Philip

The Final Portrait - THE INSTANT SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER

By: Gyles Brandreth

Narrated by: Gyles Brandreth

Elizabeth, their marriage and their dynasty.

This is the story of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh - the longest-serving consort to the longest-reigning sovereign in British history. It is an extraordinary story, told with unique insight and authority by an author who knew the prince for more than forty years.

Philip - elusive, complex, controversial, challenging, often humorous, sometimes irascible - is the man Elizabeth II once described as her 'constant strength and guide'. Who was he? What was he really like? What is the truth about those 'gaffes' and the rumours of affairs? This is the final portrait of an unexpected and often much-misunderstood figure. It is also the portrait of a remarkable marriage that endured for more than seventy years.

Philip and Elizabeth were both royal by birth, both great-great-grandchildren of Queen Victoria, but, in temperament and upbringing, they were two very different people. The Queen's childhood was loving and secure, the Duke's was turbulent; his grandfather assassinated, his father arrested, his family exiled, his parents separated when he was only ten. Elizabeth and Philip met as cousins in the 1930s. They married in 1947, aged twenty-one and twenty-six.

Philip: The Final Portrait tells the story of two contrasting lives, assesses the Duke of Edinburgh's character and achievement, and explores the nature of his relationships with his wife, his children and their families - and with the press and public and those at court who were suspicious of him in the early days. This is a powerful, revealing and, ultimately, moving account of a long life and a remarkable royal partnership.

(P)2021 Hodder & Stoughton Limited©2021 Gyles Brandreth

Some new information and a view of the royal marriage from someone who saw it in private moments

Detailed lineages which I didn’t always follow; probably would have been better in print. However, the book was full of what felt like insider information which I found interesting. The author is respectful of Prince Philip and Queen Elizabeth, both of whom he genuinely admired.  The author’s narration is very easy and pleasant to listen to.  The book held my interest from beginning to end. 

Interesting Life

Good review of Phillip’s life and his relationship with the Queen. Although the author is very much on Philip’s side, there was a lot of interesting details. He had a really unstable childhood by today’s standards but he didn’t seem to feel sorry for himself. He just kept going.

Prince Phillip presented as complex

Very good history of Prince Phillip as unapologetic as the man himself. The look at his life is one of the best biographies on a Royal I had ever read. 100 years of a well rounded and hard working man. Loved it.

Great book.

Loved it! All the personal, thoughts and insights were enjoyable. Any royal lover will appreciate this book.

Post mortem Philip

The author reissued his earlier biography of Prince Philip soon after the Duke’s death. A warm, interesting, clever personal portrait that left me an admirer of the man.
Gyles Brandreth’s narration added to the enjoyment.
Just one small faux pas, perhaps he misspoke but the current new Prince of Wales will be a future William V, not William III.