H.R.H. [Hardcover]

Danielle Steel (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 31, 2006

In a novel where ancient traditions conflict with reality and the pressures of modern life, a young European princess proves that simplicity, courage, and dignity win the day and forever alter her world.

 

In blue jeans and a pullover, Princess Christianna is a young woman of her times: born in Europe, educated in America, worried about the future of the world she lives in, responsible beyond her years. Christianna is the only daughter of the Reigning Prince of a European nation that takes its royalty seriously–and her father has ironclad plans for Christianna’s life, a burden that is almost unbearable.

 

Now, after four years at Berkeley, life in her father’s palace cannot distract Christianna from what she sees outside the kingdom–the suffering of children, the ravages of terrorism and disease. Determined to make a difference in the world, she persuades His Royal Highness, her father, to let her volunteer for the Red Cross in East Africa. And for Christianna, a journey of discovery, change, and awakening begins.

 

Under a searing East African sun, Christianna plunges into the dusty, bustling life of an international relief camp, finding a passion and a calling among the brave doctors and volunteers. Finally free from the scrutiny of her royal life, Christianna struggles to keep her identity a secret from her new friends and coworkers–even from Parker Williams, the young doctor from Doctors Without Borders who works alongside Christianna and shares her dedication to healing. But as violence approaches and invades the camp, and the pressures of her royal life beckon her home, Christianna’s struggle for freedom takes an extraordinary turn. By a simple twist of fate, in one shocking moment, Christianna’s life is changed forever–in ways she never could have foreseen.

 

From the splendor of a prince’s palace to the chaos of war-torn nations, Danielle Steel takes us into fascinating new worlds. Filled with unforgettable images and a remarkable cast of characters, H.R.H. is a novel of the conflict between old and new worlds, responsibility versus freedom, and duty versus love.

 

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Poor Christianna, princess of Liechtenstein. Fettered by duty and tradition, her existence is an "achingly boring" slog of ribbon cuttings and state dinners, further straitened by her ever-present retinue of bodyguards and the specter of paparazzi. She longs to do something meaningful with her life; opportunity knocks when she gets a chance to volunteer at a Red Cross AIDS clinic in Africa. Bodyguards in tow, Christianna ministers to the diseased, while colleagues and African peasants alike bask in her royal glow: after all, "she was both grace and gentleness itself." There's even a handsome Doctor Without Borders to fall in love with, but alas! her father forbids her to marry a "commoner." There are further obstacles, and further global adventures. The cast is bland, the incidental shopping perfunctory, the sex tasteful and appropriate. Christianna's cousin Victoria—ditzy and decadent in her jeans and tiara—makes a tantalizing cameo, but Steel (550 million copies sold) spends a great deal of time on the details of Christianna's jet-set activism ("she stayed away from dairy products in Africa"). (Oct. 31)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

The latest novel by the prolific Steel follows the fortunes of the young, wealthy, and beautiful Princess Christianna, the cosseted daughter of the prince of a small European nation. Returning to the kingdom after four years spent studying in America (followed everywhere by bodyguards), the princess chafes in her gilded cage and rails against the responsibilities and insignificance of her duty-bound royal life. Determined to make a difference in the world, she successfully petitions her father to be allowed to volunteer for the Red Cross and soon finds herself in East Africa working alongside doctors and other volunteers providing relief services to AIDS victims. Inevitably, in Africa she meets and falls in love with a handsome Harvard-educated doctor and is quite happy for the first time in her life, doing hard but meaningful work and spending time with her soul mate. When violence intrudes upon this idyll, Christianna must return home, where her father promptly quashes the relationship with the commoner. As the two lovers pine for each other from opposite ends of the earth, a series of events is unleashed leaving the princess in charge of her own destiny and ultimately reuniting the pair. Steel's fans will be waiting for this one. Kathleen Hughes
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 323 pages
• Publisher: Delacorte Press; First Printing edition (October 31, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0385338295
• ISBN-13: 978-0385338295
• Product Dimensions: 6.5 x 1.4 x 9.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (56 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #813,126 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Danielle Steel has been hailed as one of the world's most popular authors, with over 590 million copies of her novels sold. Her many international bestsellers include 44 Charles Street, Legacy, Family Ties, Big Girl, Southern Lights, Matters of the Heart, One Day at a Time, and other highly acclaimed novels. She is also the author of His Bright Light, the story of her son Nick Traina's life and death.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A Nice Story, but a little blah, March 29, 2007

By 

H. Richmond - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: H.R.H. (Hardcover)

This story was about a Princess who wanted to use her life to do something meaninful. She feels trapped in her life of royalty because it is so restrictive to her. She is finally allowed to go to Africa to work for a short time with the Red Cross, and meets a man there. He is not Royalty, so this causes a big problem for them.

This book was nice, but it was not very captivating. The characters were pretty cut and dry and not very interesting. The Princess was perfect and studious, the Prince (her father) was loving and controlling, and her brother was wild and irresponsible. Also, the story was very repetitive, and the main thoughts and ideas of the characters were told to you instead of the reader pieicing together and actually thinking about the characters and situations. Most of the story and events were told and explained with out using dialogue or the characters own thoughts. This was an okay story but I would only recommend it for someone who has an intense interest in working with Red Cross Relief or an interest in modern day lives of royalty.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Looooooong winded drivel, October 18, 2007

By 

Sophia Burns - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: H.R.H. (Mass Market Paperback)

I love reading, and I actually like Mrs Steels' books very much. So when I saw this book in the local supermarket, I happily grabbed it.

What a disappointment! I should have read the reviews first and saved the money... what a horrible piece of drivel. As other readers said, it's repetitive, boring, and long winded. The Royal Highness is altogether too perfect, if I ever met such a person in real life I'd scream! After the umtieth description of her boredom and what was requiered of her, I wanted to yell "Yes I KNOW, get on with it!"

And when she finally did get on with it, things didn't get better....... my advice is don't waste your money on this book, borrow it from the library instead.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Delightful&Touching, November 8, 2006

By 

Rosa "Bookworm" (Detroit,MichiganUSA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: H.R.H. (Hardcover)

I love this novel. Christianna is caught between loyalty to the crown and duty to her heart. Finds life as a royal boring into she goes to Africa where she finds purpose and love. But the love of her life is a commoner. What is she to do? This novel has plenty of suspense and surprise. You will find this book worth reading.