Philip, Gyles Brandreth
Philip, Gyles Brandreth
36 Rating(s)
List: $31.99 | Sale: $22.40
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Philip
The Final Portrait - THE INSTANT SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER

Author: Gyles Brandreth

Narrator: Gyles Brandreth

Unabridged: 17 hr 50 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Coronet

Published: 04/27/2021

Includes: Bonus Material Bonus Material Included


Synopsis

Elizabeth, their marriage and their dynasty.

This is the story of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh - the longest-serving consort to the longest-reigning sovereign in British history. It is an extraordinary story, told with unique insight and authority by an author who knew the prince for more than forty years.

Philip - elusive, complex, controversial, challenging, often humorous, sometimes irascible - is the man Elizabeth II once described as her 'constant strength and guide'. Who was he? What was he really like? What is the truth about those 'gaffes' and the rumours of affairs? This is the final portrait of an unexpected and often much-misunderstood figure. It is also the portrait of a remarkable marriage that endured for more than seventy years.

Philip and Elizabeth were both royal by birth, both great-great-grandchildren of Queen Victoria, but, in temperament and upbringing, they were two very different people. The Queen's childhood was loving and secure, the Duke's was turbulent; his grandfather assassinated, his father arrested, his family exiled, his parents separated when he was only ten. Elizabeth and Philip met as cousins in the 1930s. They married in 1947, aged twenty-one and twenty-six.

Philip: The Final Portrait tells the story of two contrasting lives, assesses the Duke of Edinburgh's character and achievement, and explores the nature of his relationships with his wife, his children and their families - and with the press and public and those at court who were suspicious of him in the early days. This is a powerful, revealing and, ultimately, moving account of a long life and a remarkable royal partnership.

(P)2021 Hodder & Stoughton Limited

About Gyles Brandreth

Gyles Brandreth is a writer, performer, former MP and Government Whip, now Chancellor of the University of Chester and probably best known these days as a reporter on BBC1's The One Show and having been a regular on Radio 4's Just a Minute. On TV he has featured on Have I Got News For You, QI, Room 101, Countdown, and This is Your Life. As a journalist he writes for the Telegraph and Daily Mail and is a columnist for The Oldie. The founder of the National Scrabble Championships, his books about words and language include four best-sellers, The Joy of Lex, Word Play, Have You Eaten Grandma? and Dancing by the Light of the Moon. His novels include seven Victorian murder mysteries featuring Oscar Wilde as his detective and he has published two volumes of diaries and two acclaimed royal biographies. In 2020 he published The Oxford Book of Theatrical Anecdotes.


Reviews

Goodreads review by *TUDOR^QUEEN* on August 27, 2021

Four Stars As a British monarchy buff of sorts, I jumped at the chance to read this biography of Prince Philip, especially in the wake of his recent death at the age of 99. This is a voluminous effort of over 500 pages, and took a long time to get through. I've read so many Windsor- related biographi......more

Goodreads review by Megan on January 19, 2024

I feel a bit bad about giving this 3 stars (we’ll round up to 3.5) but honestly, it just wasn’t that exciting of a read. I respect the decision to forego sensationalist reporting (even if it may sell more copies) and sticking with a more fact-based approach. However, with Brandreth writing the book......more

Goodreads review by Carolyn on May 05, 2021

An insightful and engaging portrait of Prince Philip by Gyles Brandreth, who knew the Duke of Edinburgh for decades and worked with him in one of his charities. The best parts of the book are the conversations between Brandreth and Prince Philip, which are woven into the narrative. There is a strong......more

Goodreads review by Nicole Marie on April 10, 2023

This book features wonderful detail about the life of Prince Phillip. It confirms everything presented in Netflix's 'The Crown' except that it denies a cold reunion between Philip and Elizabeth after the 1956/1957 controversial royal tour, rather presenting the reunion as lovely and romantic. The bo......more

Goodreads review by Rebecca on March 22, 2024

It was very interesting to read more about the man behind the queen and his upbringing and then to navy life to being married to a princess and becoming her strength and stay all the years.......more