Prince Charles

The Passions and Paradoxes of an Improbable Life

By: Sally Bedell Smith

Narrated by: Rosalyn Landor, Sally Bedell Smith

Length: 18 hrs and 28 mins

Publisher's summary

From the New York Times best-selling author of Elizabeth the Queen comes the first major biography of Prince Charles in more than 20 years - perfect for fans of The Crown.

Sally Bedell Smith returns once again to the British royal family to give us a new look at Prince Charles, the oldest heir to the throne in more than 300 years. This vivid, eye-opening biography - the product of four years of research and hundreds of interviews with palace officials, former girlfriends, spiritual gurus, and more, some speaking on the record for the first time - is the first authoritative treatment of Charles' life that sheds light on the death of Diana, his marriage to Camilla, and his preparations to take the throne one day.

Prince Charles brings to life the real man, with all of his ambitions, insecurities, and convictions. It begins with his lonely childhood, in which he struggled to live up to his father's expectations and sought companionship from the Queen Mother and his great-uncle Lord Mountbatten. It follows him through difficult years at school, his early love affairs, his intellectual quests, his entrepreneurial pursuits, and his intense search for spiritual meaning. It tells of the tragedy of his marriage to Diana; his eventual reunion with his true love, Camilla; and his relationships with William, Kate, Harry, and his grandchildren.

Ranging from his glamorous palaces to his country homes, from his globe-trotting travels to his local initiatives, Smith shows how Prince Charles possesses a fiercely independent spirit and yet has spent more than six decades waiting for his destined role, living a life dictated by protocols he often struggles to obey. With keen insight and the discovery of unexpected new details, Smith lays bare the contradictions of a man who is more complicated, tragic, and compelling than we knew - until now.

With a preface read by the author.

©2017 Sally Bedell Smith (P)2017 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

"Prince Charles is an 18th-century gentleman with a 21st-century mission. His love of tradition combines with an outlook that can be bracingly avant garde. Sally Bedell Smith captures his contradictions and his convictions in this fascinating book that is not just about a man who would be king, but also about the duties that come with privilege." (Walter Isaacson)

"For all we know about Prince Charles, there is so much we didn't know - until now. Sally Bedell Smith has given us a complete and compelling portrait of the man in the shadow of the throne. It's all here, from the back stairs of the palaces to the front pages of the tabs. Read all about it!" (Tom Brokaw)

"No one writes about life at the top with more panache than Sally Bedell Smith. Her Prince Charles is a delicious blend of glamour and grandeur, jealousy and rivalry, greatness and human foible. Smith writes with wisdom and sympathy - and a sharp and knowing eye - about the struggles and maturation of the man who would-be king." (Evan Thomas)

Great Book about a "Misunderstood" Royal

I really loved this biography of Charles. It's one of the best I've seen on Charles. Usually an author will talk mostly about the fact that he'll be
heir to the Queen and about his years with Diana, with perhaps, a bit about William and Harry. But, this author has pretty well talked about most of the fascets in Charles's life along with the pros and cons, as well as what will change once he becomes King. The book also talks about Camilla in an honest and forthrite way, talking truthfully about whether she'll ever be Queen. whoever you are you just might want to read this book, and see where the future King of the UK is coming from and what he's thinking and doing before he becomes King.

a very long story

It is a well written book, but at times I struggled to maintain my interest. It was long, with many, many details.

Fantastic! There are always two sides to a story.

There are always two sides 5o any story and this is Charles Prince of Wales. Loved it!

Well written

Well written and informative. Great resource for anyone interested in the subject; but performed by the worst narrator I've heard. Dropped to four stars because of this.

Highly recommend

I liked this book very much and recommend it highly to anyone who is interested in the lives of the British monarchy. While I disagree vehemently with some of Prince Charles’ positions on several things, I admire him and enjoyed learning more about him. Furthermore, it was refreshing to hear Diana portrayed in a more honest and authentic way as opposed to the usual canonization of her. She was neither a saint nor the paragon of virtue as she is so often depicted. I wish King Charles III the best as he ascends the throne.

The More You Know!

Before writing this review I must explain that I am Royalist with regard to Queen Elizabeth II. Our wonderful Queen is the only continuity that I have in my life. I really feel that she is a kind, witty, tolerant and incredibly strong woman . Frankly if I had that family and workload to deal with I would be hitting the gin and Prozac.

I have always thought of Charles as a little bit of a 'thickie'! This book has not made me change my mind. I remember when he took his O and A levels at school he did not do as well as he could have. There were no reasons for this as he had all the advantages in the world. So I decided to read a little bit about the man as I have never been very impressed.

What I found so exciting about this book was that it answered a very basic question that I've asked myself over the years about why Diana and Charle's marriage did not work out. I knew that there were so many differences in their backgrounds. However the Press at the time really did emphasize that both families had known each other for many years and that they had so much in common plus that they had been dating for ages. According to this book they had not. I was astounded to read that they were expected to have a successful relationship after having had only twelve dates Can you imagine that? They were, in essence, strangers.

I was never a fan of Camilla because I also felt that she is one of the laziest women on this planet and I do feel that Sally Bedell Smith has been incredibly candid and has stated that several times in this volume. Camilla has obviously stepped up to the task and is doing a stellar job.

I really think that this is worth reading because we now see that this is a very successful marriage. It is such an easy read and you get lots of interesting insider 'bits' about the Royals. Delicious!

As usual another wonderful performance by Rosalyn Landor.

A fresh look at Prince Charles

This was a good book. Of course it bends in favor of Prince Charles, but honestly it's nice to hear his side of his life story. I found myself feeling something along the lines of empathy for him throughout this book, and having a new respect for the monarch that I didn't previously possess. I will say that I got annoyed with how many times the book mentions how long he's been waiting to take the throne, but I really got the impression that came from the author, not that Prince Charles is willing his mother to die so he can take over. Other than that it was an interesting read that kept me awake on a couple long road trips.

The "Green" Prince

I love reading about the British Royal Family, and when it comes to today’s crop it’s been a while since I’ve read anything recent. When it comes to Charles, most of the books have all ended on a “but will they ever get married” note. Clearly, they did.

It was an interesting bio, despite the zillions of books and documentaries I’ve seen I still felt like I learned something new about Charles… like for example: to what extent he is passionate (obsessed?) by environmental issues. I always knew it was an interest of his, but I didn’t know just how Green he is! Good for him.

I’d recommend this book to anyone curious about his life, it was a very complete biography.

Nothing Noteworthy

I was hoping for an objective view of Charles & his life. There is little here that can’t be picked up from a Wikipedia biography.
One would assume that Ms Smith is in, or would want to be in good graces of the Prince & Duchess. I wouldn’t expect a biography of Charles to be thoughtful of the late Princess of Wales, but I did expect less of the “Diana the manipulative, shy, stupid, and misogynistic bed-hopper”. But no luck there. Ms Smith continues the revisionist narrative that has been launched by The Palace; hardly even taking an original POV in that direction.
It is amazing to the reader that the Prince of Wales has such far reaching influence. Camilla is seen as the sympathetic and dutiful mistress while Diana is the unbalanced upstager to the poor Prince of Wales who can’t seem to catch a break. This book doesn’t even dare answer the conundrum that if Diana was so much more beloved by “The People”, is the PoW really her wounded victim, or is he simply jealous of the Diana Myth. Even sorting that out would have been worth the time.
Diana was cunning, where Camilla was unlucky, Diana was restless where Camilla was easy-going, Diana was not nice enough to Charles while grieving her father, yet Camilla put on a brave face when her father passed as Charles consoled her. Even after Diana’s death in the book, Ms Smith cannot resist contrasting in the most partial way Camilla’s “true love” with Diana’s “manipulation & outbursts.” Never taking into account that the late Princess, may have, could have, just might have matured as she aged as C&C did. It’s a little too unforgiving.
Perhaps death was not a high enough price for the Princess to pay.
So if you are looking for a balanced view of Charles, his life and loves, keep looking.

Prince Charles, A Story About His Life and Loves

If you are a fan of royal family stories, you will like this book and you need to read it since eventually (unless he dies before the Queen) he will be King. This book is thorough and while in parts the author sounds like she is trying to make Charles more likeable, the facts are all there. The fact that he was born first in line means he must be trained in the ways of a ruler. As a young man, he might be accused of tilting at windmills and trying to get involved in issues that he has no knowledge but his heart is in the right place. The author obviously had the approval of the Prince and the Queen to be able to tell about feelings and emotions of Charles, Diana, and Camilla. It is a years long story of Charles and how he evolved, how he was distraught over Diana's obviously unhappiness, and how he handled it all by shutting down and maintaining his routines. He comes across in places as a stuffy, behind the times, eccentric but with a good heart. It couldn't be easy to be in the spotlight with a beautiful wife but not truly with her in spirit or philosophy. The love of his life he met when he was 21 and it wasn't until he was in late middle age that he was able to publicly let is be known. The whole book is told with honesty and with the ever present knowledge that one day he will be King and must not do anything to jeopardize his reputation. William and Harry are introduced as bright and well rounded young men, who did not suffer the same stilted growing up that Charles endured. I very much liked the book and was pleased when Charles and Camilla were recognized wholeheartedly by the Queen and have some happiness with each other. The next few years will be interesting. The Queen is 91 but she is still healthy and engaged and has no plans to step down. In fact she says she took this job for life.

Rosylan Landor does a good job as narrator.