Reviews (1)

Overall, well-balanced and a worthwhile read
As a Diana-partisan, I was prepared to dislike this book because it was written by an author who is a friend of Prince Charles. To my delight, I found the book to be an interesting, even-handed account of the very human foibles of two people and not a biased excuse for Prince Charles. (Well, not quite--Benson did try that tired excuse that Diana tricked the naive Charles into marriage, but he made only the weakest attempt at it.) For that reason and for the interesting insight this book contains, I recommend it. The only reason why I didn't give the book a higher rating is the few minor factual errors that should have been caught by a good proof-reader knowledgeable in the history of the British Royal family. ... Read more

Book Description

Unique in his own age and a phenomenon in any, Charles-Maurice, Prince de Talleyrand, was a statesman of outstanding ability and extraordinary contradictions. He was a world-class rogue who held high office in five successive regimes. A well-known opportunist and a notorious bribe taker, Talleyrand's gifts to France arguably outvalued the vast personal fortune he amassed in her service. Once a supporter of the Revolution, after the fall of the monarchy, he fled to England and then to the United States. Talleyrand returned to France two years later and served under Napoleon, and represented France at the Congress of Vienna. Duff Cooper's classic biography contains all the vigor, elegance, and intellect of its remarkable subject. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Beautifully written introduction to a fascinating man
Talleyrand was one of the world's great "characters", a man of wonderfully succinct and wounding epigrams ("what's not to love-- he's so vicious" was his friend Montrond's assessment), and a man of tremendous skill and foresight in statecraft whose wisdom would do us a spot of good today ("true strength is that which moderates itself" and, faced with Napoleon's plan to cross the Neiman and invade Russia, the wonderful reply "to do what?"

As the "cult of Napoleon" rose in France, Talleyrand, along with Fouche and Marshal Marmont became reviled, the hated betrayers of the Emperor-- never mind that the Emperor was bleeding France white in pusuit of his own personal glory.

As a consequence, this book, written in the 1930s by a British diplomat, to some extent reintroduced the French to the talents of their greatest statesman. The definitive French biography of the same time, by Lacour Gayet, is more detailed, but ultimately diminishes Talleyrand's achievements.

Cooper is ideally placed to interpet Talleyrand-- the salon society that the Prince belonged to is now long gone, but Cooper has a first-hand sort of feeling for the ways in which upper crust Anglo-French society mixed social and policy issues, and the role that women played in the mix.

He also writes beautifully. Talleyrand is a tough brief in that regard-- the man writes so elegantly and sharply that mediocre writers just end up stringing together the bon mots-- not Cooper, whose own cleverness is on display, particularly in the descriptions of the Congress of Vienna.

This is an older book, and does not make use of the last 70 years of research, so its dated in many ways (particularly the discussion of Talleyrand's early eccelesiastical career, which was pretty much a blank until Louis Greenbaum began exploring original material in the '60s-- and Talleyrand's position as Agent General of the French Church is important to understanding the development of his remarkable political skills). There are also no footnotes.

In English, I'd also recommend the excellent "The Lives of Talleyrand" by Crane Brinton, a sort of intellectual history. . .its somehow striking that Talleyrand's greatest defenders are a British diplomat and an American college professor.

In French, Lacour-Gayet is the standard, while Michel Poniatowski's works produced a wealth of new information, if not a full life.

But for any general English language reader seeking an introduction to the man, this is the book, hands down, no question. Read it for content, and read it to remind yoursel of what good writing should be like. . .

Fantastic Biography
What a fun biography! Duff Cooper writes with the confidence of a man who has led an interesting life himself.

Talleyrand's years span some of the most fascinating times in France (in my opinion). He embodied the corruption of the old regime, the spirit of the revolution, and the hubris of Napoleon's empire. Through (and in spite of) it all, he seemed to keep a level head when those around him got carried away.

I found Talleyrand to be one of the most inspiring figures in history, and I think that is in no small part to Cooper's engaging writing style.

A superb read!
An even-handed, page-turner that enables the reader to begin to understand an enigmatic statesman who exercised profound influence during the late 18th and early 19th Centuries. In studying Talleyrand, one appreciates his unestimable intellect and rhetorical gifts; and his contribution to the stability of Europe and the greater world both during his time and through the early 20th Century. Mr. Cooper's book paints a concise, yet illustrative, portrait of a legend with his tumultuous times as a scenic, but undistracting, background.

Prince of Diplomats
The best condensed book on " The Prince of Napoleonic Diplomacy", and the last one hundred days of the emperor's reign. Like Fouche a great visioner of the future and " Bon vivant ", who also knew when to keep a low profile at the right time . He sorted successfully his ups and downs and survived all the french revolution storm, from the reign of terror to the Vienna Congress. ... Read more

Book Description

As a result of covering two dozen United Nations and U.N.-related conferences in the last four years, Joan Veon has come to believe that the connection between the British royal family and the United Nations is not coincidental but provides the way for America to be rejoined with Britain. She states that when the Senate ratified the United Nations Charter, America reverted back under British rule thus fulfilling the goals of Cecil Rhodes, the diamond and gold magnate, who left his fortune to achieve this very goal. What this means is that Prince Charles, as heir to the British throne, has a bigger role to play in world affairs than what people could imagine. She knows that he is a "Renaissance man" and a man with a mission. As a result of his behind-the-scenes role at the United Nations, Prince Charles is responsible for changing the order of life from the biblical perspective of man having dominance over the earth to one in which the earth has dominance over man. One of the major environmental philosophies which runs tantamount to this is that of "sustainable development." Because of his global orchestrations, she has dubbed Charles "the sustainable prince." This is a must read for all those who seek to understand the day and the hour and the powers that rule over us. ... Read more

Reviews (7)

it's a Foolish Book
Because I think he had nothing to do the Prince of Wales is unwise and a Cheater and say rude things about his Parents think he should honor them for the Queen and her husband Tried their best for their children .
that's wasnt 's nice To blame his marriaged failed for his parents it's his Fault . I Totally HATE this BOOK!!!!!!!!

An Outstanding Approach To What's In Store For The World
Joan Veon's writings are not myth. This lady has done her home work. She has proven herself to be an accomplished Writer and Researcher of the United Nations and she has done a scholarly job on blowing the whistle on "Charlie", Prince of Wales.

Those who disagree with this statement simply have their heads stuck in the sand. The UN is quietly taking over the United States and our leaders are assisting them in the disolving of our Constitution. Who permitted the giving of our Land and Parks to the UN? Why do we suddenly find our former National Parks now named "International Biospheres?" Who allowed the assigning of American Armed Forces to Foreign Commanders of the UN "Peace Keeping Forces?" These are traitorous acts, all very unconstitutional, but the general public has absolutely no interest in, or knowledge of, these happenings and seriousness of the consequences of these acts. Consequently, when they awaken and find they are now Governed by the New World Order and that the United States Government and Constitution have been disolved, they will be fulfilling some Biblical prophetic phrases such as, "there will be wailing and gnashing of teeth." The British Monarchy, unfortunately wields more power, in the UN and world wide, than can be imagined. This book will show you that Prince Charles will inherit more than the title, "King of the British Empire or Commonwealth of Nations." World dominance and dominion have always been the objectives of Lucifer and his followers.

I am a Born Again Christian and a former History and Government Teacher and all I can say is, "Joan, you get an "A+" for your efforts in writing this book. This book is a must read and heed for all Patriotic and Christian Americans.

An Outstanding Approach To What's In Store For The World.
Joan Veon's writings are not myth. This lady has done her home work. She has proven herself to be an accomplished Reporter and Researcher of the United Nations and she has done a scholarly job on blowing the whistle on "Charlie", Prince of Wales.

Those who disagree with this statement simply have their head stuck in the sand. The UN is quietly taking over the United States and our leaders are assisting them in the disolving of our Constitution. Who permitted the giving of our Land and Parks to the the UN? Why do we suddenly find our former National Parks now named, "International Biospheres? Who allowed the assigning of American Armed Forces to Foreign Commanders of the UN "Peace Keeping Forces?" These are traitorous acts, all very unconstitutional, but the general public has absolutely no interest in, or knowledge of, these happenings and seriouness of the consequences of these acts. Consequently, when they awaken and find they are now Governed by the New World Order and that the United States Government and Constitution have been disolved, they will be fulfilling some Biblical prophetic phrases such as, "there will be wailing and gnashing of teeth." The British Monarchy, unfortunately wields more power, in the UN and world wide, than can be imagined. This book will show you that Prince Charles will inherit more than the title, "King of the British Empire or Commonwealth of Nations." World dominance and dominion have always been the objectives of Lucifer and his followers.

I am a Born Again Christian and a former History and Government Teacher and all I can say is, "Joan, you get an "A+" for your efforts. This book is a must read and heed for all Patriotic and Christian Americans.

A Sustainable Paranoia?
My mother made me read this. Told me it would change my views of the world once I saw what a U.N. researcher had discovered about Prince Charles. Now, I'm not a Prince Charles fan, but this was no research. Much of the book is the author's repetitious assertion that sustainable development is an evil conspiracy that places nature over man, and threatens to reduce human population by 90%--supposedly a goal of Prince Charles. (Yes, the prince wants to reduce the world's population to 500,000,000 people.)

First, one should question the internal logic here. The book presents Charles as if he were the Antichrist who wants to rule the world. Maybe he does, but if he reduces the world's population by 90%, what will he be ruler of? Wouldn't any smart prince prefer a vast domain over a diminished realm? According to the book, Charles leads the World Trade Organization (or, at least, is one of its top players), and the W.T.O is also part of this population reduction conspiracy. But if the merchants and manufacturers of the W.T.O. reduce the world's population by 90%, don't they also reduce their markets by 90%? Why would a group of world merchants want to reduce their potential income by 90%? Consider the prince's close alliance with Bill Gates: do you really think Microsoft wants to sell only millions of operating systems when it could hope to sell billions? Population reduction hardly fits the expansionist billionaire mentality. And those who run W.T.O. sweatshops, surely prefer a large slave population that may someday even wear Nike shoes.

Second, one might question the kind of argument by innuendo the author wages: We know Charles is involved in world conspiracies because he's connected to so many major organizations like the W.T.O. and the U.N. Well, he is a prince, isn't he? Think about it. Did you really expect he would only belong to the London Hopscotch League? Ms. Veon also tells us that the U.N. places the U.S. under British charter. I'm not too fond of the U.N., but I don't recall any circumstance in which England had more say over U.N. activities than the U.S. or where it dictated U.S. actions. It seems to me we throw our weight around as well as anyone else in that particular disorganization, so I'm not too concerned that we're puppets of the English imperium. In fact, I think a few people in the U.K. feel the exact opposite might be true. (Though hearing the English argue that the U.S. is too imperial is a bit of a laugh.)

Finally, consider Ms. Veon's insistence that sustainable development--which tries to balance environmental concerns with economic concerns--turns Genesis on its head, giving nature dominion over man: The argument comes from a misguided theology that says God created earth for humans...

Interesting>>>
According to Nostradamus, the anti-Christ will come from the Far East and wear a blue turban. He calls him Mabus which in the mirror spells Sudam. I believe Charles has a lot of power behind him, and I expect anything of all the crazy people that lead this world. The Bible says that in the last days, there will be wickedness, and there is, so look out!! We are going to go out in a ball of fire. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

A great book from one who was there from the beginning
I read this book in the fall of 1997 and just recently looked at it again when rearranging book shelves. Was so surprised to see that no one had reviewed it before!

Whitaker had observed Charles and Diana for years and he comes to insightful conclusions about the self-centeredness of Charles such as "... it never occurred to him that maybe his life should alter when he married." and "For the first time in his life he was upstaged and...he did not like what was happening." Diana didn't stand a chance against the men in grey or the ever present Camilla.

This was published in 1993 before the sad ending to Diana's life. I recommend it highly to anyone who wants the view of a working journalist. Coverage of the Royal family was excessive during the Diana years, and I'll admit I read almost everything about her, but I believe this a very balanced view of the sad situation that the Royal family is in. They are outdated and unnecessary. ... Read more

Reviews (6)

Slight, amusing and more than a little pretentious
It's a fun read, no doubt about it. Being a Midwestern girl, I'll never know what it's like to be a royal and I found this insider's view fascinating. To be fabulously wealthy, yet get all manner of freebies and presents. To have a staff there ready to wait on you, yet to never be away from their judgemental eyes. What a life! No wonder both Charles and Diana were spoiled and far from perfect. I don't see how anyone could be remotely normal given the lives they led. For this peek into Highgrove, I was grateful. However, Ms. Berry herself seems rather unlikeable. Always gossiping, making sure we know that's she's more educated that the Prince and Princess realized, saying that Diana never would have "dared" lose her famous temper with the housekeeper, it kept me shaking my head. Like other, I'm sure, I suspect if she didn't take this job in the first place just to pen a tell-all.

Nothing New
I got this book from Ebay as it was out of print. And Banned
in London. It was a good book all in all. But, I learned nothing
really new. We all know that Diana had alot of problems
I guess I would as well if I lived with the Royals. Not an
easy family to live with. She did her job and won the hearts
of many people. She is still a hero in my heart. Hey, she was
a person before she was royal.

An insider's story
I bought this book several years ago and have just re-read it.

It's an interesting look at life inside the Royal Family. Well, at least one part of it. The self-centeredness of Prince Charles is not surprising. He expects every whim to be catered to without question and immediately. He comes across as very spoiled and out of touch.

Princess Diana is another matter. Her instability is so apparent. It is too bad that she did not get professional help.

The last sentence, "But where is it all going to end?" is sad when you think about what happened to Diana.

The author doesn't take sides, but has given us a good look into the private lives of a very unhappy family.

Intriguing
Having read many accounts of the Royals, from the Morton Book to Kitty Kelley to Donald Spoto, I decided to give this one a try. It was an intriguing effort, being from the viewpoint of the Princess's personal staff, and not from sensationalist writers who don't actually know her. I enjoyed the book, and believe it rings of the truth for the most part, although I had to wonder about Ms. Berry's motives in working for the Royals in the first place. She had a teaching degree and had passed a couple of O levels. She said she wanted a more "stable" job than teaching, yet complained about the pay (which is notoriously lower than you would expect for those in Royal service). Why would a woman with such qualifications opt for a career in housekeeping, sponginging up the vomit of the Royal children, literally airing the dirty laundry, and overall, tolerating the temper tantrums of two overprivileged people trapped in a marriage from hell, who feel just "Royal" enough to take it out on the staff? One could almost surmise that she took the job out of curiosity, and then just cashed in at the bitter end. It does seem that there was a bit of a race to get it published: in the Introduction from the publisher, they mention that in their hurry to get the book to press, nothing was altered in Ms. Berry's original manuscript, and there it is, typos and all (not too many, though). The book comes across as an honest, simple account, with just a touch of haughty opinion on the part of the housekeeper from time to time. My favorite passage was the one where Ms. Berry says that in spite of all the screaming fits Diana got into with some of the staff, she never got into it with her. Ms. Berry says, "I think she would not dare" because the Princess knew that it would not be tolerated. I had to chuckle, because I think Diana most certainly WOULD have dared, but the housekeeper was just lucky enough to have missed out on such a tirade. All in all, a quick, entertaining read. Even though it's not currently available from the publisher, your library will surely have it (that's where I picked it up), and it's probably better that you just borrow it, rather than spending any money on it.

Very insightful.
It is interesting to get the observations of the woman who lived in Diana's house for years. I have admired Diana for years but now feel there is so much that we don't know. She could be quite spiteful and hateful. It is important for this side of the story to get out. I still admire her, but look at her differently. She was called "the saint" by the household staff because no matter how awful she behaved in private, the public always idolized her. The media has always had a vested interest in presenting only the positive side of her. I have not been able to buy the book yet, I've listened to the tapes. Most of the revelations on the tapes are shocking and eye-opening. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Camilla & Charles: A Selfish Love Affair
While I felt that this was an interesting read I felt the author painted an unfair portrait of Diana. She portrayed Diana as a crazy, unstable shrew and yet it was Charles refusal to end his relationship with Camilla that caused Diana to be so unhappy and angry. I don't think there are very few women on this planet that would be happy and accept the fact that their husband has a mistress for 20 years that he refuses to give up after marriage. It proved to me at least, that Diana was justified in her ending her marriage and giving up the throne. The author paints Charles and Camilla as 2 poor lovers who go through hell just to be together. I felt no sympathy for either of them. But it is an engrossing book none the less.

Think of England
An even and informative tale about Camilla Parker-Bowles, a poor little rich girl who may someday get her prince.

What we learn is that the upper class in the UK is alive and sick with its own moral code. Do what you want, just don't talk about it.

I like the author's style of writing, but don't really care for Camilla. ... Read more

Book Description

Every since Talleyrand assumed a prominent role during the opening stages of the French Revolution, his intentions and motivations have been the subject of heated debate. The debate about his achievements and merits is far from over. This bibliography is the first to be compiled on Napoleon's foreign minister. It opens with a chronology of Talleyrand's life and an introduction summarizing the salient points in his career. It is then divided into sections covering the available archival sources, Talleyrand's own writings, contemporary pamphlets and books, and works written about him since his death. ... Read more

Amazon.com

If you want to hear nice things about Princess Diana, listen to England's Rose: Tribute to Diana or read Andrew Morton's Diana: Her True Story in Her Own Words. Penny Junor's controversial bestseller tells another tale. "[Charles] had to put up with years of tantrums and abuse," writes Junor. "Charles cut his friends out of his life at Diana's insistence, and even gave away the dog he loved in an effort to make Diana happy." Junor charges Diana with tricking Charles into marriage; cruelty to her children's nanny; refusal to see the psychiatrist Charles worriedly recommended for her anorexia; beating Charles to the punch in the adultery department; and making phone calls to Camilla in which Diana "would say things like, 'I've sent someone to kill you.... Look out of the window; can you see them?'" Junor quotes Prince William as saying, "Papa doesn't embarrass me. Mama does." While she doesn't paint Charles in fully glowing colors, Junor's portrait of Diana is startlingly harsh. Regarding the "Camillagate" tapes of Charles's crude love talk, which will humiliate the whole family forever, Junor darkly notes that: "The Princess was one of very few people who knew the Prince's mobile telephone number, and it was known that she had been worried about bugging on her own account and had installed some sophisticated equipment at Kensington Palace." How upsetting is this book? Newspapers report that Junor is herself besieged by paparazzi and hate mail and travels with a bodyguard. --Tim Appelo ... Read more

Reviews (19)

Charles: Victim and Villain
This book is very pro-Charles which was to be expected. After all, both author and Charles are still alive. Diana can't fight back. And who knows what the truth is anyway?

There isn't anything really new in this book except details about how news of Diana's death was received at Balmoral, actions of Charles and the Queen then, etc. There are conflicts with other accounts I've read. Was Diana's face damaged? Was an autopsy done in Paris? Other sources said her face was unmarked and body was not autopsied until it was returned to London. It is little details like this that make me wonder about rest of the book. What is the truth?

I continue to be amazed at the influence the press has in England. Do they really have that much control over the Royal Family? Apparently they just make stuff up and everyone believes it. The Royals are so out of touch and isolated. I think they should just be left alone and out of the newspapers like they used to be.

Hoping for better
I knew when I picked up this book that Ms Junor was always very anti-Princess Diana - even when she was alive she was very outspoken - and was obviously very pro - Prince Charles. I had hoped though that with the death of the Princess even this hardened lady would present a balanced view of both sides. Instead I was left with the distinct impression that she had swallowed the whole "poor Charlie " line. It takes two to make a marriage and two to destroy it. But her bitterness towards both the princess and the Queen were quite frankly astonishing - especially for someone who used to be editor of the Majesty magazine. This lady has more chips on her shoulder than a totem pole.

I was horrified when Ms Junor decided she had the right to take on the role of amateur psychiatrist. That for me - was the end. I finished the book - but at the end of it all her superior attitude and downright condemnation of the Princess was appalling. I have no illusions that the Princess was not perfect. But she sold the princess as someone so calculating and evil that it does not equate with anything the rest of the world saw. I am not sure any of us thrown into that kind of limelight at the age of 19 would have coped any better - most of us would not. That does not excuse bad behavior. We all behave badly but most of us do not have "staff" to tittle tattle and exagerate our worst points.

I enjoyed certain parts of the book and learned a lot more about Prince Charles - assuming that that part of the book is a true and detatched discription. However - having just read the introduction to another biography where the biographer states that it is easy to become self absorbed with the person they are writing about and to loose their sense of detatchment. I feel that Ms Junor did not achieve that.

Spin on marriage favors Prince Charles
Where does the author get her evidence? First that Diana was first to cheat, second she threatened Camilla Parker Bowles. The book seems to justify the fact that Charles was involved with Mrs. Parker Bowles from even before the marriage and that it was alright because Diana was scheming and nasty to him. It tries to create a spin on the royal marriage favoring Charles and his liaison with Camilla. This is the book to buy if you are ardently pro-Charles and agree that Diana was completely to blame for the breakup of the marriage.

Definitely A Page Turner !
This book is very interesting! The author is obviously a GREAT fan of Prince Charles! From interviews that I have seen with the author, I fully expected a Diana-bashing book and I wasn't far from the mark! Just the mere fact that the Princess of Wales is not here to defend herself against these so-called "facts" of Ms. Junor's shows you what kind of diabolical mind the author has! Ms. Junor herself is making quite alot of money writing about the misfortunes of the Prince & Princess of Wales. I should hope that the proceeds for this book would go directly to royal charities and those who are TRUE victims all around the world! Surely Ms. Junor would not want to line her own pockets with this scathing book - or would she? Think on, Ms. Junor!

THE TRUTH ABOUT CHARLES AT LAST!
I always suspected that Charles wasn't cold and Diana might have been somewhat selfish, why would she prance around the place putting herself at risk and under scrutiny when she had two children to think about? Anyway, this book really put things into perspective and seems to back other books up that are supposed to condemn Charles and worship Diana! The book itself however, was a little boring, it went on too much about their relationship and did seem to victimise Diana a little. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

The Real Prince Charles
I love this book. Even though it is a few years outdated, before the official divorce of Prince Charles and Princess Diana, it is still enthralling nonetheless. Mr. Dimbleby approaches the life of Prince Charles in nothing but respect, for a change. He opens up Prince Charles for you, and you learn about all of the good he does. It is amazing how much Prince Charles has done for unemployed and underprivaledged youths and areas. Through all of the tabloid-al journalism, you really get a good taste of the true Prince of Wales. I recommend this book to all royalists and monarchists and anyone wanting wanting true information instead of the tampered information often portrayed on tabloids.

How the other half lives
Gift books have a habit of piling up on me before I have a chance to read them. This book was somewhere in the pile at the time of Diana's death. At that point, I blew the dust off and hunkered down to read it. It's certainly not fast reading. I found it very informative although I have to admit I didn't read every word. It did give me a much better insight into the lives and functions of the British Monarchy. As for the story of Charles and Diana, it's obvious that they should never have married. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

TEDIOUS, TIRESOME AND SYCOPHANTIC DRIVEL
I recently found this book - in hardback - as I was going through some boxes of royal junk and miscellany.Upon re-reading it I had not realised how inconsequential it was - but I suppose Mr. Barry had to cash in on his job experiences in order to maintain the lifestyle to which he was not born and in which he got very comfortable, indeed.

He needed a really good editor and/or proofreader because there are some real howlers in his text:"Duke of Argyle" for "Duke of Argyll", "Castle of May" for "Castle of Mey" (the late Queen Mother's northern Scottish residence), "the Earl of Spencer" for "the Earl Spencer", "Lord and Lady Spencer" for "the Earl and Countess of Spencer", "Lord Snowden" for "Lord Snowdon", and he keeps referring to some entity called the "Gold Coast" - I believe he means the "Ivory Coast (Cote d'Ivoire) in Africa. This is not the complete list of his inadequacies as a royal diarist and passable writer.

That being said, there is one telling photograph that is unattributed showing The Queen and her family on the Royal Yacht Britannia.In it, Her Majesty is wearing SLACKS!There was a recent controversy that when The Queen exited the hospital after surgery on her legthat said that this was only the second time she had been photographed in such garb.Apparently, all the pompous pundits forgot about THIS photograph.It made for good cocktail chatter for about two weeks and friends were amazed that I could dredge up proof of thefactual errors of ALL of the newspapers and scandal rags.

I feel the reviews by the two other readers were gushing and over-the-top - the book is only a tarted-up diary with some very occasional and all too infrequent insights.But the photos are interesting and of some archival use. Mr. Barry later succumbed to AIDS.

Timothy Wingate, Canada

The Butler did it (discreetly)
There is an old saying that goes 'No man is a hero to his valet'.That may
or may not be the case, however Stephen Barry's innocuous memoir was written
to reveal as little of the un-heroic side of the Prince of Wales as possible.
The book suffers for the discretion of the author and In light of the
revelations to come after this book was written, it does so needlessly.

Serving Charles as his valet from 1970 to 1982, Barry was in a unique
position to observe Royalty close-up.He makes the most of the opportunity
and is willing to let a few (and only a few) tid-bits out of the bag.Did
you know that the Prince is obsessed with making sure that his favorite brand
of honey accompanies him wherever he travels?Or that the Prince prefers a
sweater to central heating(A trait he shares with Queen Victoria)?These
and many other startling revelations await the reader of "Royal Service: My
Twelve Years as Valet to Prince Charles" Not surprisingly, one topic that

permeates the book is Charles' desire for privacy. This was a desire that was
often unheeded by the many people around him.Knowing this, one wonders why
the book was written at all.

Both the author and the Prince were born in 1948, thus after a few years
training, as a footman Barry is the right man of the right age in the right
place to become the valet to Charles. This relationship persists until
shortly after his wedding to Diana. That proved to be a period during which
many of the long-term servants of the household go on to new duties.
Strongly and repeatedly denying any sort of a fight between himself and the
Princess, Barry writes "Understandably she would not wish to have around
herself and her husband those who had known him at earlier times when there
were other girl friends".

Primarily, the book is organized along topical lines.Travel with the
Prince, Holidays with the Prince, the Prince and the other members of the
family, The many girl friends of the Prince, and so on.There is also some
material organized in a chronological fashion about the duties that Barry
held in the palace prior to his work for Charles.

Barry is the first to point out the dichotomy of the situation that he was
in.He often saw more of his royal master that Charles' family or friends.
And yet it was always from the perspective of the master/servant
relationship. After all, "However kind and friendly they are, in the end
they are Royal".

Barry is quick to play up this relationship (going so far to point out that
at least one portrait of the Prince is Charles' head and Barry's body wearing
garter robes).However he often gives short shrift to the many other members
of the team who worked with the Prince.While the Policemen who serve
Charles often are mentioned in anecdotes it is only on occasion that we hear
about the junior valet who also works with Barry to tend to the Prince.In
fact the assistant is never mentioned by name!

While the book hints at many things in the intimate female relationships the
Prince has had Barry is quick to mention that Charles always handled his love
interests with such discretion that Barry never found the Prince in bed with
anyone! This comes after he repeatedly states how it was his duty to awaken
Charles each morning at 7:50.This may or may not be so but in any event it
belies the closeness that Barry seems to have felt.

Time has not been good to this book.It abounds with many unintended
ironies.Barry himself did not live to see all of them come to public light
but here is a sample of some from the book:
"People always seemed to die when we were at Balmoral.This complicated
things for me, getting the Prince's wardrobe together"
On Camilla --
"For many years before he married, the gossip was that the Prince of Wales
was strongly influenced in his choice of girl friends by two married women -
Lady Tryon .... And Mrs. Camilla Parker Bowels, the wife of a cavalry officer.
....
The Prince is simply not the type of man to dally with married women."
"Mrs. Camilla Parker Bowles, is a hunting friend....and the friendship ... seems
to have survived the marriage"
On Diana -
"she was a friendly and open young woman.The crew of the Britannia fell in
love with her to a man"
"She liked giggling and she loved eating sweets.She always got into the car
with her Yorkie bars or bags of toffees.'Have one Stephen,' she'd say. 'Go
on.'
'You'll get fat,' I used to warn her. But she undoubtedly burned up all those
calories contending wit the pressures that were building up. "
"The camera flashing in her face, the constant pestering finally got through.
She burst into tears.......
The prince came back as soon as he could and comforted her, but it was easy
to see that he was worried. Was she going to fail to cope with all that being
Royal demands, right at the last minute, five days before the wedding? ... But
the young lady is very resilient and she soon perked up again"

An interesting and informative book. . .
. . .by the former valet of the Prince of Wales.This is not a tattle-tale tell-all -- instead it is, especially for Americans, an intimate and heartwarming look into the mystique of the British Royal Family.Barry is discreet and complimentary throughout, while relating amusing anecdotes about the Royals as he moves through their lives as one of the principal servants to Prince Charles.

An enjoyable read. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Mediocre book and grating reading
Far from being "as exciting as a novel," this pedestrian re-telling of what should be a fascinating story is bland and far from insightful. The author's evident unfamiliarity with even basic military and naval terminology leads one to wonder about the accuracy of other elements. (A ship-of-the-line is a "gunboat.") The Recorded Books version is read in a sneering, condescending delivery by an Englishman who whistles into the microphone every second sentence, producing a "nails on the blackboard" sensation which accentuates the discomfort.

Overview of a Sad Life
The eldest son of James, the Old Pretender, Bonnie Price Charlie was raised to believe that the throne of England and Scotland was his destiny. Born in Italy and used as a pawn of Louis XV against George II, Charles was seen as a promising young man. In his early twenties, he sailed to Scotland and was able to convince several Highland chiefs to support his cause. Numerous victories came swiftly because the English were unprepared for the various attacks. However, once the English determined that the threat was real, Prince Charles and his troops were quickly over run. He returned to France where he was asked to leave and again settled in Italy. With no ambitions left to him, he quickly dissapated into an alcoholic daze. He fathered one child by a Scottish woman and later married a German princess but that marriage quickly soured. His later years were redeemed somewhat as his daughter Charlotte came to his aid. He died, leaving his youngest brother Henry as the last Stuart pretender to the throne. Henry was a Cardinal and therefore fathered no children so with his death the Stuart dynasty came to an end.

I enjoyed the book and found it useful for someone with limited knowledge of this time period. Not very detailed with but a good overview of events.

Good general biography of Prince Charles Edward Stuart
This was a good summary of a lot of secondary source material on Bonnie Prince Charlie, condensed into a fairly short biography. It's an enjoyable leisurely read, but don't look for depth, great detail, or anything like original thought about Prince Charlie and what he meant in the context of Scottish, English, European, or Catholic history in the 18th century. This is not a good text for anyone already familiar with the Jacobites and looking for any new scholarship on the subject. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

A Beautiful Portrait of Diana¿s Early Years
This is a beautiful full color picture book that gives many pages of respectable information that focuses on Diana, Charles and their two precious children, when they were small.

It covers Diana and Charles' activities, hobbies, trips, adventures, and their life being the parents of William and Harry when they were small.

I bought this book in 1987, and it has held up beautifully. You can see Diana coming into her own, as well as her devotion to her husband and children. From pony rides to speaking engagements, charitable work, and life both at home and abroad, you will find a most beautiful portrayal in this book.

Highly recommended as a treasure for your library. ... Read more

Book Description

This digital document is an article from Nine, published by University of Nebraska Press on September 22, 2003. The length of the article is 1366 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: James W. Bennet and Donald Raycraft. Old Hoss: a Fictional Biography of Charles Radbourn.(Book Review)
Author: Ron Kaplan
Publication: Nine (Refereed)
Date: September 22, 2003
Publisher: University of Nebraska Press
Volume: 12Issue: 1Page: 159(5)

Article Type: Book Review

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