I wondered if the contradictions of this driven, mercurial, and multifaceted man were in fact irreconcilable. In any event, they would have major consequences for Britain, for the lives of those around him, and for the future of the monarchy. His status was determined from birth. How he dealt with that fate in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries is the story of a most improbable life. Drawing on her extensive access to the Royal Family's inner circle, Sally Bedell Smith delivers unprecedented insights into Prince Charles, a man who possesses a fiercely independent spirit, and yet has spent his life in waiting for the ultimate role. Beginning with his lonely childhood, Smith details his intellectual quests, his entrepreneurial pursuits, and his love affairs - from the tragedy of his marriage to Diana to his eventual reunion with Camilla, as well as his relationship with the next generation of royals- Will, Kate, Harry, and his beloved grandchildren. As this sweeping biography shows, Prince Charles is more complicated and compelling than we knew until now.