William at 40

Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, is one of the world’s most famous faces destined to one day lead the ancient institution of the British monarchy as King. Determined to do the right thing and to serve his country as his grandmother, The Queen, has done, William has created a public persona of a loving husband to Catherine and devoted father of three to George, Charlotte and Louis. Calm, balanced, and determined, he is perceived as passionate about the environment and the animal species that are facing extinction on our planet and, indeed the planet itself. He, along with his wife, have worked tirelessly too to try to end the stigma of mental health. He ticks all the right boxes as the future King.

In private, however, those close to him say William, while being a dedicated servant of the Crown can be off-hand and volatile, defying his calm, family-guy demeanour. It is this chameleon-like characteristic that makes his father, Prince Charles, tread carefully when dealing with his son and heir. Theirs has been a complex relationship – indeed it was with Harry that Charles enjoyed a closer relationship before he bolted to America with new wife Meghan. William demands deference from those royally ranked below him, but in truth when looking upwards, he rarely gives it.

Robert Jobson's new biography William at 40: The Making of a Modern Monarch provides a definitive account and insight into the life of the Duke of Cambridge as he approaches his milestone birthday. At a key point in the history of the modern British monarchy, the author explores the complex character of the man who will follow his father Charles as King, his beliefs and thoughts, to reveal what kind of monarch William V will be.

William’s childhood – with his mother and father’s public divorce and Diana’s tragic death – could have left him permanently damaged. Yet we see a boy develop into a well-adjusted and level-headed man. He could easily have gone off the rails but had the inner-steel and focused mind, supported by the woman he loves, to follow his own path.

The author – who has spent more thirty years chronicling the story of the key characters in the House of Windsor as a journalist, and broadcaster, and who has met William on countless occasions – has written acclaimed and best-selling biographies of William’s parents, Charles and Diana, as well as the Duke of Edinburgh. He draws on his breadth of knowledge and memories of several sources close to William, as well as members of the Royal Household.

What emerges is a portrait of a man who is determined to do his duty and to serve his country as those before him have done. As William approaches the cusp of middle age, this is the story of the making of a 21st century monarch.