'Explosive' exposé about Prince Charles coming in March

William Collins will publish an “explosive” book about Prince Charles’ “desperate bid to rehabilitate himself” after Princess Diana’s death, written by investigative historian Tom Bower.

Rebel Prince: The Power, Passion and Defiance of Prince Charles will be published on 22nd March in hardback retailing at £20, ahead of the His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales' 70th birthday in November.

Arabella Pike, publishing director at the HarperCollins non-fiction imprint, bought UK and Commonwealth rights from Jonathan Lloyd at Curtis Brown.

Despite his hard work and genuine concern for the disadvantaged, Prince Charles has struggled to overcome his unpopularity, the book will argue. It will also explore fears that Charles’ accession to the throne will cause a constitutional crisis, according to the publisher.

Bower’s book features testimony from more than 120 people employed or “welcomed into the inner sanctum of Clarence House” which "reveals a royal household rife with intrigue and misconduct". 

"The result is a book which uniquely will probe into the character and court of the Charles that no one, until now, has seen," a William Collins spokesperson said.

Pike revealed the book “strips away the magic and mystery of his court and offers an unprecedented insight into Britain’s privileged class”.

She said: “We are delighted to be working with the great Tom Bower once again. With his unparalleled skills as an investigative writer and biographer, Rebel Prince is the first to examine Prince Charles’s battle for rehabilitation since the death of Diana, his refusal to conform and his frequent meddling in areas that interest him."

Historian and writer Bower has been published by HarperCollins previously, writing about figures such as Gordon Brown. For Simon & Schuster UK, he has also penned Broken Dreams: Vanity, Greed and the Souring of British Football and worked with Faber on Broken Vows – Tony Blair: The Tragedy of Power, published in 2016.

Bower said: “Fortunate not to have been destroyed by the various scandals, my story about Charles is a thriller which both his admirers and critics will find unremittingly revealing.”