We start off the new year with a new biography of King Charles! This year has not been quiet for the royals of the world, starting off with a Danish abdication. However, it does seem to be a quieter year for royal books. (My theory is that at least for the British royals, after the Platinum Jubilee and the death of QEII, the market was over-saturated for 18-24 months.) However, I think that this biography is much-needed and once again provides why Robert Hardman is a respected biography. For our Book Bite this week, let’s look at Charles III by Robert Hardman.
Note: Thank you to NetGalley for providing an Advanced Listening Copy in exchange for an honest review. I also purchased the audiobook for myself!
Charles III: New King. New Court. The Inside Story, Robert Hardman
By acclaimed royal biographer Robert Hardman, Charles III is a brilliant account of a tumultuous period in British history, full of intriguing insider detail and the real stories behind the sadness, the dazzling pomp, the challenges and the triumphs as Charles III sets out to make his mark.
How would – or could – he fill the shoes of the record-breaking Elizabeth II? With fresh debates about the monarchy, political upheavals and a steady flow of damning headlines unleashed by the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, Charles could not afford to put a foot wrong. Hardman draws on unrivalled access to the Royal Family, friends of the King and Queen, key officials and courtiers plus unpublished royal papers to chart the transition from those emotionally charged days following the death of the late Queen all through that make or break first year on the throne.
This book also reveals how Charles III is determined to move ahead at speed, the vital role played by Queen Camilla, the King’s relationships with his sons and the rest of his family, his plans for reforming the monarchy and how he is taking his place on the world stage.
Charles III is a fascinating portrait of a hard-working, modern monarch, determined to remain true to himself and to his Queen, to make a difference, to weather the storms – and, what’s more, to enjoy it.
Why You Should Read This…
Robert Hardman’s biography of Queen Elizabeth II, Queen of the World, is one of my favourite biographies. (It looks at Queen Elizabeth II through the lens of her relationship with different countries, and I felt a unique take on the monarch’s life.) So, I had high hopes for Charles III, and I was not disappointed.
The book focuses on The King’s reign thus far, roughly from September 2022 through the end of 2023. Although this audiobook is fourteen hours long (the book is 456 pages), it does not in any way feel like too much for such a short period of time. I think that because we all feel like we “know” Charles so well, we all made a number of assumptions about what his ascension, coronation, and reign would look like. (Largely thanks to a lot of media reporting, as well.) However, things have turned out differently from these predictions in many cases.
Hardman compares Charles’ coronation with that of his mother’s for much of the book, and I thought it was a thoughtful and thorough comparison. I think it also serves to highlight that Charles has made more updates and changes than it might seem.
Hardman also spends a great deal of the book on Queen Camill and The Prince of Wales, as well as speaking with their close friends and family. One thing that I very much appreciated about Charles III is that never once did it descend into feeling like a tabloid story. Given that so many royal biographies and books out in the last two years have really hit the gossipy notes of the Royal Family, it was nice to see someone discuss them without a “he-said, she-said”. (An example would be when he discussed the newly-named Waleses and Sussexes undertaking a walkabout together after The Queen’s death- he point blank said that while it was celebrated at the time, all four individuals found it difficult and did not push it further.)
Hardman narrates this book himself, and once again, it is proving my theory that historians should narrate their own audiobooks whenever possible. He shows that he obviously knows the subject, and hits the right notes throughout.
Is Charles III by Robert Hardman on your to-read list?
Cheers,
The Historian
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