A still from the season two finale of Succession, showing Jeremy Strong as Kendall Roy seated, surrounded by bright lights and microphones at a press conference.

Succession-finale-HBO.jpg

Reading lists

Books to read if you love Succession

'The royal biography everyone's talking about' The Daily Mail

Charles

Heir. Prince. King. Discover the real Charles - our King - in the definitive biography from the bestselling author of Elizabeth the Queen 
 
 'Brilliant, startling. The royal biography everyone's talking about' Daily Mail 
_________ 
 
His destiny was to become King. But for 70 years, he was a Prince. 
 
From his declared heirdom aged three to his years spent fulfilling royal duty in support of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, Charles has spent his entire life serving the nation. But there is still so much we don't know. 
 
In this fascinating exploration of his public and private lives, Sally Bedell Smith - the acclaimed, bestselling biographer of Elizabeth the Queen - has drawn extensively on her access to the Royal Family's inner circle to reveal a portrait of a misunderstood prince. 
 
Beginning with his lonely childhood, Smith details his intellectual quests, his entrepreneurial pursuits, and his love affairs, from the tragedy of his marriage to Diana to his eventual reunion with Camilla, as well as his relationship with the next generation of royals, including Will, Kate, Harry, and his beloved grandchildren. 
 
 As this sweeping and definitive biography shows, Prince Charles is more than a king - he is a son, father, husband, servant, prince - who spent his life preparing to follow in his mother's footsteps. 
_________ 
 
 'For all we know about Prince Charles, there is so much we didn't know - until now' Tom Brokaw

Brilliant, startling. The royal biography everyone's talking about

What a story. To read this book is to feel... immense pity and sympathy for the man

Prince Charles: The passions and paradoxes of an impossible life is the first major biography of Prince Charles in more than two decades, with new insights into his family and his two marriages, from the bestselling author of Elizabeth the Queen.

Prince Charles is an eighteenth-century gentleman with a twenty-first-century mission. His love of tradition combines with an outlook that can be bracingly avant garde. Sally Bedell Smith captures his contradictions and his convictions in this fascinating book that is not just about a man who would be king, but also about the duties that come with privilege.

For all we know about Prince Charles, there is so much we didn't know until now. Sally Bedell Smith has given us a complete and compelling portrait of the man in the shadow of the throne. It's all here, from the back stairs of the palaces to the front pages of the tabs. Read all about it!

No one writes about life at the top with more panache than Sally Bedell Smith. Her Prince Charles is a delicious blend of glamour and grandeur, jealousy and rivalry, greatness and human foible. Smith writes with wisdom and sympathy and a sharp and knowing eye about the struggles and maturation of the man who would be King.

This great biography is an indispensable guide for anyone eager to understand Prince Charles and the British monarchy in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. What an achievement, what work went into it, and all of it presented with such ease. It is so fair, while suggesting so much.

Sally Bedell Smith is the author of the bestselling biographies of Diana, Princess of Wales, John and Jacqueline Kennedy, Bill and Hillary Clinton, Pamela Churchill Harriman and Bill Paley. A contributing editor at Vanity Fairsince 1996, she previously worked at Time and The New York Times, where she was a cultural news reporter. Sally is the mother of three children and lives in Washington, D.C. with her husband, Stephen.

Drawing on her extensive access to the Royal Family's inner circle, Sally Bedell Smith delivers unprecedented insights into Prince Charles, a man who possesses a fiercely independent spirit, and yet has spent his life in waiting for the ultimate role. 
 
Beginning with his lonely childhood, Smith details his intellectual quests, his entrepreneurial pursuits, and his love affairs - from the tragedy of his marriage to Diana to his eventual reunion with Camilla, as well as his relationship with the next generation of royals: Will, Kate, Harry, and his beloved grandchildren. 
 
As this sweeping biography shows, Prince Charles is more complicated and compelling than we knew until now.

The most intimate biography of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II

Elizabeth the Queen

Queen. Mother. Servant. Friend. This is the most intimate portrait of our longest serving monarch, an inspiration to her country: Queen Elizabeth II. 
 
Get to know the real Elizabeth in the definitive biography from the bestselling British Royal Family writer 
 
 'To have any understanding of the Queen you must first read this book' Amanda Foreman 
 
'Emotional, personal, human, insightful and moving. You will be a better person for reading and learning from this book' 5***** Reader Review 
 
 'Extensively researched, fluently written and containing a lot of intriguing information. Much to recommend' Daily Telegraph 
 ________ 
 
We knew her as the Queen. But she was so much more. 
 
Playing with her children at the Palace, crawling on her stomach to stalk deer, donning yellow Marigolds to wash up after Balmoral cookouts; this was Queen Elizabeth going about her daily life. Performing a duty she cherished. Serving a nation she loved. 
 
In this, the first all-round, up-close picture of her remarkable life, readers finally get meet the real Queen. With exclusive access to her personal letters, close friends and associates, this intimate biography is a treasure trove of insights on her public persona and private life. 
 
 In these pages we have the honour of meeting the leader, strategist, and diplomat; the daughter, wife, mother and grandmother - Elizabeth the Queen. 
________ 
 
'A phenomenal biography about a truly incredible leader and human being' 5***** Reader Review

Sally Bedell Smith offers her readers the illusion of knowing the queen as a friend

The book has much to recommend it, being extensively researched, fluently written and containing quite a lot of intriguing "new" information

A worthy addition to the shelves of royal watchers everywhere

This definitive biography of Queen Elizabeth II is the first all-round, up-close picture of one of the most fascinating, enigmatic and admired women in the world. 
 
With exclusive access to the Queen's personal letters, close friends and associates, this intimate biography is a treasure trove of fresh insights on her public persona and her private life. It also explores her close relationships with her family, her children, and Prince Philip. 
 
This book will transport you back to a moment nine decades ago when a young Princess Elizabeth first discovered her destiny. Here we see how over the years she has navigated through the political challenges and personal sacrifices ahead of her, to put the Crown, the Country and her unswerving sense of duty first. 
 
There is so much more to our Queen than that which is reported, but in these pages we at last get to meet the leader, strategist, and diplomat; the daughter, wife, mother and grandmother - Elizabeth the Queen.

Sally Bedell Smith

The Marriage That Shaped the Monarchy

Granted special access by Queen Elizabeth II to her parents' letters and diaries and those of their close friends and family, Sally Bedell Smith brings the love story of this iconic royal couple to life. Deeply researched and revealing, this book shows how a devoted marriage helped the King and Queen meet the challenges of World War II, lead a nation, solidify the public's faith in the monarchy, and raise their daughters, Princesses Elizabeth and Margaret. 
 
Sally Bedell Smith gives us an inside view of the lives, struggles, hopes, and triumphs of King George VI and Elizabeth during a dramatic time in history.

Sally Bedell Smith

Praise for George VI and Elizabeth

An excellent account

Books by Sally Bedell Smith

Articles featuring Sally Bedell Smith

Books to read if you love Succession

Follow penguin

Follow ladybird

Follow puffin

Sign up to the Penguin newsletter