William and Kate: A Royal Love Story [Hardcover]

Christopher Andersen (Author)

Book Description

Release date: December 21, 2010

I put it to William, particularly, that if you find someone you love in life, you must hang on to that love and look after it. . . . You must protect it. —Diana, Princess of Wales

Theirs was destined from the start to be one of the most celebrated unions of the twenty-first century: he, the charismatic prince who would someday be crowned king of England; she, the stunningly beautiful commoner who won his heart. Prince William and Kate Middleton defied all odds to forge a storybook romance amid the scandals, power struggles, tragedies, and general dysfunction that are the hallmarks of Britain’s Royal Family. In the process, they became the most written about, gossiped about, admired, and envied young couple of their generation.

Yet for most of their nearly decade-long affair, William and Kate have remained famously quiet and kept their royal relationship a tantalizing mystery. Now, as their long-anticipated wedding finally approaches, journalist and #1 New York Times bestselling author Christopher Andersen reveals the intimate details of their celebrated courtship and offers a mesmerizing glimpse of the man and wife—and future king and queen—they will become:

· William’s lifelong role as confidant and adviser to his fragile mother, and how it has shaped his relationship with Kate

· The lengths the couple went to to keep their affair secret, from their first days together as university students (when he cheered her on as she modeled racy lingerie at a fashion show)

· William’s romantic conquests before—and during—his decade-long romance with Kate

· The person who was really behind their headlinemaking breakup—and how Kate won back her prince

· The shocking sex-and-drugs scandals involving Kate’s wild relatives, and how the would-be queen survived them

· The long-troubling influence of William’s substance-abusing aristocrat friends and the depression Kate rescued him from

· Stunning new information on the threats to both their lives, the nightmare scenario that haunts William’s dreams to this day, and their narrow escape from repeating Diana’s fate

· Surprising details on the Queen’s historic plans for William and Kate, which will forever change the face of the monarchy

For many, William and Kate’s union represents an opportunity to recapture the magic—the compelling and complicated legacy—of his beloved mother Diana, Princess of Wales. Part glittering fairy tale, part searing family drama, part political potboiler, part heart-stopping cliff-hanger, theirs is, above all else, an affair to remember.

 

***

 

Theirs is the story of two young people who found each other in college, came perilously close to losing what they had forever, and pulled back from the brink at the last possible moment. Theirs is the story of private moments stolen for public consumption, of harrowing car chases, of scorching personal dramas played out behind the scenes, of calm heads prevailing in times of panic, and of a singular devotion made stronger by time.

The saga of William and Kate is one thing above all else: a love story.

—From William and Kate: A Royal Love Story

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Christopher Andersen is the critically acclaimed author of fifteen New York Times bestsellers which have been translated into more than twenty-five languages worldwide. Two of his books—The Day Diana Died and The Day John Died (about JFK Jr.)—reached #1. Andersen’s other bestselling titles include Mick: The Wild Life and Mad Genius of Jagger, William and Kate: A Royal Love Story, An Affair to Remember, Jackie After Jack, Bill and Hillary, Diana’s Boys, George and Laura, Sweet Caroline, American Evita, Madonna Unauthorized, Barbra: The Way She Is, and Somewhere in Heaven. A former contributing editor of Time magazine and longtime senior editor of People magazine, Andersen has also written hundreds of articles for a wide range of publications, including The New York Times, Life, and Vanity Fair. Andersen has appeared frequently on such programs as the Today show, Good Morning America, NBC Nightly News, Entertainment Tonight, CBS This Morning, Extra, Access Hollywood, The O’Reilly Factor, Fox & Friends, Hardball, Larry King Live, “E” Entertainment, Inside Edition, and more.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: Gallery Books; First Edition edition (December 21, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1451621450
• ISBN-13: 978-1451621457
• Product Dimensions: 6.5 x 1.2 x 9.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (54 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #570,267 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

61 of 64 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars William & Kate- a true royal fairytale? December 21, 2010

By Amy Y. TOP 500 REVIEWER

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

I remember watching in shock, with my family gathered around the television, the night that Princess(not officially by title any longer but perchance by grace alone)Diana died. Certain individuals shine their light such that the whole world is touched and I believe she was truly one of those people. I have, since then, avoided much of the tell-all, sensationalized media and books released. Whatever sordid details people were able to eek out, exaggerate or even manufacture entirely have no interest to me.

This family- royal or no- suffered a terrible tragedy. As a mother, considering another woman's children left motherless strikes a deep chord.

While this book does tell the story of William and Kate and the journey that has led them to a committed relationship- the aspect of this I really enjoyed and found touching was the in depth storytelling by the author of all the background. So much of who these two young people are has been shaped by turbulent times. The author gives us some very true glimpses into the character of William. For example, after years of recurring nightmares of his mother's tragic death he began dreaming and worrying that his beloved Kate would come to the same end. He even considered that maybe he did not have the right to marry her and ask her to put herself in such danger as he perceived.

The author is honest but in a gentle and respectful way. This was a truly enjoyable, quick and easy read since it read so much more as an almost epic tale. I would say it is definitely worth the read if you have any interest at all in the royal family. Don't let the fact that it is a biography put you off- I found it really read easily, much more like a story than anything else.

One thing to mention, this is not JUST about William and Kate- it pulls in an entire ensemble of royal players,primarily so the reader can understand better the choices and actions that have been made.

You will enjoy the pictures, as well. I think a big piece of what made this book so appealing for me is that it did not portray an ultra-biased, oh-they-are-sooo-perfect-picture of their relationship and I know I can relate personally to the rough times that one sometimes must go through when preparing to share a life together.

There are some juicy bits, but the author comes off as very fair minded and sympathetic. Great read and I came away feeling like I knew and understood so much more how the monarchy operates. To the author- well done! To the potential reader- if this subject matter interests you, I think you might find this to be one of the better books available on the topic of the royal family.

42 of 50 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Informative December 18, 2010

By Tina

Format:Hardcover

Although I have never been a huge fan of the Royal family, I have to say that I did admire Diana and, throughout the years, I have made a point of keeping tabs on how her sons were doing.

In fact, I always felt that William was somewhat fascinating and it always amazed me how he seemed to have such a strong relationship with Charles - the man who basically made his mother's life on earth a living hell.

Having said that, I admit that I, obviously, was not privy to the `insider' information and should probably not judge, but I was praying that William would turn out more like his mother and a lot less like his father (physically and otherwise).

Thankfully, William seems to be quite down to earth and I was happy to discover that he chose NOT to be the philandering `future prince' - constantly making certain that he and his antics show up in the press.

I was also very happy to hear about his upcoming nuptials and when I was asked to review William and Kate, the Love Story, I happily did so.

Firstly, this book is incredibly well researched and it is obvious that the writing was done by someone who has more than just a passing interest in the subject matter. All too often, a `cheesy' book will be hastily put together in order to capitalize on the splash of `publicity' (15 minutes of fame?) but this is not the case here.

The author takes us meticulously through the Kate and Will story - with the good and the bad and did a wonderful job of putting the readers in the moment - making us feel as though we were sharing in on some confidences.

I also enjoyed the pictures in the book - many of which I had never seen before.

Although I am sure this book will not be the only one covering Will and Kate, I have no doubt that it will be considered informative AND entertaining.

12 of 14 people found the following review helpful

1.0 out of 5 stars Much gossip and hearsay April 20, 2011

By Reviewer from Queens

Format:Hardcover

I would have given it more stars but from the get go I was turned off by the gossip. This is about the soon to be wed couple, Prince WIlliam and Kate Middleton and a lot of this is comprised of Kate commenting on various aspects of William (even before she met him( and from where did Andersen get this dialogue like what she said when she watched Diana's funeral in 1997. What truly turned me off is Andersen's gossip about Hewitt allegedly being Harry's faher whch I find rather tasteless. Incredibly, he believes Hewitt's change of story that he met Diana in June 1981 not 1986 as he had stated earlier(laughably Hewitt claims he said this under hypnosis-- and claimed he and Diana fell for each other but didn't get intimate until about three months after the birth of WIlliam. I suppose Andersen does this to explain why he doesn't push the innuendos that Hewitt sired William too. He pushes some innuendos about Harry growing to more and more resemble Hewitt --Andersen incredibly says the resemblence is "striking". I think ANdersen should look at pics--Harry look strikingly like CHarles in many pics and resembles a young Prince PHilip, his grandfather. I'm very disappointed in the author for doing this to Harry who is Charles and Diana's son. Andersen writes how Charles and Diana didn't get along while they expecting Harry. Diana told her biographer Morton the time she and CHarles were expecting Harry was the closet they had ever been.

THere are other contentions including how "well" Diana and Charles got along after the divorce. He leaves out that in July 1997 Charles had a lavish birthday party for Camilla which was a major reason Diana left the country to vacation with Mohammed Al Fayed and his family. Incredibly, he claims that Diana advised William "that if you find someone you love in life, you must hang on to that love and look after it..." and that she held up Charles and Camilla as an example of this! Diana was never on record as using Camilla and CHarles' liaison as any sort of example for WIlliam to follow!

Kate in the engagement interview stated she never put up posters of William. Yet Andersen says she did. There' a lot of dialog of what Kate and her family "said" to each other and what Camilla said to Tom Parker Bowles about Kate.How does the author know this exact dialog?

The author talks about Kate and William from their birth to the time William and Kate announced their engagement. As well as some familiar stories such as Kate modeling in her see through dress, the 2007 breakup, the reconciliation, and the ocntroversy caused by Kate' Uncle, Gary Goldsmith.

I would give this book a better rating had Andersen not relied on gossip even believing Hewitt's rants under "hypnosis." Very hurtful to Prince Harry and belied by Harry's striking resemblance to his parents, CHarles and Diana.