Although I think that, at times, some details concerning minor players were overabundant, the whole thing was riveting, and it shed some light on the sometimes unbearable challenges the Royal Family faces ... The Duchess is exceptionally well written ... it is a book I would highly recommend to people in need of inspiration when facing adversity, or even merely for historical reasons; seldom do we really read about how the other half lives, let alone the Monarchy.
...a treacly blend of bodice-ripping and public relations. There are pages and pages about Camilla’s work for a range of social causes that will make eyes everywhere glaze over. Charitable work can be very boring, especially when recounted in punctilious detail ... Mercifully, Ms. Junor is also an avid observer of the non-philanthropic side of life. She delves into the gilded world of Britain’s aristocracy, with its concentric circles of the well-born and the titled ... Ms. Junor’s prose is breathless ... History, Ms. Junor says, will be a kinder judge of Camilla’s story than her contemporaries have been.
If you are already an admirer of Camilla you will find much to validate your views in this book. If you still carry a torch for Princess Diana, probably not ... Junor shows how Camilla's early life was happy and secure ... Nor has she been a stranger to family tragedy, including the deaths of her mother and father, and the recent accidental death of her beloved brother. Since the 2005 wedding, savvy palace public relations have helped make Camilla a less polarizing figure but her own performance has been the most effective influence, Junor shows.
It’s a plodding biography of the Duchess of Cornwall containing almost no new material. What is new is the tone of out and out hagiography. This is an airbrushed Camilla with absolutely no warts at all.
Junor annoyingly throws in superfluous backstory and tangential names that stop the narrative at times, but fans of the royals will find this a satisfying piece of the puzzle.
A witty, colorful portrait of Camilla as human that should offer food for thought for Anglophiles and those seeking an antidote to her toxic reputation.
