Philip: A Portrait of the Duke of EdinburghAs husband to Queen Elizabeth II for over forty years, Prince Philip has trodden the almost impossible tightrope between the breezy informality he first introduced to the royal family and the parade-ground traditions he has had to accept. The obvious restrictions notwithstanding, he has succeeded in carving out a rich and varied life for himself while also having some claim to being the real maker of the modern monarchy. Perhaps once in a generation a biographer is allowed close to a living member of Britain's royal family. Now, to mark the Duke of Edinburgh's seventieth birthday, journalist and writer Tim Heald has been granted unprecedented access to his subject. He has spent many fascinating hours in conversation with the Prince, who gave Heald not only his time--and comments at every stage of the writing of this biography--but also made available to the author his unpublished papers, and books from his personal library. Heald has watched Philip at work, attending with him Buckingham Palace staff meetings and a succession of formal appearances; and Heald has talked as well to those who have known the Duke most intimately over the years--including the Queen Mother, Princess Margaret, and Princess Anne. As they and others speak candidly for the first time about the Prince Philip they know--about the man who was himself born into royalty, who survived a disruptive, itinerant childhood full of drama and personal tragedy to marry the most famous woman the world--a vivid, frank, and utterly provocative picture emerges of a man with an astonishing array of interests, whether they be international equestrianism, conservation and the environment, or piloting the Concorde and playing polo.With humor, understanding, and toughness, Tim Heald brings his extraordinary subject up close, making us firsthand witnesses to both Prince Philip's lives, public and private, offering us new and intriguing insights into his life as consort to the Queen and as father to England's next King. A revealing look as well at the rewards, privileges, and bittersweet losses that come with a life of royal pomp and ceremony, and illustrated with many rare photographs from royal family albums, Philip is without question the best-informed portrait to date of a man as colorful and stimulating as he is controversial and celebrated. |
Contents
FOREWORD TO THE AMerican EdiTION | 1 |
And Must Unbend His Mind | 14 |
From His Childhood Onward | 31 |
Copyright | |
13 other sections not shown
Common terms and phrases
Admiral Alexandra Army asked Award Scheme Balmoral Basil Boothroyd became Boothroyd Brigadier British Buckingham Palace Captain ceremonial Cheam Churchill Club Colonel-in-Chief command conference cousin cricket daughter Dean Duchess Duke of Edinburgh Duke says Duke's England English equerry father German Gordonstoun Grand Duke Greece Greek Hahn Hesse Hugh Casson interest International Equestrian Federation King George Kurt Hahn later London look Lord Lewin Lord Mountbatten marriage married McGrath Michael Michael Mann Mike Parker Milford Haven National Playing Fields naval Navy never obviously occasion officers once organisation person photograph polo president Prince Andrew Prince Bernhard Prince Philip Princess Alice Princess Elizabeth Princess Margaret Princess Sophie private secretary Queen's Flight Royal Family Royal Yacht sailing Salem seems sense ship sister sort sport story talk thing thought told took uncle wanted wedding wife Windsor wrote young