YOUNG PRINCE PHILIP: His Turbulent Early Life - Softcover

Eade, Philip

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0007305397 ISBN 13: 9780007305391

Publisher: William The 4th, 2022

Synopsis

‘The narrative is as suspenseful as any thriller. Truly, an excellent read’ Lynn Barber, Sunday Times

Married for almost seventy years to the most famous woman in the world, Prince Philip is the longest-serving royal consort in British history. Yet his origins have remained curiously shrouded in obscurity.

In the first book to focus exclusively on his life before the coronation, acclaimed biographer Philip Eade uncovers the extraordinary story of the prince’s turbulent upbringing in Greece, France and Nazi Germany, during which his mother spent five years in a secure psychiatric clinic and his father left him to be brought up by his Mountbatten relations in England just when he needed him most.

Remarkably the young prince emerged from this unsettled background a character of singular vitality and dash – self-confident, capable, famously opinionated and devastatingly handsome. Girls fell at his feet, and the princess who was to become his wife was smitten from the age of thirteen.

Yet alongside the considerable charm and intelligence, the prince was also prone to volcanic outbursts and to putting his foot in it. Detractors perceived in his behaviour emotional shortcomings, a legacy of his traumatic childhood, which would have profound consequences for his family and the future of the monarchy.

Published to coincide with the prince’s ninetieth birthday and containing new material from interviews, archives and film footage, this revelatory biography is the most complete and compelling account yet of his storm-tossed early life.

About this title

Review:

Praise for Young Prince Philip:

‘An amazing story of an incredible life. I literally couldn’t put it down’ Victoria Hislop, Easy Living

‘Sure footed and sparkling ... I finished with an admiration I had not expected for this brave, brusque, imaginative oddball’ Ferdinand Mount, Wall Street Journal

‘Given what a rackety childhood Prince Philip had, it’s astonishing that he hasn’t spent half his life in therapy’ Lynn Barber, Sunday Times

‘Not a forelock-tugging royal biography ... Eade casts a clear eye over his subject’s first thirty years, fleshing out with intelligence and sympathy the man whose gaffes have entertained the nation’ Frances Wilson, Times Literary Supplement

‘His transition from bumptious baby to universally trusted head boy at Gordonstoun, from plucky seaman to breezy Royal escort, home maker and instinctive moderniser makes fascinating reading ... carefully researched, warm-hearted and unjudgmental’ Andrew Barrow, Evening Standard

“Highly readable ... This engaging book deserves to take its place among the first rank of modern royal biographies Daily Mail

‘Perhaps this should be regarded as a sighting shot, staking a claim for the official biography ... on the basis of this excellent book one can say it would be a task that Eade was singularly well qualified to undertake’ Philip Ziegler, Spectator

‘Eade’s staunchly unhagiographic book is well spiced with ... royal titbits, and enlivened by a lemony tartness in the author’s tone ... Eade’s account is as thoughtful and unbiased an explanation as we are likely to get of the contentious, sensitive, grouchy old martinet’ Miranda Seymour, Guardian

About the Author:

Philip Eade read History at Bristol University. After a year in Spain and a brief career as a criminal barrister, he took up journalism and has since written for a range of publications including Euromoney, Marie Claire and the Daily Telegraph. His first book, Sylvia, Queen of the Headhunters was published in 2007 to widespread critical acclaim.

About this edition

• Publisher: William The 4th
• Publication date: 2022
• ISBN 10: 0007305397
• ISBN 13: 9780007305391
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 384