Charles at Fifty

by Anthony Holden

Book Overview

Charles, Prince of Wales, turns fifty on November 14, 1998. Since the tragic death of Princess Diana, his public and private lives have been in more turmoil than ever. Britain's leading authority on... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0375501754
• ISBN13: 9780375501753
• Release Date: October 1998
• Publisher: Random House (NY)
• Length: 384 Pages
• Weight: 1.85 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.4" x 6.5" x 9.4"

Customer Reviews

Hanoverian History Repeats Itself in Prince Charles

Although some may find fault with the author for criticizing Charles more than Diana, frankly Charles is more 'accident prone' so it's beyond me how any even-handed author could write anything about the Charles/Diana events without sounding too pro-Diana.Though well intentioned at heart, Charles is a product of his breeding--not just the man warped by being surrounded by sycophants but a man who has inherited the Hanover/Windsor genetic faults. First among these is the fact that Charles, like his great-grandfather George V, is not too bright. Unlike George V, he wants to be seen as bright and this is what leads him into trouble. Charles's lack of focus and desire to meddle in politics is a fault he shares with Edward VIII--along with an overly long, dissolute bachelorhood and a penchant for choosing the wrong woman. Diana has her faults too, but to paraphrase Jane Austen's comment about George IV, "She was bad, but she would not have become as bad as she was if he had not been infinitely worse."All the author had to do was write from record and let the actions of the man damn him. This is what he did. Charles is his own worst enemy.Charles will be king in due time, but for the sake of the monarchy, may Elizabeth II live a long time, may Charles gain a better sense of what a British monarch should do before he becomes king and may his reign be a short one.