The school’s outlook was an eccentric blend of ancient Greek ideals (namely a firm belief in steeping the pupils in culture) and aristocratic English ones (namely a firm belief in steeping them in mud). The queen and Prince Philip chose to send the young Charles to the then infamously grim Gordonstoun school in Scotland – “to toughen him up”, said Prince Harry. The birth of Prince Harry (“Oh God, it’s a boy…And he’s even got red hair.”) Things about which Charles did not complain Interest in his private life (this “national pastime…of prurient speculation”)įountain pens (“I can’t bear this bloody thing.”)

Nicholas Witchell, the BBC’s long-suffering royal correspondent (“I can’t bear that man. Illegal fishing of the Patagonian toothfish Things about which Charles has complained When it was his turn, she shook his hand. “No, not you dear,” she said, batting him away. The young Charles tried to jump the queue to reach his mother. Grandees lined the deck of the royal yacht Britannia to greet the queen. In 1954, Queen Elizabeth II returned home from a tour of the Commonwealth, having spent almost six months apart from the five-year-old Charles. (“There was never anything tactile about him,” said Princess Diana.) Not very close, either, if the royal in question was his mother. The attached photos are of the copy we have in our inventory.How close can one come to the king’s skin? Not very, if the king in question is Charles III. This is not a remainder copy, not a library discard. No former ownership marks, no writing on the text pages. Edges of the text block show some small dots of bump marks to the top edge. Cover boards are flat, the corners are not bumped or creased, no edge wear to the cover boards. Black cloth covered cover boards, with the author name and title imprinted on the spine in gold. Tear is not very noticeable though as the jacket has been protected with a clear, removable cover. There is a 1' closed tear on the back panel of the jacket - to the right of the William Hickey blurb. The dust jacket is intact and is not price clipped. 464 pages with Index, Notes and four sections of photos, 6-3/8' X 9-1/2'. An in-depth look at the life of Stephen Tennant, from his early life at Wilsford Manor to his friendships with Rex Whistler and Cecil Beaton, Great Garbo, Christopher Isherwood, and his relationship with Siegfried Sassoon, to his later years in seclusion. First edition hardcover with dust jacket, published by Hamish Hamilton, 1990.

Serious Pleasures by Philip Hoare