writer Penny Junor tells his fascinating story - from growing up in the spotlight; the tragic death of his mother; his career serving in the RAF; the love story with Kate and their fairytale wedding. This is the definitive portrait of a remarkable young man.
Review
Kenilworth Books
‘Prince William’ is a wide-ranging and fascinating biography of this intensely private man and a glimpse into his world and the impact that his traumatic childhood and adolescence have had on him. The talk, by famous royal biographer, Penny Junor, will look at how he sees the future and the kind of monarch he might be and how he will contribute to the society that ‘keeps’ him.
Penny Junor has had access to a wealth of material and the biography has been eagerly anticipated. It will include fascinating new anecdotes and stories of the Prince growing up, about his university years, his life in the military and his emergence as a fully-fledged working member of the family firm. Penny has also had unprecedented access to the Prince’s household and drawn on her experience and contacts built up in over thirty years of writing royal biographies. Key to this man, and to his future, is his relationship with the media. This has played a major part in his psyche since childhood and the biography looks at this at length. The other important relationships in his life: with his mother, his father, the Queen, his brother Harry, and of course, Kate and the Middleton family, are also examined at length and given psychological analysis.
William is a highly complex and fascinating character who accepts the future that fate has mapped out for him but who is determined to remain in control of his life. He is a born leader with very firm views on how he might use his position for the good of the world. And he will lead with Harry by his side. They are a formidable duo and, according to Penny, as delightful, charming, funny, and unpretentious a pair as you could hope to meet. Kate herself has, of course, brought a new dimension to the relationship that is proving successful and popular around the world.
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