Charles

Drawing on sources close to Prince Charles and the Royal Family, this is an account of the forces that shaped the life of the Prince of Wales and almost overwhelmed him. It describes how, as a sensitive person drowned by royal protocol, he fought back after separation from his glamorous wife and struggled to overcome his unpopularity and depression, and to regain his self-esteem. The book examines Charles's childhood, when he would cry with fright at children's parties and cling to his nanny's legs; it delves into his schooldays at Gordonstoun; it explores his relationship with his mother, his sister - and, perhaps most importantly, his father; it portrays him as "one of the most selfish men I've ever met" (as a friend describes him) - vain and unable to accept criticism - and yet at the same time sensitive, honourable and decent; and it deals with his relationship with Camilla Parker Bowles. Ross Benson was a classmate of Prince Charles at Gordonstoun, and writes a daily column in "The Daily Express". He is the author of "Paul McCartney: Behind the Myth".