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William: HRH Prince William of Wales
As the boy prince turns into the man who would be king, interest in Prince William is at an unprecedented height in 2003, the year of his twenty-first birthday. Seen as the vital link between the traditions of the Royal Family and the more populist, modern approach of his late mother, Diana, Princess of Wales, William has become an icon and pin-up as well as the future of the monarchy. This pictorial celebration features hundreds of photographs of William at work and at play by Tim Graham, the foremost photographer in this field. These beautiful photographs are accompanied by a unique insight into William's life by Peter Archer, the only journalist to interview the prince and be accredited to Buckingham Palace and St James's Palace. Elegant and revealing, William is not just a landmark in royal publishing but a beautiful celebration of this special year in the prince's life.
- GenresBiography
224 pages, Paperback
First published May 6, 2003
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
February 13, 2014
Nice complement to Kate: The Future Queen, a book I impulsively picked up from a local library display.
April 21, 2022
2.5 stars. Found this while sorting through my memoirs and biographies, pulling ones I could get rid of. I almost decided not to read this, but then it was short, so I figured why not.
It reads more like a series of tabloid articles and press releases. More than half photos of Prince William, who was exceptionally photogenic as a child and teen (from these photos, it seems he never had acne or an awkward stage). A nice layout and quality, though no effort to match the photos with the text. This book was published the year he turned 21 and I think it was aimed at young women who had a crush on William and fans of royals. The content is drawn from published articles and statements, with the authors speculating on what William may actually be like or what he thinks, and a smattering of public statements. There’s no real insight here, and it seems there’s nothing original to this book.
Apart from noting he was a rambunctious toddler, it’s all positive. But then, it would be hard to make it negative. It spins a bit negative toward Diana at times, while noting Prince Charles was a good father. It’s not at all critical of the media and paparazzi, despite Diana’s death which gets surprisingly little attention. The authors even state that William has no choice but to acceppt the media or abdicate the throne. While there are no author bios, I assume the authors are journalists and possibly part of the paparazzi, just from that and the style and content of the writing.
The one interesting thing is a paragraph about one of William’s flat mates his second year of university, Kate Middleton. It only notes they have a lot in common, naming a few things, then that friends insist they’re just friends. The chapter that follows focuses on William’s love life, but doesn’t mention his future wife at all. So either the authors were being discreet, or, more likely, were unaware. I actually don’t know much about their relationship apart from that they married and have children, so maybe they were living together as just friends. At any rate, I’m impressed that despite worldwide scrutiny he was and is able to have something of a private life.
It reads more like a series of tabloid articles and press releases. More than half photos of Prince William, who was exceptionally photogenic as a child and teen (from these photos, it seems he never had acne or an awkward stage). A nice layout and quality, though no effort to match the photos with the text. This book was published the year he turned 21 and I think it was aimed at young women who had a crush on William and fans of royals. The content is drawn from published articles and statements, with the authors speculating on what William may actually be like or what he thinks, and a smattering of public statements. There’s no real insight here, and it seems there’s nothing original to this book.
Apart from noting he was a rambunctious toddler, it’s all positive. But then, it would be hard to make it negative. It spins a bit negative toward Diana at times, while noting Prince Charles was a good father. It’s not at all critical of the media and paparazzi, despite Diana’s death which gets surprisingly little attention. The authors even state that William has no choice but to acceppt the media or abdicate the throne. While there are no author bios, I assume the authors are journalists and possibly part of the paparazzi, just from that and the style and content of the writing.
The one interesting thing is a paragraph about one of William’s flat mates his second year of university, Kate Middleton. It only notes they have a lot in common, naming a few things, then that friends insist they’re just friends. The chapter that follows focuses on William’s love life, but doesn’t mention his future wife at all. So either the authors were being discreet, or, more likely, were unaware. I actually don’t know much about their relationship apart from that they married and have children, so maybe they were living together as just friends. At any rate, I’m impressed that despite worldwide scrutiny he was and is able to have something of a private life.
June 2, 2025
Although he is now 40 it was good to read back to see what his young life was like. Amazing colour photos.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews