Tom Bower, Britain's leading investigative biographer, unpicks the tangled web surrounding the Sussexes and their relationship with the royal family.

From courtroom dramas to courtier politics, using extensive research, expert sourcing and interviews from insiders who have never spoken before, this book uncovers an astonishing story of love, betrayal, secrets and revenge.

The explosive new book from Britain’s leading investigative biographer, Tom Bower

As one of the most famous and influential couples in the world, David and Victoria Beckham have attained iconic status. The ultimate power couple have together built a multi-billion-dollar global brand. For decades, adoring fans have been captivated by the glamorous world they have created, while their unrivalled fusion of showbiz, fashion, football and celebrity has been cultivated alongside the image of a strong marriage.

When the much-trailed Netflix documentary Beckham aired in 2023, viewers were offered an even more intimate insight into their private lives. Produced by the Beckhams themselves, the series raised many questions, not only about their success and personal relationship, but also about the ruthlessly successful management of their image in the media. Are their lives really as perfect as the Beckhams would like the world to believe?

Through extensive research, expert sourcing and interviews with insiders, Britain’s most celebrated investigative biographer, Tom Bower, has unearthed a succession of revelations that give surprising insight into the reality of ‘Brand Beckham’. Exploring the couple’s relationship, and the truth about their football and fashion careers, their finances and their new life in Miami, The House of Beckham unravels the extraordinary reality of the business-savvy cultural icons to tell an engrossing, often astonishing story of money, sex and power.

The explosive new book from Britain’s leading investigative biographer, Tom Bower

As one of the most famous and influential couples in the world, David and Victoria Beckham have attained iconic status. The ultimate power couple have together built a multi-billion-dollar global brand. For decades, adoring fans have been captivated by the glamorous world they have created, while their unrivalled fusion of showbiz, fashion, football and celebrity has been cultivated alongside the image of a strong marriage.

When the much-trailed Netflix documentary Beckham aired in 2023, viewers were offered an even more intimate insight into their private lives. Produced by the Beckhams themselves, the series raised many questions, not only about their success and personal relationship, but also about the ruthlessly successful management of their image in the media. Are their lives really as perfect as the Beckhams would like the world to believe?

Through extensive research, expert sourcing and interviews with insiders, Britain’s most celebrated investigative biographer, Tom Bower, has unearthed a succession of revelations that give surprising insight into the reality of ‘Brand Beckham’. Exploring the couple’s relationship, and the truth about their football and fashion careers, their finances and their new life in Miami, The House of Beckham unravels the extraordinary reality of the business-savvy cultural icons to tell an engrossing, often astonishing story of money, sex and power.

Few heirs to the throne have suffered as much humiliation as Prince Charles. Despite his hard work and genuine concern for the disadvantaged, he has struggled to overcome his unpopularity. After Diana's death, his approval rating crashed to 4% and has been only rescued by his marriage to Camilla. Nevertheless, just one third of Britons now support him to be the next king.

Many still fear that his accession to the throne will cause a constitutional crisis. That mistrust climaxed in the aftermath of the trial of Paul Burrell, Diana's butler, acquitted after the Queen's sensational ‘recollection'. In unearthing many secrets surrounding that and many other dramas, Bower's book, relying on the testimony from over 120 people employed or welcomed into the inner sanctum of Clarence House, reveals a royal household rife with intrigue and misconduct.

The result is a book which uniquely will probe into the character and court of the Charles that no one, until now, has seen.

The first two films in the comedy franchise based on Jeff Kinney's best-selling illustrated novel detailing the trials and tribulations of a wise-cracking pre-teen. 'Diary of a Wimpy Kid' (2010) follows 12-year-old Greg Heffley (Zachary Gordon), who, along with his best friend, Rowley (Robert Capron), spends his days negotiating the minefield that is middle school. Whether dodging bullies, learning complex and seemingly ever-changing social codes, grappling with the onset of puberty or attempting to fathom the mysteries of the opposite sex, Greg writes it all down in his diary. In 'Diary of a Wimpy Kid 2 - Rodrick Rules' (2011), just when he thought life couldn't get any more complicated, Greg is horrified to discover that his older brother, Rodrick (Devon Bostick), has taken possession of his secret diary. Meanwhile, he must navigate the hurdles posed by a summer swimming contest and the school talent show.

The last instalment of the teen vampire saga based on the bestselling books by Stephenie Meyer. After Bella (Kristen Stewart) is turned into a vampire by her lover, Edward (Robert Pattinson), she appears to be enjoying her new immortal life and the abilities bestowed upon her. But after Irina (Maggie Grace) mistakes Bella and Edward's child, Renesmee (Mackenzie Foy), for an 'immortal child' and tells the Volturi this, they vow to destroy the potentially threatening girl and the whole Cullen family for allowing her to be transformed. In order to protect themselves and Renesmee, the Cullen clan must enlist the help of other vampire clans from around the world, in the hope of convincing the Volturi of the false claims of Irina.

The first two films in the comedy franchise based on Jeff Kinney's best-selling illustrated novel detailing the trials and tribulations of a wise-cracking pre-teen. 'Diary of a Wimpy Kid' (2010) follows 12-year-old Greg Heffley (Zachary Gordon), who, along with his best friend, Rowley (Robert Capron), spends his days negotiating the minefield that is middle school. Whether dodging bullies, learning complex and seemingly ever-changing social codes, grappling with the onset of puberty or attempting to fathom the mysteries of the opposite sex, Greg writes it all down in his diary. In 'Diary of a Wimpy Kid 2 - Rodrick Rules' (2011), just when he thought life couldn't get any more complicated, Greg is horrified to discover that his older brother, Rodrick (Devon Bostick), has taken possession of his secret diary. Meanwhile, he must navigate the hurdles posed by a summer swimming contest and the school talent show.

Roland Emmerich directs this political thriller based around the notion that William Shakespeare was not in fact the author of the canon of plays attributed to him. In Elizabethan England, political intrigue abounds as the Tudors and the Cecils battle it out over the succession of Queen Elizabeth I (Joely Richardson/Vanessa Redgrave), and the Essex Rebellion mobilises against her. Enter the dashing and wildly talented Edward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford (Jamie Campbell Bower/Rhys Ifans), who not only fathers an illegitimate son in a clandestine incestuous relationship with Queen Elizabeth, but is also the secret author of the plays labeled with the name of William Shakespeare (Rafe Spall).

Drawing on the context of global history and re-interpreting the known and agreed historical facts, author Colin Bower mounts an irrefutable challenge to the grand narrative of colonialism and racism as the quintessential South African story.

In the course of his polemic he makes the following points:

• The historical conflict between light skinned and dark skinned South Africans need not be seen in racial terms at all, but as a conflict between land ownership by right of historical occupation, and ownership by right of title deed. This is a battle always and universally won by rights of ownership by title deed, and this is to the benefit of all South Africans today.
• If a defining characteristic of colonialism is the extraction of wealth from the colony by the coloniser, then we have reason to question the use of the word in a South African context, for neither the VOC nor the British made a net financial gain from South Africa.
• Had Britain exercised colonial dominion over the whole of an integrated four province South Africa at the conclusion of the Anglo Boer War, South Africa would have had a colour-blind national franchise as early as 1902, no Land Act of 1913, and no post-1948 apartheid.
• Although the consequences of apartheid were widespread suffering and injustice on a racially exclusive basis, apartheid can be better understood as an exercise in domination to achieve competitive advantage than as an emanation of racial hatred.

Bower suggests that obsession with historical injustice represents an escape from the responsibility of building happy, free and prosperous societies in the present, and recommends we replace it with an obsessive devotion to the protection of constitutionalism and the rule of law.

Michael Winterbottom directs this graphically violent thriller based on the novel by Jim Thompson. Casey Affleck stars as Deputy Sheriff Lou Ford, a pillar of the community in the small Texas town of Central City. However, Ford is not quite the upstanding citizen he appears to be, as becomes apparent after he is ordered to evict local prostitute Joyce Lakeland (Jessica Alba) and ends up embroiled in a torrid affair with her. When his fiance Amy (Kate Hudson) becomes suspicious, the consequences are bloody and brutal as the dark secrets of Ford's past are finally brought to light.

The three women flinch: feel something pass outside. A reek of singed fur, scorching damp. Flaming eyes. A creature. It knows these women. They feel its wanting. From the river it comes. To the river it always returns.

Alex is trying to hold her growing family together with a husband who is becoming more and more difficult to keep happy. Lauren hopes that the new man in her life might present a fresh start for her and her two boys. And Nancy's son has moved her into a care home where she feels entirely out of place, longing for her lost dog while dreaming of her own escape.

But there is something else at play here. Something lurking in the water or at the end of an unlit street; a shadow in a bag of strangers' clothing; a chorus of voices calling in the distance.

As each woman's world spirals from her grasp, they feel it getting closer, revealing the truth of what binds them together, and what must be done to set each of them free . . .

The management of small water supplies presents a unique challenge globally, in countries at all stages of development. A combination of lack of resources, limited understanding of the risks and poor expertise means that individuals and communities may face serious health risks from these supplies. This is not only due to microbiological contamination, but also from contamination by metals, either due to natural or man-made contamination of the source water or through leaching from plumbing materials due to inadequate conditioning and corrosion inhibition and use of inappropriate materials. This Best Practice Guide aims to share best practice and experience from around the world on a practical level. It looks at general issues relating to small supplies and ways of managing these, adopting a Water Safety Plan approach to deliver sound and lasting improvements to quality. Management techniques and treatment relating to specific metals will be covered, from a theoretical and practical perspective, to deliver a publication that will act as an authoritative guide for all those faced with the problem of ensuring the quality of a small water supply. Varied case-studies will help to illustrate issues and ways in which they have been resolved. Table of contents The Difficulties of Managing Water Quality in Small Water Supplies; What are Small Supplies?; The Management and Regulation of Small Water Supplies; The Vulnerability of Small Water Supplies to Contamination by Metals; Water Safety Plans for Small Water Supplies; Making WSPs Work for Small Supplies; Teamwork- The Value of a WSP Team; A Practical Guide to Developing a WSP for a Small Supply; Practical Guidance for Risk Assessments; Establishing the Metals Problem: Risk Assessment, Sampling and Analysis; The Range of Possible Problems; Metal Solubility and Influencing Factors; Risk Assessment of Small Water Supply Systems; Sampling and Analysis; Consumer Awareness; Sources of Metals in Small Water Supplies; Origin of Contaminants; Contamination of Surface Waters; Contamination of Ground Water; Contamination from Treatment Processes; Contamination in Distribution Pipework; Contamination from Plumbing Fittings; Water Treatment Processes Available for Use on Small Water Systems; Process Selection; Types of Treatment; Practical Considerations of Treatment for Metals in Small Water Supplies; Iron; Manganese; Conditioning of Water to Prevent Dissolution of Plumbing Materials or Post-treatment Contamination; Treatment is Only Part of the Story; Indications and Effects of Post-treatment Metal Contamination in Small Water Supplies; Establishing the Source of the Problem; Factors Controlling the Corrosion of Metals into Small Water Supplies; The Conditioning of Water to Minimise Corrosion; Manual of Individual Metals in Small Water Supplies, Aluminium, Antimony, Arsenic, Barium, Beryllium, Boron, Cadmium, Chromium, Cobalt, Copper, Iron, Lead, Manganese, Mercury, Nickel, Selenium, Tin, Tungsten, Uranium, Vanadium, Zinc; Case Studies; Arsenic removal in Small Supplies in Italy; A New Borehole Supply with Iron Removal for a Single Property in England, UK; Metals in Small Water Supplies in Areas of Water Scarcity in African Regions; Unexplained Lead Contamination of a Small Water Supply in Northern Scotland EDITORS Matt Bower, Drinking Water Quality Regulator for Scotland, UK Colin Hayes, Swansea University, UK

Unlike some other reproductions of classic texts (1) We have not used OCR(Optical Character Recognition), as this leads to bad quality books with introduced typos. (2) In books where there are images such as portraits, maps, sketches etc We have endeavoured to keep the quality of these images, so they represent accurately the original artefact. Although occasionally there may be certain imperfections with these old texts, we feel they deserve to be made available for future generations to enjoy.

Unlike some other reproductions of classic texts (1) We have not used OCR(Optical Character Recognition), as this leads to bad quality books with introduced typos. (2) In books where there are images such as portraits, maps, sketches etc We have endeavoured to keep the quality of these images, so they represent accurately the original artefact. Although occasionally there may be certain imperfections with these old texts, we feel they deserve to be made available for future generations to enjoy.

Unlike some other reproductions of classic texts (1) We have not used OCR(Optical Character Recognition), as this leads to bad quality books with introduced typos. (2) In books where there are images such as portraits, maps, sketches etc We have endeavoured to keep the quality of these images, so they represent accurately the original artefact. Although occasionally there may be certain imperfections with these old texts, we feel they deserve to be made available for future generations to enjoy.