BROTHERS AND WIVES

A close look inside the palaces of the contemporary British royals.

In his 36th book, Andersen caps his prolific coverage of the British royals with a sequel to Diana’s Boys: an up-to-date account of the relationship between the two princes, William and Harry, and their wives, Kate and Meghan. Gossipy yet evenhanded, the narrative is based on interviews and conversations with individuals in their inner circles, published material (Britain’s tabloids provide salacious fodder), and “the same unimpeachable inside sources I have relied on over the decades to provide highly detailed and accurate information on the inner workings of the Firm.” Andersen reprises Diana’s tormented marriage—including an affair that called into question Harry’s paternity—and underscores the impact of her untimely death on her sons, claiming that both have suffered lifelong PTSD, for which they were never offered therapy. Reflecting on his mother’s death, Harry said, “I shut down all of my emotions for the next twenty years.” Andersen portrays Harry as emotionally fragile, with William, for much of their lives, trying to take the role of protector from both the demands of the Firm and the media’s relentless pursuit. As young men, both were hard-drinking party animals. William’s reputation for nightclub-hopping “was well documented,” writes the author, “as were his close ties to a number of young aristocrats arrested on a wide range of drug offenses.” In 2005, Harry shocked the press by dressing as a Nazi for a costume party. Was placing a swastika armband on his sleeve really “that terrible?” he wondered. A St. James official remarked at Harry’s cluelessness: “Did he really know who Adolf Hitler was?” Negative media attention intensified when Meghan came on the scene, which led to the younger couple’s well-publicized decision to forge a separate and independent life for themselves.

Despite many familiar anecdotes, royal watchers will find a lively chronicle of life among the beleaguered Windsors.