Tom Bower (1) (1946–)

A well-researched hatchet-job. I came away with the impression that Blair spent his time as Prime Minister demanding ‘change’ in government departments without having much idea or giving any direction in what exactly he wanted to achieve. Money thrown at the NHS and education, seemingly without any improvements. And his time spent following his Premiership spent amassing millions while globe-trotting across the world hiring himself out to the highest bidder.

Reading this in 2023, the chaos in No 10 seems par for the course. But Bower is so consistently negative about his subject that I don’t think I received a completely rounded or fair portrait.… (más)

Rebel King: The Making of a Monarch was originally published under the title Rebel Prince in 2018. Tom Bower updated his biography of King Charles III and I found it to be quite revealing about why his son Harry behaves the way he does. It's a matter of like father like son. Please note that my review contains spoilers.

The publisher's summary:

King Charles III faces many challenges as he succeeds his mother to the throne. Despite his hard work and genuine concern for the disadvantaged, King Charles III has struggled in the past to overcome his unpopularity. After Diana’s death, his approval rating crashed to four per cent and has been only rescued by his marriage to Camilla.

In unearthing many secrets and dramas surrounding King Charles, Bower’s book, relies on the testimony from over 120 people employed or welcomed into the inner sanctum. The result is a book which uniquely probes the character and court of Charles that no one, until now, has seen. It offers an unrivalled and intimate look at King Charles, his many years as heir and how a monarch was made.

What struck me the most was how similar Prince Harry's behavior is to Charles' behavior. The public seems to believe that Harry is an aberration in the royal family. He's not. Charles has behaved the same way his entire life. Charles has never had to pay for his mistakes whether they be personal or professional. Charles has also had his fair share of sex scandals although they have been mostly covered up. Charles is no different than his brother Andrew in that he associated with a pedophile and met women through that association. However, Charles knew to keep his mouth shut and let the coutiers handle it. Andrew didn't.

Tom Bower wrote that Charles suffers from depression and that his grandmother, the Queen Mother, helped him deal with it. The depression began in early childhood when his parents were away on royal tours. I presume there is an abandonment issue here. How could there not be? I was also surprised to learn that Charles had a plan to make Camilla his wife from the day of his divorce from Princess Diana. Many of his coutiers actions in this vain were nullified by continual newspaper accounts of Charles' misbehavior.

This book is an eye opening account of Charles' life with names, dates and details of every significant event in his life. My expectations for the book were low but I found it to be enlightening.… (más)

I read this book not really knowing what to expect but did end up enjoying it. The author certainly did his research and, I have to admit, I have never been a Meghan Markle fan so the things that came out in this book didn’t really surprise me and my opinion of her definitely hasn’t changed. In fact it’s made me realise what a manipulative, narcissistic person she is. I know this is only my opinion and others feel differently about her but I think she saw Harry coming and went out of her way to land him.… (más)