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Charles and Camilla
- Portrait of a Love Affair
- Narrated by: Stephen Thorne
- Length: 13 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged Audiobook
- Categories: Biographies & Memoirs, Entertainment & Celebrities
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Wallis
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Summary
This is a story of the most well documented, most commented on love affair of our times. Yet the personalities behind the facade remain elusive and the nature of their relationship is an enigma. This is the first major biography of Charles and Camilla, two people who have battled against the curious lot that fate has thrown their way.
Gyles Brandreth returns to the same ground as his last book, the bestselling Philip and Elizabeth; Portrait of a Marriage. This again will be a unique royal biography, as the author has met all the principal players, has had privileged access to the royal family. This will be a powerful and revealing portrait of a remarkable relationship, told with authority and insight and illustrated with photographs from the royal collection.
Critic reviews
"Could this be the best book ever written about the Royal Family?... A masterpiece" (Sunday Express)
"Utterly fascinating" (Andrew Marr, Start the Week)
"Highly accomplished... there is much here to entertain and inform" (Sunday Telegraph)
"Completely fascinating - written by the man who really knows" (Richard and Judy)
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What listeners say about Charles and Camilla
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Joan
- 03-03-18
Fascinating Detailed Account Of Royal Life
I loved this book. Gyles Brandreth did extensive research and interviews and he is a great biographer. (And friend of Prince Philip) The detailed history from both families was fascinating and I was completely absorbed throughout. Stephen Thorne is an excellent narrator too, which always makes a difference. I know I will return to this audiobook again and again as there is so much information and dare I say, entertainment,to be had. Gyles covers Charles and Diana’s marriage with honesty too. This is a rich and expansive look at how times have changed for the British Royal Family. I highly recommend this book.
7 people found this helpful
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- Angelcritique
- 05-08-20
Whitwash
I expected this book to be a whitewash of Charles and Camilla's true characters as it's written by a crony of Charles: and I was right. It's just a schmooze of them both. The most interesting aspect is the history of their family relationships. They are related from way back in the day.
After reading biographies written by those with inside knowledge, I think those give a much more accurate account of the POW and his wife. I'm not hopeful of Charles' ability to rule the UK appropriately and would support his being passed over for Wills who I believe would do a good job.
The book though is well written and narrated.
4 people found this helpful
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- Teresa Cooper
- 29-03-16
The fairy tale of Charles and Camilla.
This book has taken me behind the scenes of the events that led up to the marriage of Prince Charles and Camilla the Duchess of Cornwall. It tries tells the story of, in Diana Princess of Wales , a marriage with three people in it. An easy listening book which should appeal to most people.
8 people found this helpful
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- Kindle Customer
- 15-11-21
Consequences responsibilities
It’s very nice they are both happy at long last being together but still there is a part they both played at making someone very unhappy and leading to a death Diana so yes it’s nice that they are both together at last Camilla and Charles but I do think he should be king but she shouldn’t be queen
2 people found this helpful
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- peter cohen
- 16-06-21
A good listen
The only downside to this book was it repetitive nature and questionable accents by narrator!
1 person found this helpful
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- David Mason
- 11-05-21
Disappointing
The first five chapters were a tedious explanation of the history of Charles and Camilas family’s and esp those that had affairs. The second half was very in complimentary lisit of Charles, Diana and camilias affairs. There were moments when I thought to stop the writer seemed intent on the seedy side of their lives. I will certainly not read any other books by this author. He claimed he wrote a sympathetic version of events I hardly think if someone wrote a book about him in such a vein he would feel it was sympathetic .
1 person found this helpful
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- L. E. Wickings
- 21-06-22
Slow start but improves with age
Unnecessary slow start covering way too much history off subject. Nearly gave up reading altogether
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- Pita
- 16-12-14
Enjoyable but not "juicy"
What did you like best about Charles and Camilla? What did you like least?
I was in the mood for something gossipy, so I picked this up. I should have known that everything that could be said about Charles and Camilla has already been said. She made better copy as a Mistress than she does as a wife. There is a lot about the Diana days here (way too much). And there is a fairly long section about the infidelities of several monarchs of old...interesting information but not well integrated within this narrative.
What does Stephen Thorne bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?
The best part of this listen was the narrator, who was pitch perfect. Although the book has no new information, it is fairly well written so the narrator was able to make it flow.
Do you think Charles and Camilla needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?
Goodness, no.
11 people found this helpful
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- Barbara Kindle Customer
- 11-12-14
Nothing New and Yet Still Sad
I am glad I bought the audiobook because I love Stephen Thorne's voice. But as much as I love history, I really didn't need a review of the extramarital affairs of British rulers, beginning with an Anglo Saxon King, rocketing on through James II, William and Mary, not of course skipping the Regency, Wallis Simpson, and everyone in between. We hear about Camilla's childhood, the Prince of Wales childhood, Diana's childhood, (of course she was still in her teens when she became engaged to the Prince of Wales, and btw what was her family thinking). We hear again about Diana's feelings about Charles and Camilla, and a discussion of whether they were founded. (duh) We hear the famous phone conversation between Charles and Camilla which was illicitly recorded.
I expect I am not the only person who wanted to know how these people survived the firestorm surrounding their relationship for so many years, and was naive enough to expect it to be told in a book. How have they survived such personal vilification, from being accused of bringing down the Monarchy, to being really repulsive people. Obviously many marriages crumple under much less pressure. Still these two people are still clinging to each other.
The author of this book, and his unnamed friends of the Royals, state repeatedly that the Prince of Wales and his Duchess are not talking to the press. Finally a little dignity in silence. Still I would like to know how they stood the pressure, without turning on each other, and just not giving in and giving up.
I bought this audiobook on impulse. I wish I had not.
17 people found this helpful
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- E747TX
- 11-09-15
The title should be "Finding Charles and Camilla"
Would you try another book from Gyles Brandreth and/or Stephen Thorne?
...Because most of the book is about many, many royals and not so much about Camilla and Charles.
It's interesting, although not new nor revolutionary. It basically recounts stories from the
Victorian era to this days.
If you are looking for some juicy secrets, then you'll get disappointed.
2 people found this helpful
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- seethruyou
- 09-01-15
May be the worst book i have ever read
Would you try another book from Gyles Brandreth and/or Stephen Thorne?
no
What was most disappointing about Gyles Brandreth’s story?
way too much detail about relatives
Would you be willing to try another one of Stephen Thorne’s performances?
maybe
If you could play editor, what scene or scenes would you have cut from Charles and Camilla?
boring detail about family. mainly Camilla, Told me way more than I wanted to know about her family
9 people found this helpful
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- Customer
- 25-03-15
Interesting
Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?
I am not sure.
Has Charles and Camilla turned you off from other books in this genre?
No.
What does Stephen Thorne bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?
He is a great reader and does a very good job.
Could you see Charles and Camilla being made into a movie or a TV series? Who should the stars be?
Yes.
3 people found this helpful
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- Kindle Customer
- 07-12-15
The Real Inside Story
This is a fair and far more accurate portrait of the future King and Queen than most of the books published about them in the last twenty-five years. Excellent narration of a well documented and well-researched biography.
1 person found this helpful