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Books > Language & Literature > Biography & autobiography > Royalty
This is the Prince Harry you've never read about before - the story
behind the tabloid stories. Harry is the maverick Prince, who is
brilliant, impetuous and unpredictable, and who, at the age of 33,
has finally found happiness with the American actress, Meghan
Markle - a mixed-race divorcee. He is the redhead that Diana called
'the spare', whose childhood was one of chaos and loss; the little
boy walking behind his mother's cortege who broke our hearts. This
is the story of how he survived the loss and chaos; growing up in
the shadow of his older brother to become a leader of men. This is
the story of how the troubled teenager grew into a soldier, a
pilot, an adventurer and a passionate champion of those who are in
danger of being destroyed or forgotten. Written with the help of
many of the most important people in his life, this is the first
authoritative biography of this most delightful, charismatic and
dangerous of the Queen's grandsons.
The acclaimed Penguin Monarchs series: short, fresh, expert
accounts of England's rulers - now in paperback If Ethelred was
notoriously 'Unready' and Alfred 'Great', King George VI should
bear the designation of 'George the Dutiful'. Throughout his life
he dedicated himself to the pursuit of what he thought he ought to
be doing rather than what he wanted to do. Inarticulate and
loathing any sort of public appearances, he accepted that it was
his destiny to figure regularly and conspicuously in the public
eye, gritted his teeth, largely conquered his crippling stammer and
got on with it. He was not born to be king, but he made an
admirable one, and was the figurehead of the nation at the time of
its greatest trial, during the Second World War. This is a
sparklingly brilliant and enjoyable book about him.
A beautiful collection celebrating the Queen's humour, with amusing
quotations and stories about royal life. When thinking of the
Queen, our first image is one of dignity and authority. She is the
very definition of majesty: the British monarch, the Supreme
Governor of the Church of England and the head of the Commonwealth.
But as anyone who knows her will tell you, in person she has a
wicked sense of humour: * Occasionally unintentional (when meeting
guitar legend Eric Clapton she enquired 'Have you been playing a
long time?') * Sometimes cannily astute ('I have to be seen to be
believed') * At times downright silly (nicely demonstrated when
staff at Balmoral discovered the Queen jumping up and down with
glee exclaiming 'I've won, I've won!' after hearing that England
had beaten Australia in the cricket) ... the Queen's sense of
humour is like no other. Revealing a side of the Queen's
personality that the public rarely see, this joyous book is a
timely celebration of royal humour as Elizabeth II succeeds
Victoria as Britain's longest-serving monarch.
The acclaimed Penguin Monarchs series: short, fresh, expert
accounts of England's rulers - now in paperback 'After my death',
George V said of his eldest son and heir, 'the boy will ruin
himself in 12 months'. From the death of his father in 1936 to the
constitutional crisis provoked by his proposal to the then-married
American socialite Wallis Simpson and his subsequent abdication,
Edward VIII reigned for less than year. In choosing the woman he
loved over his royal birthright, Edward fulfilled his father's
prophecy and instigated the monarchy's most significant upheaval of
the twentieth century. Retitled 'Duke of Windsor' and essentially
exiled, Edward has remained a controversial figure ever since.
Through his correspondence with, amongst other confidants, Winston
Churchill, Piers Brendon traces Edward's tumultuous life in this
superb, pacey biography.
The acclaimed Penguin Monarchs series: short, fresh, expert
accounts of England's rulers - now in paperback Queen Victoria
inherited the throne at 18 and went on to become the
longest-reigning female monarch in history, in a time of intense
industrial, cultural, political, scientific and military change
within the United Kingdom and great imperial expansion outside of
it (she was made Empress of India in 1876). Overturning the
established picture of the dour old lady, this is a fresh and
engaging portrait from one of our most talented royal biographers.
Jane Ridley is Professor of Modern History at Buckingham
University, where she teaches a course on biography. Her previous
books include The Young Disraeli; a study of Edwin Lutyens, The
Architect and his Wife, which won the 2003 Duff Cooper Prize; and
the best-selling Bertie: A Life of Edward VII.
Not many people would claim to be saints, or alternatively,
consider themselves entirely without redeeming qualities. Some are
unquestionably worse than others, but few have been held in greater
infamy than Richard Plantagenet, afterwards Duke of Gloucester and,
later still, King Richard III. Richard's character has been
besmirched as often as it has been defended, and the arguments
between his detractors and supporters still rage after several
centuries. Was he a ruthless hunchback who butchered his way to the
throne, a paragon of virtue who became a victim of Tudor
propaganda, or (as seems more likely) something in between? Some
would argue that a true biography is impossible because the letters
and other personal documents required for this purpose are simply
not available; but David Baldwin has overcome this through an
in-depth study of Richard's dealings with his contemporaries and of
information gleaned from the recent discovery of his skeleton.
Tracking Richard's journey from birth to death, this new edition is
brought right up to date with an exploration of the latest
scientific discoveries and an account of the king's reburial in
Leicester Cathedral. The fundamental question David Baldwin has
answered is 'what was Richard III really like'.
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