Prince William is currently the third most popular British royal. Also known as The Duke of Cambridge, he has been gaining more and more attention in the last five years as he has taken up more royal “work” and engagements. And this isn’t unexpected. With The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee and her 96th birthday, it makes sense to pave the way to future reigns. Biographer Robert Jobson looks at one of Britain’s future kings in William at 40: The Making of a Modern Monarch! And today I will be sharing my thoughts on it…
Thank you to NetGalley for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.
William at 40: The Making of a Modern Monarch, Robert Jobson
Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, is destined one day to be king. Determined to serve his country as his grandmother, the Queen has so selflessly done for seven decades, William is the epitome of a loving husband to Catherine, and a devoted father to their three children: George, Charlotte and Louis.
In public, William appears calm, balanced and determined. He is passionate about safeguarding the environment and helping to protect species under threat of extinction. The Duke and his wife have also worked tirelessly to remove the stigma that continues to mark mental health problems.
In private, however, those close to him say that William, while being a dedicated servant of the Crown can defy his calm, family-guy public demeanour.
This is the definitive account – insightful and nuanced – of the life of the Duke of Cambridge as he approaches his milestone birthday. Jobson explores the complex character of the man who will one day reign as King William V. It is the story of the making of a king for our times.
Why You Should Read This…
The timing of this book makes a lot of sense. William’s 40th birthday paired with the Platinum Jubilee that will undoubtedly highlight the future of the monarchy pull him even further into the spotlight this year, and this book capitalises on that. This is a thorough biography that looks at William’s life through the specific lens of being king in the future.
If you have read any other of the major William biographies, I don’t know that this one will offer a great deal of new information. However, I would still recommend it because I think that Jobson covers newer events well, such as the Covid pandemic and the aftermath of the Oprah interview. (Very different but notable events for the British Royal Family…) I think that these events will be crucial when we look back in 5, 10, 20 years, and are worth looking at.
Interestingly, if you know Robert Jobson, you will know that he is pretty firmly in “Camp Charles”. And as such I expected that he would be fairly sympathetic to him throughout. However, Charles doesn’t actually feature that much, and Jobson is neutral when he does. This is an up-to-date and thorough biography of the second-in-line to the throne, and worth picking up!
Want more royal reads? I have my 70 favourite books on The Queen in honour of the Platinum Jubilee!
Is William at 40 on your to-read list?
Cheers,
The Historian
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