Penelope Jane Junor (; born 6 October 1949) is an English journalist and author.

Early life and education

Born in Leatherhead, Surrey, Junor was educated at Benenden School in Kent. Her father was the newspaper editor Sir John Junor and her brother Roderick (1944–2000), to whom she was very close throughout his life, was a leader writer for ''

The Daily Telegraph ''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a British daily broadsheet conservative newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed in the United Kingdom and internationally. It was found ...

'' and speechwriter for

Margaret Thatcher Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher (; 13 October 19258 April 2013), was a British stateswoman who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990 and Leader of the Conservative Party (UK), Leader of th ...

. She studied history at

St Andrews University The University of St Andrews (, ; abbreviated as St And in post-nominals) is a public university in St Andrews, Scotland. It is the oldest of the four ancient universities of Scotland and, following the universities of Oxford and Cambridge, t ...

, but left in her second year to get married.Natalie Graha
"Fame & Fortune: Royal biographer lived the real Good Life"
''The Times'', 5 June 2005

Career

Junor started out on television in 1981, aged 32, presenting a programme called ''Collecting Now'' when she worked as a reporter. The following year in 1982 she presented ''4 what's it worth'' which was an award-winning consumer programme broadcast by Channel 4 in which she worked as an investigative reporter and presenter. This programme continued until 1989. In addition she also co-presented ''The Afternoon Show'' on

BBC1 BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's oldest and Flagship (broadcasting), flagship channel, and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includ ...

with singer

Barbara Dickson Barbara Ruth Dickson (born 27 September 1947) is a Scottish singer and actress whose hits include " I Know Him So Well" (a chart-topping duet with Elaine Paige), " Answer Me" and " January February". Dickson has placed fifteen albums on the UK ...

from 1984 to 1985. Junor was the main presenter (1988–1997) of the '' Travel Show Guides'' on

BBC2 BBC Two is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's second flagship channel, and it covers a wide range of subject matter, incorporating genres such as comedy, drama and ...

alongside Matthew Collins (Collins named 'The Special Assignments Man' did all the travelling) and John Kettley presented the weather forecast for the holiday destination for the forthcoming week or so. The guides were brief and concise films enabling holidaymakers to learn about the resort that was highlighted before travelling there. Junor has written several books about the

British royal family The British royal family comprises Charles III and other members of his family. There is no strict legal or formal definition of who is or is not a member, although the Royal Household has issued different lists outlining who is considere ...

; she has written biographies of

Diana, Princess of Wales Diana, Princess of Wales (born Diana Frances Spencer; 1 July 1961 – 31 August 1997), was a member of the British royal family. She was the first wife of Charles III (then Prince of Wales) and mother of Princes William, ...

(1982) and

Charles, Prince of Wales Charles III (Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948) is King of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms. Charles was born at Buckingham Palace during the reign of his maternal grandfather, King George VI, a ...

(1987 and 1998), and ''Charles and Diana: Portrait of a Marriage'' (1991). ''The Firm: The Troubled Life of the House of Windsor'' followed in 2005. Her work on the Waleses "alienated" both of them and she reportedly considers the experience the worst of her career. She has also written and had published a book titled ''Prince William: The Man Who Will Be King'' (2012). This biography of

Prince William William, Prince of Wales (William Arthur Philip Louis; born 21 June 1982), is the heir apparent to the British throne. He is the elder son of King Charles III and Diana, Princess of Wales. William was born during the reign of his p ...

ends with his marriage to Catherine Middleton. Junor's biography of

Prince Harry Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, (Henry Charles Albert David; born 15 September 1984) is a member of the British royal family. As the younger son of King Charles III and Diana, Princess of Wales, he is fifth in the line of succession to ...

, ''Prince Harry: Brother, Soldier, Son'', was published in 2014. Junor's other books include works on

(1983), actor

Richard Burton Richard Burton (; born Richard Walter Jenkins Jr.; 10 November 1925 – 5 August 1984) was a Welsh actor. Noted for his mellifluous baritone voice, Burton established himself as a formidable Shakespearean actor in the 1950s and gave a memor ...

(1986) and

John Major Sir John Major (born 29 March 1943) is a British retired politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party (UK), Leader of the Conservative Party from 1990 to 1997. Following his defeat to Ton ...

(1993). She subsequently said in an interview that she found Major to be a failure as a British prime minister. In 2007, she co-authored '' Wonderful Today'' with

Pattie Boyd Patricia Anne Boyd (born 17 March 1944) is an English model and photographer. She was one of the leading international models during the 1960s and, with Jean Shrimpton, epitomised the British female look of the era. Boyd married George Harris ...

, the former fashion model and former wife of English rock stars

George Harrison George Harrison (25 February 1943 – 29 November 2001) was an English musician, singer and songwriter who achieved international fame as the lead guitarist of the Beatles. Sometimes called "the quiet Beatle", Harrison embraced Culture ...

and

Eric Clapton Eric Patrick Clapton (born 1945) is an English Rock music, rock and blues guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He is regarded as one of the most successful and influential guitarists in rock music. Clapton ranked second in ''Rolling Stone''s l ...

. Junor assisted Sir Cliff Richard in writing the number one best selling ''My Life, My Way'' (2008) which sold over 250,000 copies and Shaun Ellis with his book ''The Man Who Lives with Wolves'' (2009). Her father, John Junor, was the subject of her

memoir A memoir (; , ) is any nonfiction narrative writing based on the author's personal memories. The assertions made in the work are thus understood to be factual. While memoir has historically been defined as a subcategory of biography or autob ...

''Home Truths: Life Around My Father'' (2002), "an unflattering account". Junor has worked for the ''

Evening Standard The ''London Standard'', formerly the ''Evening Standard'' (1904–2024) and originally ''The Standard'' (1827–1904), is a long-established regional newspaper published weekly and distributed free newspaper, free of charge in London, Engl ...

'' and a column for ''

Private Eye ''Private Eye'' is a British fortnightly satirical and current affairs (news format), current affairs news magazine, founded in 1961. It is published in London and has been edited by Ian Hislop since 1986. The publication is widely recognised ...

'' lasted five years.

Personal life

Junor married ex-restaurateur James Leith (the brother of Prue) in 1970. She has four children with her husband; their eldest son is the journalist Sam Leith.

Bibliography

* Junor, Penny
''Diana, Princess of Wales: A Biography''
Sidgwick & Jackson, 1982. ISBN 9780283988431. * Junor, Penny
''Charles and Diana: Portrait of a Marriage''
Trafalgar Square, 1991. ISBN 9780747203506. * Junor, Penny

Longmeadow Press, 1992. ISBN 9780681414723. * Junor, Penny

HarperCollins, 1998. ISBN 9780002559003. * Junor, Penny

Bertrams Print On Demand, 2009 005 ISBN 9780007326464. * Junor, Penny

Open Road Media, 2012. ISBN 9781453264836. * Junor, Penny

Grand Central Publishing, 2014. ISBN 9781455549849. * Junor, Penny
''The Duchess: Camilla Parker Bowles and the Love Affair that Rocked the Crown''
HarperCollins, New York, 29 June 2017. ISBN 9780062471123. * Junor, Penny

Hodder & Stoughton, 2018. ISBN 9781473686755.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Junor, Penny 1949 births Living people 20th-century English journalists 20th-century English biographers 20th-century English women writers 21st-century English memoirists 21st-century English women writers People from Leatherhead Celebrity biographers English people of Scottish descent English television presenters English women journalists London Evening Standard people People educated at Benenden School English women biographers Alumni of the University of St Andrews