The Making of a King: King Charles III and the Modern Monarchy

by Robert Hardman Narrated by Robert Hardman

Overview

Notes From Your Bookseller

The story of King Charles III and the road he took to the throne. This exhaustive look at the man who became king is unmatched in its detail and dedication and is written with a panache that makes it all the more accessible.

No British monarch has had a tougher act to follow. Now, after seventy years of waiting and preparation, King Charles III is not just the head of the most famous family in the world. He is the custodian of a thousand-year-old institution that must redefine its place in the digital age while others insist on rewriting the past. With unrivaled access to the king, the royal family, and the court, leading royal authority Robert Hardman brings us the inside story on the most pivotal and challenging year for the monarchy in living memory. From the death of Elizabeth II through to the ancient spectacle of the Coronation, from the rise of a new Prince and Princess of Wales to the latest truth bombs from the Sussexes, this is the story of the making of a monarch.

Editorial Reviews

Andrew Roberts

He did it with Elizabeth II and now he has done it again with Charles III. Robert Hardman is the unsurpassed grand master when it comes to the inside story of the modern monarchy. Full of surprises and glorious detail.

From the Publisher

Praise for Queen of Our Times:

The Sunday Times Book of the Year

The Washington Post

"An impressive account."

The Washington Times

"A stunning, intimate recapitulation of the king’s first year. Readers are treated to a fast-paced inside view of royal life’s intricacies. With Mr. Hardman’s sources and experience––he interviewed the king several times when Charles turned 60 and produced a BBC documentary on the king’s first year––The Making of a King is an up-close-and-personal look at a world most readers will never directly experience."

Town & Country

"Robert Hardman's new biography takes us inside the first year of Charles's reign. A can't miss book for royal watchers."

The Times (London)

There are a lot of royal books out there, but Robert Hardman’s majestic treatment of the late Queen reigns glorious over all of them. An impeccably researched front-row seat to a remarkable, gilded and long life.

Simon Sebag Montefiore

A superb, fascinating account of the new King, his court and the first year of his reign, elegantly written, deeply researched, impeccably sourced and filled with scoops and new details by the most authoritative of royal historians writing today. This is the definitive book.

Town & Country

"Robert Hardman's new biography takes us inside the first year of Charles's reign. A can't miss book for royal watchers."

Booklist (starred)

Hardman insightfully addresses the queen’s royal tours, state visits of foreign leaders to London, her leadership in the evolution of her position as head of the Commonwealth, her participation in the special relationship with the U.S., and the role of the royal yacht, Britannia, in spreading the goodwill of the queen globally. Throughout, Hardman's analysis is discerning, knowledgeable, and fascinating.

BBC Entertainment

An intimate portrait of the Royal commitments at home and abroad. Provides an exceptional insight into the work of the Queen and other members of the Royal Family.

Professor Peter Hennessy

This is a beautifully crafted, deeply informed, and rounded portrait of the gold standard monarch and the age to which she has given her name. Robert Hardman’s Queen of Our Times has depth, feeling, and insight in abundance.

The Spectator

Hardman’s book, filled with new details, will be an essential source for any historian of modern Britain. It’s also a glorious read."

Open Letters Review

A vivid international tenor separating it from the long shelf of previous Elizabeth II biographies. The result of this new approach is that rarest of rarities: a Queen Elizabeth II book that’s actually different from all the other Queen Elizabeth II books. That the book should also be so consistently entertaining is something of a royal bonus.

Library Journal

02/05/2024

Daily Mail writer Hardman (Queen of Our Times) has had unrivaled access to King Charles III and to other members of the royal family throughout the years. In this biography, he gives a thorough account of the king. That includes his childhood; education; his work as Prince of Wales; his marriage to Lady Diana Spencer and the births of their two sons; their divorce and his marriage to Camilla Parker Bowles; and his increasing responsibilities as the queen's health declined. The author offers a detailed account of the queen's final days her death, her funeral, and the transition to Charles III as monarch. The events of his coronation are also recounted. Unfortunately, Hardman shows an obvious bias against Harry and Meghan, so many readers will likely conclude that he didn't even try to see their side of the story. VERDICT This title delivers a quite informative and historic account of events from Queen Elizabeth's passing to Charles's first year as King. Royal fans will appreciate this work, but the book's portrayals of Harry and Meghan may come across as unfair to some readers.—Lucy Heckman

Kirkus Reviews

2024-01-18
A deft mixture of reportage, history, and prediction, this first look at the early days of Charles III’s reign is both an authoritative guide and savory catnip for royal watchers.

Hardman, the well-known chronicler of the House of Windsor (Queen of Our Times, Her Majesty, etc.), predictably opens with a review of Queen Elizabeth II’s reign and of the extravagant funeral that followed her death. Then the author moves on to Charles’ early command of the royal household, coronation, and initial acts and decisions. For many readers, the book’s greatest contribution will be what Hardman reveals about the structure, operations, norms, and responsibilities of kingship today. Yes, we learn a great deal about the the royal family and its members, but the author also provides inside looks at the kingdom’s Privileged Bodies, the 27 “illustrious institutions” of which the monarch is head, and of the numerous other bureaus, offices, and office-holders many of us may not know. Hardman shows a king impatient with many ancient rituals and, less traditionalist than his mother, already at work to trim them, and he offers a sober forecast about the three principle issues that will require Charles’ attention in the coming years—race relations at home, the future relationship of his overseas realms to the mother country, and anti-monarchism within Britain—all competing for attention with the king’s long personal involvement in environmental issues. The author demonstrates his unique access to a wide range of people, and he sympathetically portrays Charles as an intelligent, engaged, serious, and well-informed man whose reign, he argues, has already shown him to be “authentic.” Central to the narrative is the author’s sense that Charles, determined to open up the monarchy and reduce its size and cost, will reign with “informal formality.”

A deeply sourced, delightful introduction to the newest British king.

Product Details

BN ID:	2940160188980
Publisher:	Dreamscape Media
Publication date:	01/18/2024
Edition description:	Unabridged
Sales rank:	1,113,599

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