Prince Harry: Brother, Soldier, Son

by Penny Junor

The authoritative biography of Prince Harry by noted royal family biographer Penny Junor, author of Prince William: The Man Who Will Be King and The Firm: The Troubled Life of the House of Windsor. Prince Harry, one of the most popular members of the British royal family, has had a colorful life. After losing his mother at 12 years old, he spent his teenage years making questionable choices under intense international media scrutiny, becoming known for his mischevious grin, shock of red hair, and the occassional not-so-royal indiscretion. As he's grown, he has distinguished himself through military service, flying helicopters for the RAF. He served in Afghanistan and continues to devote himself to his military career. He also follows in his mother's footsteps with charity work--he is the founder of Sentebale, a charity to help orphans in Lesotho, and works with many other charitable organziations to help young people in society and to conserve natural resources. As he reaches his thirtieth birthday, Prince Harry is proving himself a prince of the people.

With unprecedented access to the most important figures in his life, Penny Junor is able get the truth about who this mercurial and fascinating royal son really is. A modern biography of a modern prince, this book offers an insider's look at the life of the man who is fourth in line to Britain's throne.

Genres: Biography, Nonfiction, Royalty, Biography Memoir, Audiobook, British Royalty, History

368 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2014

About the author

Born in Leatherhead, Surrey, Junor was educated at the independent Benenden School in Kent and read History at St Andrews University, but left in her second year to get married.

Junor has worked for the Evening Standard and a column for Private Eye lasted five years.

Best known for her books on the British Royal Family, she has written biographies of Diana, Princess of Wales (1982) and Charles, Prince of Wales (1987 and 1998), and Charles and Diana: Portrait of a Marriage (1991). The Firm: The Troubled Life of the House of Windsor followed in 2005. Her work on the Waleses "alienated" both of them and she reportedly considers the experience the worst of her career. She has also written and had published a book titled Prince William: The Man Who Will Be King. This biography of Prince William ends with his marriage to Kate Middleton, now Duchess of Cambridge.

Junor's other books include works on Margaret Thatcher (1983), actor Richard Burton (1986), John Major (1993) and Wonderful Tonight: George Harrison, Eric Clapton, and Me (2007), the co-authored memoir of Pattie Boyd a former wife of both musicians. Junor assisted Sir Cliff Richard in writing the number one best selling My Life, My Way which sold over 250,000 copies (2008) and Shaun Ellis with his book The Man Who Lives with Wolves (2009).

Reviews

[Marquise · Rating 1 out of 5]

A very tedious read. Junor doesn't say anything that’s not already known to anyone who's ever read the British press/gossip columns, including the infamous News of the World, which should by no means be a source for any historian worthy of the name.

The book won't tell you anything new if you're already familiar with the basics of Prince Harry's life and deeds, and if you're not, better not start with this book if your wish is to get yourself acquainted with him. It could’ve been better structured, because for a book purported to be about Harry, the author spends an awful lot of time talking about his parents' marriage, indulging in surprisingly harsh assessments of Princess Diana by moments, dedicating pages and pages to people and topics other than Harry, to the point that the title is frankly a case bordering on false marketing. It should be called Charles & Diana: Who Was At Fault? Answer: Her. And How It Affected Harry: A (Sort of) Biography. And when she does address Harry, the gushy and excuse-making tone of the chapters puts her objectivity in question even further, as if the previous weren't enough.

There's really terrible sourcing as well, supposed sources being either left unnamed or not credible, and if that's what passes for serious royal biography writing these days, I'm really glad I don't read any. Any book on the Royal Family I've picked up out of pure curiosity, since I don't share in the enthusiasm and interest in them, has been a complete disappointment for reasons not too dissimilar to those for Junor's book, all with a leaning towards the market and popular info-consumption needs that doesn't appeal to me.

[JJ Bellfrey · Rating 1 out of 5]

**Note: I received a free pre-print ebook from NetGalley in exchange for a review.**

With a description that was provided by the publisher “With unprecedented access to the most important figures in his life, Penny Junor is able get the truth about who this mercurial and fascinating royal son really is. A modern biography of a modern prince, this book offers an insider's look at the life of the man who is fourth in line to Britain's throne” I was incredibly excited to read this book. As a young 30-something, the Royal family, especially Princes William and Harry have always been a fascinating topic. The loss of Princess Diana was such a sad moment in my life, as it was so close to the passing of my own father.

With all this in mind, I sat down to read what was touted as a fascinating read only to be quickly disappointed. While I understand at 30, there is still a lot of life that one has to live and filling an entire book is a bit challenging and I did expect some back story about Prince Harry’s parents Prince Charles and Princess Diana; however as a reader it felt as if the author spent an inordinate amount of time pointedly painting Princess Diana in an unflattering light. The author’s portrayal of Princess Diana was at best snarky and at most disrespectful. I was incredibly disappointed that over half the book was spent rehashing all the sordid details of both Prince Charles and Princess Diana’s private lives. I must admit that I found a tone of utter disdain in the author’s description of Princess Diana.

It is ironic that the author spent such an inordinate amount of time painting Princess Diana as a conniving, vindictive person given the focus of the book was to be about Prince Harry. Furthermore, the author spent a great deal of time discussing how Prince Harry and Prince William both created the 10th Anniversary Concert in Diana’s honor in hopes that people would remember her for her good charitable deeds and the wonderful mother that she was to them; meanwhile the author chose to do exactly what Prince Harry so despises: soiling his mother’s name.

Setting aside that much of the book focused on everyone in the royal family except Prince Harry, the book has an odd mix of gossip column tidbits combined with source information from News of The World, the now disgraced and shuttered British tabloid. The use of information that was found to be obtained illegally for a gossip magazine puts a different spin on the assertion that the book provides an insider’s look at Prince Harry’s life. Once Prince Harry became a focus of the book, about three quarters of the way towards the end, the author spent a tremendous amount of time drudging up the more salacious aspects of Prince Harry’s youthful behavior instead of writing a thoughtful, unbiased account of Harry’s life.

I initially judged this book by the cover and its description, and as is often the case when that happens, I was wrong. This book is nothing more than a drudging up of salacious facts packaged in a handsome looking book that provides the reader nothing more than a compilation of every tidbit of gossip magazine coverage of Prince Harry.

It is sad that Prince Harry’s decision rather early on, during his gap year at age 17, to have a life devoted to service of others whether it be through charity or now his rather successful and fulfilling military career, will be overlooked by many due to the salacious nature of this book.

I am saddened that an author so blatantly allows her personal feelings and disdain show through rather than providing the reader with an unbiased and respectful portrayal of Prince Harry and the other people that are important to him.

[Caity · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars
I have a lot of views on this book. Both positive and negative. First of all, unrealistic sources- “says a friend”, who is the friend? I hate when books do this because it is not reliable and it could be anyone speaking. Several of the sources have no authenticity. The first 100 pages is on Diana and Charles. I picked up a book to read about Prince Harry not his parents. I understand setting the scene but not to the extent of one third of the story. The writing style does make you want to read more and always leaves you saying ‘one more chapter’. This is because it is written very much like an article. The writing is sophisticated but also informal. If that makes any sense.
The royal family has a love/hate relationship with the media and the book explains this very well. The book did make me think of how awful it must be to go through long, rigorous hours of training to become a soldier in the Army and to be deployed to Iraq but only to be stopped three days before because the press got a hold of where you are going. It is ridiculous and a miracle the army managed to get him in the end to Afghanistan in secret. Only then to serve for ten weeks of the front line before the press got ahold of information on your whereabouts and you had to be sent home!! I mean seriously?!

The book was very interesting and informative on Harry’s charity work and time as a soldier.
The author has really captured William and Harry’s relationship, in a really special way. I commend the author for those passages. Well done!! The author seems biased towards certain members of the royal family and either portrays them in a really good light or not. There is no in-between.
The photographs in the middle of the book were very interesting and relatable to the storyline of the book. Reading about Harry’s time in the Army was very inspirational. What an amazing feat for a prince or anyone to go of to Afghanistan. Harry was no academic but it is evident he really worked hard and I was so happy he got his Wings in the military. Go Harry! The author really raps up who Harry is in one sentence, “He may say he’s a child at heart, but he’s a child with a very old soul”.

[Tamara · Rating 2 out of 5]

Gosh. Wasn't this an exasperating read.

I've previously read Harry: A Biography, by Marcia Moody, and I found that a wonderfully just, and well-balanced, portrait of the Prince. What's more, it was actually well-written. This one was more a collection of short essays, each bearing no connection to the one preceding or following it - as evidenced by the continuous clarification of people we had already met in chapters before. On top of that, so many of the chapters were merely transcriptions of what people have said about HRH, some of whom were not even mentioned by name, just "someone who knows the Princes well," or "a friend who was in a similar situation." I don't consider that the mark of a good biography, just the makings of a seedy story for Ok! magazine or a similar tabloid.

What was the worst for me to stomach, however, were the first 100 pages. These were basically used to vilify Princess Diana, not to discuss Prince Harry's childhood (in fact, the few mentions of Harry during this period of his youth were used merely to speculate or to employ retrospective pop psychology: "...it's perfectly possible that..." or "It could have been..." are actual phrases she uses when discussing events). She seems to have an agenda against the late Princess of Wales, which I found particularly offensive.

Let's be clear, with my tattoo honouring her and my nascent collection of memorabilia, I am in no position to feign impartiality about Diana. But neither is Ms Junor, who makes manifest the reason for her dislike with one simple sentence in the section detailing Diana's involvement with the media to boost her own image: "There were other editors she targeted, my own father - Sir John Junor - among them....She rang them with stories, invited them to lunch and flattered their male egos" (49). Ah. There were are. All the same, however, I find the stories about angelic Diana just as unpalatable as the ones about blameless Charles, of which this book was chock-full. Some more balance would have been appreciated, as well as a little bit more focus on Harry. Even after their mother's death, Harry is less important to the book than is William, his older brother.

This wasn't so much a biography as an agenda. One simultaneously vague and narrow, and poorly executed at that.

[Meg - A Bookish Affair · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you know me, I know that I love reading about royalty, particularly the British royalty. Any time that I see a biography of one of the members of the royal family I have to pick it up. This book was no different. These books always promise unfettered access to royalty, which is never really true. I always hope. Prince Harry is a fascinating guy and I wanted to get closer to him.

In a lot of ways for those who are already for familiar with the royal family. this book will probably fall a little flat. For those who are not familiar with the royal family as much, those readers may be more interested in the heavy dose of background that is given to us at the very beginning. The author goes into a lot of detail about Prince Charles and Princess Diana and doesn't really paint either in the most positive light. Nothing really new or different was offered here.

I definitely like the book a little bit more once I got to more of what Prince Harry is doing as an adult and how he has changed since his childhood. The later part of the book was definitely more interesting to me. Overall, this book fell a little flat for me because of the beginning.

[Christy]

I'm a sucker for books about the Royal family, & this is a good one.

Penny Junor also wrote a good book about Prince William & I personally hope she's working on one about Kate! Cause I'd read that.

[Annice22 · Rating 1 out of 5]

Borrowed from Publisher/NetGalley for an honest review.

This was far too anti-Princess Diana instead of focusing more on who Prince Harry is and what his achievements are/were.

The biased opinions and unpolished vibe from this biography didn't make for a good read. Most of the information I felt could have been found online or from reading articles about Prince Harry and the Royal Family.

I thought this was going to be an interesting look at the life of Prince Harry but this was poorly written and a total waste of time.

[Cody · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having an interest in the Royal Family lead me to check out this book at the library. While I am aware of the controversy and charitable donations Prince Harry has been involved with, I wanted to gain a greater understanding of the man. What the author, Penny Junor, has done with this book is created a respectable biography of a young man full of determination and courage, but she has also added a relatable factor sprinkled with charm to him. Junor covers his younger years, with the obvious turmoil between the marriage of his parents Charles and Diana leading up to her unfortunate death. Also of course presented is his dedication to his military career and charitable donations, from helping African children and disabled veterans. The controversy surrounding him is also written in a manner that I felt was fair and edged towards sympathy, acknowledging his weaknesses but coming from the point of understanding he is a young man like any other prone to such problems. Had he not been a prince these controversies wouldn't exist, due to frequent and continuing battles with the media. Journalism versus the royal family's privacy becomes a common theme, and in the age of 'quick-no real meaning' stories featured on tv and newspapers, the royal family really must walk a very strict tightrope. Nevertheless Junor explains Harry has navigated this world the best he can, representing the family in a mostly honourable and grand manner, and has grown into a respectable person full of determination to help the world with his position.

[LadySlippersAndLoons · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book could have EASILY been a five star book!

Sadly, Junor's anti-Diana stance (very evident in this book, restrained in William's bio) brings down what could have been a fantastic book. Ironically, Charles doesn't fair much better either (both Charles and Diana are portrayed in a better light in William's book).

Junor has lots of wonderful quotes about Harry that really give you a much more in-depth look at him. She does miss the boat when she states that Harry flies as if he has dyslexia (an army officer stated that). She evidently didn't uncover that Harry's school issues stem directly from his dyslexia that was finally diagnosed at the late age of 17 (his cousin Beatrice was diagnosed significantly earlier and subsequently did much better in school).

Overall? I'd recommend the book (hence the three stars) but keep in mind the vitriol aimed at Diana (and somewhat at Charles). It's still a good book that helps give depth to a man that's often portrayed in a less than flattering light.

[Bruce · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ms. Junor could have subtitled this book "Who Grew Up Quite Alright Despite His Mother Being A Crazy Bananas Weirdo Who Never Deserved Their Superhero Father." What a disrespectful hatchet job of Princess Diana! It's obvious that the author was kissing up to the royal family (and likely had to in order to get access to staffers and acquaintances as she did), but she went way overboard. The majority of the book has little to do with Harry, but rehashes all of the marital difficulties Charles and Diana experienced, which Ms. Junor lays almost entirely on Diana's shoulders. There are some interesting facts and anecdotes about Harry's (and William's) lives, but I very much feel I was sold a false bill of goods. I can't imagine that the princes would look very highly upon such a crude take-down of their mother either.

[kys · Rating 2 out of 5]

I honestly think Penny Junor wants to marry either Prince Charles or Harry. An interesting look at Harry's recent years with some of his early history, but, per usual, Junor's work is more biased fawning than biography.

[Garth Mailman · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book seems less a biography of Harry than an opportunity to spread more gossip about Chuck and Di, a topic that already seen too much ink. I can't be bothered to read any further.

Negative stars

[Andrea AKA Catsos Person]

According to Marquise, this horrid author bashes Princess Diana and blames HER for her problems with Charles! Eww!

[Mikki · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was enjoyable. The book had been on my to-read shelf for some time. It didn't tell me much more about who and what Harry had become by the time it was written (that was already more or less in the public domain), [and it was long pre-Meghan and the subsequent exit from the 'Firm'], but it was interesting to learn how much his early experiences as a royal 'spare' shaped his growth into adulthood. He was the proverbial 'angry young man' who almost seemed to be on a self-destruct course as he grew up, but - as I surmised - he came into his own and flourished as an Army officer and leader of men.

Like his late mother, Princess Diana, he hates formality and the class structure thing. He's at his happiest with ordinary people and became 'one of the boys' during his military career. Harry was not academic (I wouldn't be surprised if he turned out to be somewhat dyslexic and/or a high functioning person on the autism spectrum). Thus, and this happens regularly, he didn't meet parental (fatherly) expectations in academic terms, but - kudos to Prince Charles and the rest of the family - he was allowed to be who he is and plough his own practically-leaning furrow without a university education.

As a footnote, I wasn't at all surprised to see him finally balk at being in the royal goldfish bowl. His brother, William, knows he'll one day inherit the throne so he can't (nor would he even think about) backing out of his allotted role. Harry, on the other hand, as the author (Penny Junor) rightly surmised, wouldn't want to risk having his life ruined by the media circus and the expectations of the rest of the family back in the UK. William's miffed because his brotherly backup system has abdicated and the rest of the family must pick up the rest of the slack where royal workload is concerned. That's too bad, but William will have to get used to going to others (his father and - while she's still with is - his grandmother, the Queen, for advice and support).

Harry does see them all as 'trapped' within the age-old institution. He loves his wife and little family, and is happily making a life for himself - and them - over here in the US where he can just be Harry in everyday life, only using his royal heritage and title when he knows it will bring high profile and money into the causes he's passionate about. My impression is that now that he and Meghan have done what he's wanted to do for many years (jump ship), he'll never 'return to the fold'. That's not who he is or what he wants. He's his own man and he will make his own way in relative anonymity in a place where he's given space and leave to be simply Harry.

[Kim · Rating 2 out of 5]

**I received this book from NetGalley for my honest review**
also can be found here: http://superbookgrl13.blogspot.com/20...


So, I couldn't stomach this book. I live in the USA, where the royal family is interesting, but I am not as die hard obsessed with them as people from England might be, that being said, I grew up with Prince William and Prince Harry pretty much. I'm not insanely older than them. I watched them grow up. So yeah, I was curious. This is the first autobiography of any member of the royal family I have ever desired to read, or actually read. I never followed Princess Diana religiously, I remember clearly the night she died, what I was doing when I found out, but I didn't follow the tabloids, or anything.

Almost from the very start of this book, it was glaringly obvious that the author of this book is anti-diana, and pro-Charles. Every other chapter almost was something negative to say. That was a huge pet peeve of mine almost from the start. If you are going to write a biography about Prince Harry, why can't you do it in a respectful manner "Diana had her problems, Charles had his problems" but leave it at that. don't be all "she would scream and carry on and charles the poor man had no idea how to handle her unstable mood swings, so he would just walk away" you know, if Prince Harry ever decided to read this book, reading about how Diana and all her "many lovers" and "crazy moodswings" and "bulimia, because those who know that if you suffer from bulimia you are nuts in the head" (not in that many words but basically) the author repeated the bulimia thing, making it sound like if you are a person with bulimia you are prone to crazy and wild moodswings. I suffered from bulimia, I'm the most quietest person you'll ever know, and I was ruled out at having bipolar or anything like that.. but the author portrays it as this evil awful crazy person thing and diana should have been in a white coat in a hospital somewhere, while poor poor charles, he just had no idea what to do, he was so busy doting on his two sons! PUHLEASE.

Authors, if you are going to write a biography, please please, keep it neutral mkay? cause the actual person you are writing about? THOSE WERE HIS PARENTS.

Beyond that, I wasn't impressed, there were some moments where I fell in love with Harry as a person, he was human, but I just didn't enjoy this book at all, the balance was really off. If you're a Prince Charles sympathizer you may enjoy this book more, those who adored Princess Diane, just a warning..the author isn't nice at all. And if you're like me, neutral to all of it, cause frankly my dear, I don't give a darned..then you'll be disappointed at the un-neutral views.

[Amanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was so very excited to finally get my hands on a biography of Prince Harry, as there are so few available! Issued for his 30th birthday, I found it to be a good look at his life. The first 100 pages or so are mostly dedicated to Charles and Diana, and while this is to be expected, I do find it interesting that Junor takes such a strong stance on Charles - she portrays him as misunderstood and emphasizes what a good father he is, and how he tried to salvage the marriage but that Diana was very difficult to be around. I can only imagine that this is to ensure her relationships with those in the Royal household stay strong, as she is the only author that I have ever read that tends to take Charles's side! I find it interesting to read another viewpoint, and I can only imagine that Charles is a good father by the looks of his relationship with both Harry and William! For the same reason, I expect that is why there are only short sections about Chelsy Davy and Cressida Bonas.

Junor speaks to many previous employees and "friends" of Harry and the Royals which paint a nice portrait of Harry - he is by all accounts, a fun loving, kind hearted soul. Junor does touch on many of the "scandals" that he has gotten himself into, but does play these down to his immaturity (in the infamous case of wearing a swastika at a colonial costume party) and in the case of the Las Vegas situation, that he was letting off steam (like any other soldier) before heading off to a war zone. I particularly enjoyed the sections detailing his time in Africa and his desire and success of creating Sentebale, which he is so passionate about. I also enjoyed the sections about his work with the Wounded Warriors and their treks to Antarctica and the North Pole. I did find some of the book to be disjointed, however, as she would discuss his time in Afghanistan, then another chapter about something else unrelated, and then return to more about Afghanistan/his military career. I found it interesting to discover that Harry was often the one to push William into doing the press junkets and that he helped to choose the locale for the photoshoot with William and Charles a few weeks before Diana's death!

I have to say that I do disagree with Junor, as she states in her introduction that we would all be in trouble if Harry was next in line...so silly to speculate, as if he was the heir, he obviously would have had more education on the role and would have to have censored himself more than he has. I find it unfair to make a statement like that when Harry has never had to be groomed for the role, like his brother!

Overall, an interesting read on Prince Harry, though nothing particularly "juicy". It was great to read that he is as down to earth and kind as he seems in the press!

[Garryvivianne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gorgeous Prince Harry. He & his brother William are so distastefully (I think) called "the heir & the spare". As William is in line to be a ruler, then his children, Harry has nothing-BUT he has more freedom. And being the wilder one of the two, this is ok with him. He has more opportunities to fulfill his desires to help people.

The book takes you through the marriage (albeit a dreadful marriage) of his mother, Diana & their father Prince Charles. Talks about how the boys were always painfully aware of the troubles. Of course tho, being Royals, they had a lot of mentors, tutors, someone to help out & teach them the Royal ways, to help them cope thru these miserable moments.

Harry has always been more of a rebel, abd delightfully so. Seems like he is really loved by everyone, he is so down to earth & always ready to help anybody. He is well respected, he is such a good hearted person.

His career as a soldier is also highlighted in this book. Even being a Prince, he becomes an ace Apache pilot & goes off to war. Then he starts these foundations to help soldiers who have been hurt, both mentally & physically. He helps children in Africa who have Aids. When one little child was asked what he thought of the Princes coming for a visit, he said "I want the naughty one." So everybody seems to know of Prince Harry's wildness & fun side.

He hates the paparazzi & rightfully so. He hates being gawked at, but how can you help NOT gawk? I would be right there with the gawkers, cause how many people know a real Prince? (and a very handsome one at that!) But he seems like a wonderful young man, so charming & passionate fighter for great causes. I admire him greatly. Loved reading about him.

[JoyAnna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Written to celebrate Prince Harry's 30th birthday it goes behind the tabloid headlines and shows us a young man living in a glass house where everything that happens to him is in the papers and it appears as if nothing is sacred. I am surprised actually that he has turned out so well considering what he has had to out up with in his life. The book spans his childhood when his parents marriage was disintegrating in the headlines, his role within the royal family as "the spare", some youthful adventures and finally his emergence as an excellent soldier and patron of many worthy causes. The interesting piece of the book is that William who looks so much like his Mother is personality wise very much like his father and Harry is the one that is quite like his Mother in temperament and interests. I skipped a few chapters on his military service which being a woman I found dull. He is recently out of a 2 year relationship as of April 2014 so ladies we still have a chance at getting ourselves a real Prince! Interesting read to royal watchers.

[Mary · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some days, you need a book with clear good guys and bad guys with some power and influence, hewing more or less to my world view. Junor delivers. Her subject comes off marvelously (unlike Princess Diana)! Those Royals have learned a lot since Prince Charles, his ex and his siblings were in the tabloids. Hard not to like Prince William or Prince Harry with their military service, charity work and devotion to duty. Compare them to our political royalty, the Bushes and the Clintons! Then there's the Duchess of Cambridge and her offspring! Unreal. They are playing it out very well. Junor got access to many Harry sources and she probably honors those favors in this book. Her point/warning about the Royals possibly looking ever more isolated with their wealth and its trappings while the world is increasingly divided by the skewed distribution of wealth is a good one. So far, they seem to be well balanced on that tightrope.

[Lauren · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm not a big "royal" follower but I like how Harry has broken the mold a little bit. Unfortunately, the first third of the book made me want to stop reading it. Supposedly it dealt with Harry's childhood before their mother's death, but it was so anti-Diana and inflammatory that I felt like the author had a personal gripe with her. Rarely did it mention Diana's relationship with her boys, instead focusing far too much on Charles and Diana's relationship/s. This causes a huge disconnect when the author later writes about Harry and William's love for their mother and their pleas for people to let her rest in peace. I also found it laughable for the author to compare the prince's upbringing as similar to those of poor and homeless children from broken homes. The rest of the book was mostly rehash of the news, although I did learn a few new things about the 'spare'.

[eyes.2c · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting

I guess I have a soft spot for Harry going back to Diana's death. Whatever you might think about her circumstances, the sorrow is that two little boys lost their mother in a storm of shocking publicity.
One cannot forget the funeral procession scene and that heart tearing single word on Diana's coffin, 'Mummy', placed their by the very young Harry.
All that being said this biography about Harry is just one of many, neither better or less than the other and really, you get little more from this than you would from another form of media.
I was interested in reading about Harry. I wonder what he will do with his life.
I appreciated Junor's last line, 'He may say he's a child at heart, but he's a child with a very old soul.'
I am hopeful that the best for Harry is to come.

A NetGalley ARC

[Tammy Hastings · Rating 1 out of 5]

I received this via First Reads Giveaways.

I really, REALLY disliked it. I loved Princess Diana. I still remember exactly where I was and what I was doing when she was murdered. It broke my heart. She was a beautiful, graceful woman who, despite any flaws, did a lot of good for people. This book was less about Prince Harry's life and more about how awful Di was. Not to mention, there were really no new revelations. Everything in this book has been said before somewhere... news reports, tabloids, etc. It took me AGES to read this book simply because I really had no interest in it. But I trudged my way through it, made it to the end. It was disappointing the whole way through.

[Rho · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great insight to both Harry and William and the roles Harry and his brother play on behalf of the Royal family. Knowing a biography would have to deal with his parents, I did feel that too much was spent on painting Diana in an unfavorable light. Harry has proven himself and must be admired for his successful military career, devotion to wounded warriors and his other charity work. A well written book with a bit too much gossip but still an interesting read.

[Roxanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

I won a copy of this book from GoodReads.

I am a huge Royal Family follower so I tend to read anything and everything about them.

The author didn't really WOW me, but I did enjoy the book.

A confirmation for myself is that I continue to dislike the labels the Brits give to the Royals. Calling someone a SPARE is so not classy.

[Tricia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Forget about Prince William and Kate! It's all about Prince Harry. he makes mistakes, owns up them and keeps pressing forward. He is fun-loving young man, yet, serious, hard working and responsible when he needs to be. A man's man and athletic stud with a heart for children especially those who are suffering. His parents and his nation should be proud! Enjoy the book!

[Nancy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I won this in a Goodreads giveaway.
Not really the celebrity fan girl type so this read like 300+ pages of propaganda. For what it was worth the narrative did flow, but seemed to be a lot of fluff. Anyone who is a follower of the Royals would probably love this book.

[Deann Doolittle · Rating 2 out of 5]

I love Prince Harry! This book had a lot of good information about him but I felt that it brought up a lot more negativity than I would have liked. Even though it may have been true. It was an ok read. I still love Prince Harry!

[Autumn · Rating 2 out of 5]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinion...

[Tasha · Rating 2 out of 5]

Almost everything in the book is just stuff that was reported before.

[Ella Kay · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read my review at The Court Jeweller! http://www.thecourtjeweller.com/2014/...