Rupert bared

Jul 4 2008 by Chris Burgess, Huddersfield Daily Examiner

PRINCE RUPERT – THE LAST CAVALIER, Charles Spencer, £10.99

HE IS often referred to as the pin-up boy of the Royalist cause.

Young, handsome, an excellent horseman and the dynamic leader of Charles I’s Cavaliers. But this fearless champion was hated by many of those he fought alongside, as he refused to compromise himself for personal gain.

Here, in a perceptive account, the author portrays a life of extraordinary depth – artist, scientist, adventurer and, in the words of Samuel Pepys, England’s greatest tennis player.

Rupert’s greatest strength was his ability to bounce back from adversity. He was a survivor, recovering from some of the more gruesome medical procedures of the time and remaining steadfast in his distrust of politicians and courtiers.