Prince Harry

July 28, 2014
Royalty biographer Junor (The Firm: The Troubled Life of the House of Windsor) profiles the “spare” prince in this well-researched, if rose-tinted account of his first 30 years. Junor sympathetically recounts the royal family’s controversies—the affairs, leaked phone conversations, and various betrayals—and speculates on 12-year-old Harry’s feelings about his mother’s death. There are Harry’s own scandals, most of which Junor glosses over or denies, like his underage drinking, his Nazi masquerade-party costume, and the leaked nude photos taken in a Las Vegas hotel room. She documents Harry’s military career from the “tough, brutal, relentless” drilling at Sandhurst to flight training at Shawbury and his establishment as an Apache copilot gunner. Harry’s philanthropic activities, covered somewhat exhaustively by Junor, find him visiting orphaned children in Lesotho—for whom he later established a charitable foundation—and organizing the inaugural U.K. Warrior games, an athletic event for wounded veterans. Fans of royalty will appreciate Junor’s details of the interior of Kensington Palace and Highgrove, the ins and outs of Eton College, and descriptions of William and Kate’s wedding and the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee. Despite its flaws, Junor’s account is a fuller picture of the prince than can be discerned from his tabloid hijinks and a humanizing depiction of a devoted son and brother, a skilled soldier, and natural leader.

September 1, 2014
A look at how the rascally fourth in line to the British throne has been forgiven youthful indiscretions but faces serious career decisions at age 30. English journalist and royal biographer Junor (Prince William, 2012, etc.) certainly knows her way around the royal PR office; she's written about the rest of the family, so why not Prince Harry? In approaching this second Windsor son-beloved yet mischievous, a somewhat reckless rugby player and thrill-seeking Apache pilot-the author tries to establish her journalistic objectivity in the first paragraph by addressing his recent fall from grace, when he was caught on camera playing strip billiards with a bunch of young ladies in a Las Vegas hotel room. "It was probably a classic example of me probably being too much Army and not enough prince," he remarked wryly. Yet Junor is sympathetic to this strawberry-blond athlete of charming mien and winning ways: He's "impulsive, unpredictable and dangerous," she says, but that's his "genius." Genius or not, he didn't attend university like his older brother, William, but opted for Sandhurst military academy after Eton, having become enamored as a child by soldier play and spectacle at the annual Royal Tournament with his mother, Princess Diana. His early life with Diana was both deliciously magical and weirdly unnatural, since the Wales' marriage went sour early on; Junor squarely blames Diana for the emotional turmoil in the house(s) and the comings and goings of various male visitors she did not hide. Recently, Harry has moved out of his brother's shadow, embracing some good causes approved of by his father. For instance, in 2006 he helped establish Sentebale, which helps the "forgotten children" of AIDs-ravaged Lesotho, where he spent his gap year, and in 2012, he did energetic work as ambassador for his country at the London Olympics. A premature biography that will interest devoted royal watchers.

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September 1, 2014
Unofficial yet prolific royal biographer Junor has already written controversial and best-selling books about Prince Charles, Princess Diana, and Prince William. With her latest, she turns her attention to the youngest member of this fractured and fascinating family, Prince Harry, to coincide with his thirtieth birthday, in September. Harry has been labeled a wild child by the world press for his unabashed love of partying, but the author aims to show a deeper, more mature side of the young prince. She mostly succeeds, but that doesn't mean Junor leaves out the juicier bits that keep the pace moving along. There's nothing here that's likely to change the public perception of Harry, who has proven himself practically immune from lingering scandal. Junor's portrait of Diana may come under closer scrutiny, as she's portrayed yet again as a deeply troubled soul, unable to defend herself 17 years after her tragic death. The writing style lacks much in the way of flourish, but this remains a quick, solid, and serviceable read throughout. Recommended for royal watchers of all ages.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2014, American Library Association.)