Quite a short biography, this, for such a long and full life. I think the reason for it was to get it in print ahead of King Charles’s coronation. It feels like it’s been put together quickly, not that this is a bad thing, as longer biographies on Charles are out there.

It opens at the end, so to speak, which is something I don’t care for. I prefer stories, whether fact or fiction, to be linear. It opens with Elizabeth II’s death and Charles III’s brilliant speech about the late queen, which I watched when it was first broadcast. This belongs here, but I wish it came in its place near the end, not at the start.

Reading about Charles’s boyhood was highly engaging. His pre-Diana years in general interested me most, as this section included a lot of details I didn’t previously know.

When we get to Diana, at times I feel the focus shifts too much to her perspective. Diana’s story is interesting, but I’m not a fan of off-topic books. If I wanted the focus to be on Diana, I’d read one of her biographies.

Charles is thrown into the background numerous times, replaced by not only his first wife but his children. I could’ve done without the excess details on Harry and Megan. A lot of these parts are like reading recent newspaper reports. Much of this could – and should – have been cut.

The author has met the king several times, so you get his personal take at times. It is a biased history, with the author favouring Charles, so readers wanting an unbiased account might not like it, though this isn’t too blatant. I usually prefer unbiased books, but I’ve always liked Charles, so it doesn’t bother me in this case.

On the most part, though, this is a good read. Not ideal for someone wanting an in-depth look at Charles’s life, but fine if you want an authentic overview. ( )