The latest biography of Prince Charles is a balanced and sympathetic work by the biographer of the Princess of Wales and Queen Elizabeth II. She acknowledges the good Charles has done, but also does not play down his missteps and there have been many in his life.

Charles was raised very differently than Elizabeth II. While she had a loving, carefree family environment until the age of ten when her parents had to assume the throne, Charles was three when his mother became queen. The 27 year old queen was a monarch who took her duties very seriously so she and Prince Philip traveled the world in her capacity as head of the Commonwealth. Charles and Anne were left behind in the care of nannies and the Queen Mother who gave him the hands-on affection children crave. If Charles was the first heir to attend school rather than be taught by governesses and tutors, the schools, from day school in London to Gordonstoun to Trinity College Cambridge, had to deal with the heir for the first time. It did not make for a fulfilling time for Charles where he could not be treated just as another student. He had body guards and special foods; students were either in awe or dared to bully him. Even university was not memorable; he made lifelong friendships with his tutors, but not with his contemporaries. The 60’s were tumultuous and Charles was a traditionalist. He had nothing in common with the long-haired protesting demonstrators.

Of course, a great part of the book concerns his disastrous marriage to Diana Spencer. Why he would propose to a girl he had been alone with a mere twelve times, was twelve years younger than he was, was unintellectual with a minimum education, remains a puzzle. Smith suggests that he felt pressured into getting married and needed a suitable unspoiled female. Even while he had doubts, the press train was chugging down the tracks and he could not back out without damage to his reputation and even more interestingly, to the hapless Diana’s. Even Prince Philip cautioned that Diana’s reputation would be in shatters if Charles broke the engagement. So the tragedy unfolded with everyone scarred.

Smith examines his long time love affair and marriage to Camilla Parker-Bowles. How different the history of the monarchy have been if he had married this funny, caring woman instead of the fragile Princess of Wales. She dicusses his relationship with his children and the irony that when he was married to their mother, Diana overshadowed him and now William and his family are doing the same thing.

But the Charles in this biography, with all his baggage, is a very capable, astute, person. His many charities have benefited the underdog, especially the Prince’s Trust which gave seed money to disadvantaged young people who set up their own businesses. So many were helped with very little publicity. Charles sponsored everything from small farmers in Scotland to saving traditional villages in Romania and gave more than just his name to the cause. He worked one-on-one with the administrators to achieve the best results for the price. A few times a charity might not succeed, but most times it did.

So many of his ideas when he first mentioned them were laughed at by the experts. But today organic farming is an accepted alternative to using chemicals and his view on the environment/global warming is the norm. If his antipathy to modernist architecture has not changed and probably never will, he has had an influence on town planners to make new developments more “liveable”. Still, Smith discusses the controversies, especially his opposition and even interference with architectural firms who are changing the skyscape of London. He has been unsuccessful in getting the National Heath to include homeopathic medicine as an option to traditional care.

Charles is a complicated, charming, and prickly man. Sometimes he is too hands-on and sometimes his insecurities make him lash out. He has been described as an 18th century man out of his time. Smith does him justice in her biography, showing his attributes and not shying away from his flaws.

I found this new biography of Prince Charles a bit of a slog. As a casual observer of the Prince, rather than a well-informed "follower" I was hoping for a bit more insight, and a lot more "dish."

As poorly informed as I have been about Prince Charles, I nonetheless didn't feel I was really reading
anything I didn't already know. What I was reading was a tremendous amount of detail on those "insights" and facts, perhaps a whole lot more detail than the average reader would be interested in.

The one lingering impression I was left with was that the man is ready to be King. And prepared.

After reading the biography of Elizabeth II by Sally Bedell Smith I was drawn to this new biography of her son and heir, Prince Charles. Unfortunately I was not nearly as taken with this book as I was with her former. I am sure that part of this is that I didn't find Prince Charles to be as interesting and sympathetic as his mother is. The Prince of Wales has been waiting the longest of any past English heir to ascend to the throne of Great Britain and of course that means he has had to create a role and a life of his own while also living a life of endless waiting. He also unfortunately made a bad marriage to a woman who managed to upstage him and Diana's charm almost always trumped Charles' on the world stage. Their relationship reads like a bad soap opera and it seems as if they were both to blame.
Prince Charles also has spent his life investigating many different spiritual traditions and is drawn to them as often as he is drawn to his many different charities. He seems to totally reject the fact that Britain's monarchs do not make policy or share their personal opinions and enjoys trying to bring his strong views on conservation and architecture into the mainstream. It's not that these are necessarily bad things to do but he does it in a way that shows people that he thinks his way is the only acceptable way. He also apparently is not open to opposing viewpoints and just comes across sometimes as a twit. This book does make you wonder what kind of monarch Charles will be when he finally becomes King of England. Although Elizabeth II is in her 90s, her mother lived to be over 100 so it seems as if Charles, who is now 69, will definitely end his incredibly long wait with a reign considerably shorter than his mother's.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing this book in exchange for a fair review.

I've always liked Prince Charles. He seemed serious and is a loyal son. I felt that he unfairly was portrayed as a villian in his marriage.

I like Charles a little less after reading this book. He does come off as a kind, serious man. He also is portrayed as a bit new agey in that Santa Monica housewife way. He believes in holistic medicine and non-gmo food.

This book is stuffed with facts. I found the parts about the Queen, Prince William and Prince Harry to be interesting and engaging. The parts about Charles were dull. I never felt like I got a true insight into the Charles' psyche.

Incredibly detailed is the apt desciption for this biography of Prince Charles. It doesn't back off from the less likeable aspects of his personality but it does open the door to seeing Charles in a different way.

Not too many pages in my opinion of the POW began to change.
Imagine a pudgy Charles bullied at school. Imagine Charles developing a friendship with Nancy Reagan, one strong enough that they discussed his marriage and the problems. It's a different Charles than we have seen and I thank the author for showing him to us.

I am a fan of royalty but from the 16th century and older. The modern royalty has not crossed my radar except for Masterpiece theater. When I saw a new biography on Prince Charles, I decided to pick it up from Netgalley. The likelihood of Prince Charles being crowned King grows with each year. It seemed like a good idea to learn about the man who literally would be king.

The childhood of Charles was a textbook case in how not to raise a healthy child. It really is sad. He was forced into a mold. His father tried to force the young prince to fit to his own interests, forced him to attend a school that the prince’s own grandmother stated would not be good for him. All of this without any of the usual signs of affection, either emotional or physical. Rarely a “good job” or a hug. The prince’s mother, the Queen, seems to be strangling part of the scenery instead of an active participant.

Charles seems to come into his own as he hit college. What is fascinating about this biography is not only Charles's evolution into his own man but the multiple disasters that occurred when his parents’ tried to manage him. Best example of this mismanaging is his marriage to Diana Spencer. Although Charles had found a woman who shared his interests and passions, she did not meet the requirements for inclusion in the royal family. After years of relationships that did not remotely meet those standards, he quickly selected and proposed to Diana Spencer.

This is where the book lost me. It was very critical, seriously critical, of Diana. She is painted by the author as being manipulative, having serious control issues, and being totally uninterested in Charles’s passions. She is portrayed as a good mother. She is also made use of the media to bolster her position as the “wronged” woman. Charles was involved in his sons’ lives. He did spend time with them and did not repeat the mistakes of his own father. But the media never photographed him with his sons. The media discussed Diana’s clothing, not Charles's speeches in favor of environmental causes.

Despite the author’s bias towards Charles, I would still recommend Prince Charles
The Passions and Paradoxes of an Improbable Life. It is a wonderful look at a very complex man who will someday be King of England. It is an opportunity to get to know a man who will certainly shape events when he takes his place on the world stage.

Sally Bedell Smith's "Prince Charles: The Passions and Paradoxes of an Improbable Life" is a comprehensive biography of the Prince of Wales that takes on the dual challenges of saying something new about someone whose entire life has been in the public eye and making sense of a character full of contradictions. In overcoming these obstacles -- which she does effectively -- Smith offers a three-dimensional portrait of the man who will (one day?) be king.

The book follows Charles' life from birth to the present, covering ground that most casual "royal readers" will find familiar, including his strained relationships with his parents, harsh school experiences, and search for validation from his grandmother, uncle, admirers, and intellectual gurus. But, Smith offers a fresh take on these events, focusing on how the young prince navigated this circumscribed world, trying to find meaning in his life and his pre-destined path.

Despite delving into Charles' inner life and spiritual pursuits, Smith avoids playing armchair psychiatrist, even when relating the prince's reaction to Lord Mountbatten's death or the dramas during his marriage to Diana. Relying on extensive research, she instead uses first-person accounts from his friends and associates -- and quotes from Charles himself -- to shine a light on his thinking during these times.

Charles has spent his entire life attended by staff, and Smith offers extensive stories of how he relates to those around him, from nannies and tutors to valets and private secretaries. Through the accounts of those worked alongside him, readers get a sense of this capricious and self-involved person, who, paradoxically, represents a hidebound institution and supports charities designed to serve others.

Although Smith provides penetrating insights into most Charles' life, her accounts of his life in the past decade left me confused about the prince. He seems to have a cordial relationship with his sons, for instance, but he turned increasingly distant as they moved through school, and he appears to make little effort with his grandchildren. Similarly, after finally winning his true love Camilla, his life and work seem almost unchanged from his bachelor days. Ultimately, Charles remains a remote and conflicted figure.

One interesting editorial note: Smith wrote much of the final chapter, which examines what may lie ahead for Charles, in the past tense, almost as if she has assumed Elizabeth II will be dead by the time the books appears. For example, rather than saying the queen dislikes abdication, Smith wrote that she "harbored a deep-seated antipathy" toward it, as if the queen is in the past. Later, talking about Charles' attitude toward the crown, she wrote, "As sovereign he needed to switch..." It almost sounds like he is king already.

Of course, many readers undoubtedly will be reaching for this book long after the second Elizabethan era is over. This book will be stand as an excellent -- and possibly definitive -- analysis of Charles' first 70 years for a long time to come.

This book was so very well written, which means it was easy to read. I lived in England for many years so there was always a lot in the press about the royal family. But since I returned to live in the USA, news is not so forthcoming. This book was such a welcome read. I thought I knew quite a bit about Prince Charles, but this book was quite an eye opener. It talks about his childhood, which was lonely and difficult. His marriage to Diana had very few happy moments for both of them. It is too easy to blame Camilla for the break-up, but in truth, Charles should never have married Diana. But he finally found happiness in Camilla, a true companion and lover. I really loved this book!

Based on years of research, the author gives us a portrait of a man we thought we knew. It is poignant and entertaining. We see him behind the scenes in the palaces and also in his public appearances. She writes about his ambitions, his loves and his many interests. Most touching is the relationship he has with his sons and grandchildren.

GREAT Read. New and highly illuminating details on the Royal Family, Charles' relationship with Diana, Diana's true state of mind which elicits compassion for Charles and Camilla -- something they both deserve.
Sally Bedell Smith is an excellent writer, solid sources. This is a must read for any Anglophile.

I found this book to be very informative as it provided background on the Royal Family. Although Prince Charles was brought up with a silver spoon, his life and outlook were very sad. I was hoping to get a glimpse into his side of marriage to Diana but it seemed to be that he was just unhappy with his life with her as he was as a child. Possibly the pressures of being the heir apparent was demanding and he had been molded to fit that role. I am glad that he was able to finally marry the love of his life and found peace at last.

Charles is unfit to be King, on the other hand neither is William! Neither one is a Christian as The Queen! I do not believe Charles has any humility whatsoever! He was a terrible husband,& father& grandfather! Diana had many mental problems. It is amazing that William & Harry have turned out as normal as they have. Charles and Camilla have this author snowed! William, not being a Christian, is not fit to serve either! I love The Queen, I don't personally believe the Monarchy will last after the Queen's death!

All too often these days it seems as if biographers are partisan, especially when the subject is a contemporary figure. Either they are staunchly loyal and don't criticize or even question the subjects action, or they are determined to dig up as much unpleasantness as possible. Sometimes they do both.

That's what makes this very readable biography of the Prince of Wales so refreshing. It's a biography in the grand old-fashioned style. Smith is sympathetic to the Prince but she is also fair and willing to criticize. It makes for a very full portrait of a man who is often misunderstood. It looks unwaveringly at his difficult marriage to Diana, ;probably coming as close to the truth as anyone could. She looks at his decades-long association with Camilla, at his unconventional opinions, and at his relationship with his parents and sons.

Unlike many modern biographies this book isn't full of them, but only has one, often press photos, at the start of each chapter.

It was refreshing to read such a well-written and fair biography.