Prince Philip: A Biography

This book is more an expanded article for Majesty magazine than a true biography and does not merit the hefty price. It is not bad and is okay for a few hours of easy reading but it is certainly not a thorough and detailed study of complex, intelligent man. Most of the facts and stories are well known. Nothing new is revealed except perhaps his authorship of books on polo, carriage driving and birds, books for a specific audience. Philip does deserve a real biography considering his achievements in conservation and wildlife preservation, various programs for young people, gardening and horticulture, his numerous philantrophic activities, and so on. In the future there could even be an intelligent analysis of his parenting skills, or lack thereof. He has many strengths and not a few faults, but he is certainly an interesting man and has had probably a greater influence on the monarchy than is known.

It seems as if there are two types of Royal biographies. The first are the tell-all, where all the dirty linen is dragged out. These books are usually more entertaining than the second type, which read like press releases from the subjects palace press office. The first kind of bio is more fun but the second is probably more accurate.

Ingrid Seward is the author of quite a few books on the British royal family. Her latest is Prince Philip Revealed: A Man of His Century, and is definitely a biography of the second type. There wasnt much new in the book, and certainly nothing scurrilous was revealed. We learn about his family of birth and his family with Elizabeth, and his role inside the royal family. We learn of his hobbies and his naval career he was forced to leave after his wife succeeded to the throne at a very early age.

I didnt get a whole lot from the Seward book, but it is well written. I can recommend it if you dont know much about the Royal family. Just dont expect fireworks.

I give any author at least 3 stars for the effort it took to produce a book; however, if you have read anything about Prince Phillip at all, then don’t waste your money on this book. It appears Ms. Seward took articles from newspapers and magazines and other authors and compiled a mess of dull information, repeating herself over and over and over. Certain passages of the book are repeated from one chapter to another. Very few direct quotes are attributed to anyone close to PP. This book, for me, was a total waste of money.

Nothing new in this book except a little Prince Andrew and Prince Harry gossip. Seems to be mostly the authors opinion throughout the book. Easy reading, nice photos but just not that interesting and I was looking forward to reading it. Not really worth the money because you can get the exact same info off a Google search or Wiki.

Hes such an unlikeable man who appears to have lived a totally useless life. Very privileged and entitled and reminds me very much of Princess Margaret. Happy I bought a used book because this was one long attempt to justify his angry abusive personality. The author appears to be on a mission to address all the rumors but the book just confirmed the rumors for me.

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