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War of the Windsors

The Inside Story of Charles, Andrew and the Rivalry That Has Defined the Royal Family

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War of the Windsors

By: Nigel Cawthorne
Narrated by: Samuel Hill
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About this listen

 Telling the story of their lives from children to modern day, this fascinating and revelatory new book will look at the fraught relationship (and fiery rivalry) between King Charles and Prince Andrew.

Raised for vastly different futures, one burdened with the responsibility of becoming the future king and the other destined to live in his shadow, Charles and Andrew have spent their lives on different sides of the same coin.

War of the Windsors tells, for the first time, the complete story of Charles and Andrew from their diverging childhoods to their current struggles. It looks at the distinct but overlapping stories of the two heirs, from being separated in their early years and the Queen's supposed overindulgence of Andrew to the competition for Lady Diana and finally, Charles' ascension to throne while his brother is stripped of Royal duties. And it explores whether, with the scandals around Andrew still fresh in public memory, Charles will ever let his brother back into the family.

With extensive research and expert sourcing, War of the Windsors is the incredible inside story of a family in turmoil. Recounting the highs and lows of a brotherhood then turned into a rivalry, royal author and journalist Nigel Cawthorne looks at the makings of a decades long feud and questions whether, ultimately, the brothers will one day band together again. Dysfunctional Families Historical Parenting & Families Politics & Activism Relationships Royalty War
All stars
Most relevant
Put together with the minimum of effort and depth. You'll lose count of the number of cliches and tropes.

Not worth your attention

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The first half of the book was well written and interesting.

When it reached what happened since Camilla and Charles have come to the Crown though, it wanders off through finances and money. I wanted to continue hearing about what they are doing as king and queen, and how they’ve dealt with Andrew.

But chapter after chapter just rants on about costs, settlements etc. And the book became monotonous and boring. Nothing about how the king has done so well.

Biased.

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Well performed and interesting but seems quite biased. Major events in modern royal history are glossed over or only mentioned in passing, without being unpacked to show their broader impact on Andrew and Charles. I was expecting more insight on their own relationship. There is some but not much. The timeline seems to jump around a lot too. The queen's death, the accession and coronation are dealt with in just 11 minutes, with not much insight into what might come next. It just felt a little lightweight.

Leaves a lot out

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While aspects of this hyperbolic book seem valid, it reads like a patchwork of allegations from The Sun and The Daily Mail. And overly ‘informed’ by The Crown. Or perhaps as Alice, in Alice in Wonderland, cries out in her waking dream at the fantasy’s end, “You’re nothing but a pack of cards”. Not a book to be read more than once, if that.

Nigel Cawthorne, The war of the Windsors.

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Well written insight into Charles and Andrew - most has all been in the public domain but this brings it all together - fuel for anti royalists

Entertaining and informative

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