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Rating: 
Summary: Campbell examines select English royal marriages.
Review: Campbell's book examines select English royal marriages with a decidedly unjournalistic bias and omission of historical facts. Starting with the marriage of King George V through the (unsuccessful) unions of Prince Charles, Princess Anne and Prince Andrew, Campbell weaves a wobbly tale that leaves the reader wondering what her editor was thinking. Jumping back and forth between flashes forward and flashes backwards, liberally sprinkling text with official royal names, legal names and pet names (and never explaining that she's actually referring to the same person), she has a gossipy, insider style that can be considered engaging, but unfortunately, only to the expert royal watcher (who will be the only person(s) who will understand what and who she's talking about). The same story/tidbit/personality traits are repeated with the same goofy enthusiasm ("Andrew and Sarah were intensely sexual." When Campbell favors a royal, it is no secret. She takes the unpopular (at least here in the US) position of admiring the Duke and Duchess of Windsor (who in her opinion, were merely misunderstood) -- and never mentioning their sympathetic friendship with Hitler (documented in 1938 with photographic evidence). Campbell is very harsh on the late Princess Diana, makes excuses for Charles' cold treatment -- and affair with Camilla Parker Bowles. Of the famous "tampax" recorded discussion between the long-time lovers Campbell writes, "They exchange the usual intimacies of people who are in love and at ease with one another." She lambasts the much less embarrasing "Squigygate" tapes and continually refers to Diana as vain and mentally unbalanced. Campbell uses the term "Birdbrained Spendthirft" often to describe Diana, while in the next chapter actually saintifying (if there's such a word) Sarah Ferguson, whose well-publicized dalliances are dismissed because Prince Andrew remained devoted, obsessed and forgiving. (And, to this reader, as "thick" as his former lovers dub him.) True, this was written before Diana's death, but the late Princess of Wales charitable works and popularity was/is undeniable -- and for her misfortune and real victimization to be turned against her in a vicious manner makes the chapters on the Charles and Diana marriage almost unreadable. For those less familiar with the older royals, the book refreshes gossip about Prince Phillips dalliances and some more-information-than-you-need-to-know sexual information about the now 98-year-old Queen Mother. In all, not a very satisfying read, given the many books that tackle the subject well. With a combination of bad, seemingly unedited writing (that's very difficult to follow) and such an ugly bias, royal watchers might be better served reading more accurate and engaging biographies on the English monarchy.
Rating: 
Summary: She's not really an "insider"
Review: If you like sitting down to dishy, vicious gossip, this book's for you. Lady Colin Campbell may be an insider but she's not an impartial one. That she's still in the Royals's camp tells me she's carrying a message for them. Although she makes a gratuitous stab at saying derogatory things about the Queen Mother, her real target is Diana, Princess of Wales, of whom she has a positively sulfurous view. Unfortunately, her credibility suffers when she paints Diana as completely without redeeming qualities, and the public as fools for not seeing through Diana's act. Like the Royals, whose minion she is, Lady Campbell is unable to accept that Diana could not sustain an "act" for so long if she were truly a phony. Lady Campbell further injures her case with her claim that Prince Charles is the innocent party. Even for a man who's lived his life in a royal cocoon, he can't be as naive as Lady Campbell paints him without making him seem stupid, and no divorce is so completely one-sided when there's blame to be assigned. Originally British society put these Hanoverian misfits on the throne to preserve the Church of England and Protestantism. Now that religious warfare is no longer a reason for keeping the Mountbatten-Windsor dynasty, maybe it's time the British allowed them to get a life--to rise or fall according to their individual merits just like us common folks. But then, we wouldn't be treated to such an entertaining soap opera, would we?
Rating:
Summary: Vicious Gossip Sanctioned by the Royals
Review: If you like sitting down to dishy, vicious gossip, this book's for you. Lady Colin Campbell may be an insider but she's not an impartial one. That she's still in the Royals's camp tells me she's carrying a message for them. Although she makes a gratuitous stab at saying derogatory things about the Queen Mother, her real target is Diana, Princess of Wales, of whom she has a positively sulfurous view. Unfortunately, her credibility suffers when she paints Diana as completely without redeeming qualities, and the public as fools for not seeing through Diana's act. Like the Royals, whose minion she is, Lady Campbell is unable to accept that Diana could not sustain an "act" for so long if she were truly a phony. Lady Campbell further injures her case with her claim that Prince Charles is the innocent party. Even for a man who's lived his life in a royal cocoon, he can't be as naive as Lady Campbell paints him without making him seem stupid, and no divorce is so completely one-sided when there's blame to be assigned. Originally British society put these Hanoverian misfits on the throne to preserve the Church of England and Protestantism. Now that religious warfare is no longer a reason for keeping the Mountbatten-Windsor dynasty, maybe it's time the British allowed them to get a life--to rise or fall according to their individual merits just like us common folks. But then, we wouldn't be treated to such an entertaining soap opera, would we?
Rating:
Summary: She's not really an "insider"
Review: Lady Colin Campbell isn't a true Royal insider. While she may be 'in society', her title is one she gained via marriage and she personally had very humble beginnings on the island of Jamaica. Of course, there's not alot of info about that in her book.
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