John Blake Publishing Ltd, 2006
254 pages
Non-fiction; Royalty
3.5/5 stars
Despite the title, the focus of this book is not so much Catherine Middleton and her relationship with Prince William as it is about the future of the monarchy in particular the rather unpopular Prince Charles and how Will and Kate's relationship will affect the monarchy.
While I was disappointed because I do want to learn about the future Princess William, I thought that the broader focus helped the book. Instead of just giving a biography of their relationship (and this was published in 2006 so it misses a lot), the book examines Diana, Charles, and how Queen Elizabeth is slowly but surely cutting back on her engagements to give her self some breathing space as she ages and to help prepare for the transition to Charles. Jobson writes continually of the unpopularity of Charles, especially in comparison to his mother and son. I wonder if that is still the case now, five years later. I suspect he is still less popular than them but that the division is not as extreme as it was.
I also enjoyed Jobson's intrusions in the story; unlike Nicholl's work, the entire book was framed that way and did not jar me whenever he appeared to explain his own involvement. Occasionally he elucidates on the story he broke and emphasizes the credibility of his anonymous sources. I am also pretty sure I've seen Jobson on television, which made him feel more familiar and endeared him to me.
Overall: Misleading title but solid writing.
Read for British Books Challenge.
Great, tackling the future of the monarchy, I like that, as I am interested in the English monarchy and I hope they last a while longer.
ReplyDeleteWow, that really is a very misleading title! I'm glad the book was enjoyable for what it was, even if that didn't line up with what it first seemed to be.
ReplyDelete