What do you think?
Rate this book
Kate!: The Courage, Grace, and Power of the Woman Who Will Be Queen
- GenresNonfictionBiography
336 pages, Hardcover
Published May 5, 2026
About the author
Christopher Andersen
56 books220 followersLibrarian’s note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
Christopher Peter Andersen is an American journalist and the author of 32 books, including many bestsellers. A graduate of the University of California at Berkeley, Andersen joined the staff of Time Magazine as a contributing editor in 1969. From 1974 to 1986 Andersen was senior editor of Time Incorporated's People Magazine. He has also written for a wide range of publications, including The New York Times, The New York Daily News, Life, and Vanity Fair.
While his early nonfiction books veered from psychology (The Name Game) to true crime (The Serpent's Tooth) to art collecting ('The Best of Everything', with former Sotheby's chairman John Marion), he is best known for his controversial biographies. Between 1991 and 2011, he published 14 New York Times bestselling biographies. Andersen wrote Mick: The Wild Life and Mad Genius of Jagger to mark the 50th anniversary of the Rolling Stones in July 2012. The book quickly became Andersen's 15th New York Times bestseller.
Christopher Peter Andersen is an American journalist and the author of 32 books, including many bestsellers. A graduate of the University of California at Berkeley, Andersen joined the staff of Time Magazine as a contributing editor in 1969. From 1974 to 1986 Andersen was senior editor of Time Incorporated's People Magazine. He has also written for a wide range of publications, including The New York Times, The New York Daily News, Life, and Vanity Fair.
While his early nonfiction books veered from psychology (The Name Game) to true crime (The Serpent's Tooth) to art collecting ('The Best of Everything', with former Sotheby's chairman John Marion), he is best known for his controversial biographies. Between 1991 and 2011, he published 14 New York Times bestselling biographies. Andersen wrote Mick: The Wild Life and Mad Genius of Jagger to mark the 50th anniversary of the Rolling Stones in July 2012. The book quickly became Andersen's 15th New York Times bestseller.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
May 31, 2026
In KATE!, bestselling author Christopher Andersen offers a vibrant portrait of Kate Middleton, the wife of England’s Prince William.
A commoner whose ancestors worked as coal miners, Kate’s early years did not presage her rise to the complexities of royalty and constant attention by the media. Yet she had both nerve and verve, and she did not fear being in the limelight, ever since she first caught William’s eye as a fashion model at Saint Andrews University. Their meeting in 2001 soon led to shared quarters and, 10 years later, the “Wedding of the Century” at Westminster Abbey.
This fascinating upward trajectory is deftly detailed by Andersen. Unlike most of the royal and elite company she would keep, Kate enjoyed talking directly to members of the public, asking questions, smiling, and generally ingratiating herself with ordinary folk while acting as the future wife of a future king. She has made many inroads into charitable, humanitarian causes and has charmed such world leaders as Barack Obama, Donald Trump and Emmanuel Macron with her well-honed understanding of international relations and England’s role in them.
Kate maintained a rather ordinary lifestyle while William served in the military. As seen by Andersen, she had a recognizable “human touch.” Though she was noted for her unique, fashionable wardrobe, “there was nothing stiff or formal about her.” These charms have persisted over the years of her marriage, the births of three children, the rifts between William and his brother Harry, the burdens of suppressing personal desires to promote the royal family’s image and the nation’s best interests, and her own battle with cancer.
Andersen’s extensive writing career has focused often on English royalty (THE DAY DIANA DIED, THE KING: The Life of Charles III), as well as American notables (AN AFFAIR TO REMEMBER: The Remarkable Love Story of Katharine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy, JACK AND JACKIE: Portrait of an American Marriage). He calls his latest work a “Cinderella story,” the stirring romance between a woman who grew up in public housing and a man who was raised in a palace.
This inspiring account of Kate and her remarkable fate, along with private views that are amusing, poignant and sometimes shocking, will satisfy readers while giving them a hint at a future work --- when Kate becomes Queen.
Reviewed by Barbara Bamberger Scott
A commoner whose ancestors worked as coal miners, Kate’s early years did not presage her rise to the complexities of royalty and constant attention by the media. Yet she had both nerve and verve, and she did not fear being in the limelight, ever since she first caught William’s eye as a fashion model at Saint Andrews University. Their meeting in 2001 soon led to shared quarters and, 10 years later, the “Wedding of the Century” at Westminster Abbey.
This fascinating upward trajectory is deftly detailed by Andersen. Unlike most of the royal and elite company she would keep, Kate enjoyed talking directly to members of the public, asking questions, smiling, and generally ingratiating herself with ordinary folk while acting as the future wife of a future king. She has made many inroads into charitable, humanitarian causes and has charmed such world leaders as Barack Obama, Donald Trump and Emmanuel Macron with her well-honed understanding of international relations and England’s role in them.
Kate maintained a rather ordinary lifestyle while William served in the military. As seen by Andersen, she had a recognizable “human touch.” Though she was noted for her unique, fashionable wardrobe, “there was nothing stiff or formal about her.” These charms have persisted over the years of her marriage, the births of three children, the rifts between William and his brother Harry, the burdens of suppressing personal desires to promote the royal family’s image and the nation’s best interests, and her own battle with cancer.
Andersen’s extensive writing career has focused often on English royalty (THE DAY DIANA DIED, THE KING: The Life of Charles III), as well as American notables (AN AFFAIR TO REMEMBER: The Remarkable Love Story of Katharine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy, JACK AND JACKIE: Portrait of an American Marriage). He calls his latest work a “Cinderella story,” the stirring romance between a woman who grew up in public housing and a man who was raised in a palace.
This inspiring account of Kate and her remarkable fate, along with private views that are amusing, poignant and sometimes shocking, will satisfy readers while giving them a hint at a future work --- when Kate becomes Queen.
Reviewed by Barbara Bamberger Scott
May 27, 2026
I really enjoyed the audiobook of this. Kate is an inspiration!
June 19, 2026
There wasn’t much in this book I hadn’t read or heard before about my favorite royal, but an easy read to add to my nonfiction book goal of the year.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews