Penny Junor
Penny Junor | |
---|---|
Born | Penelope Jane Junor 6 October 1949 Leatherhead, Surrey |
Occupation(s) | Journalist, royal biographer, author |
Years active | 1981–present |
Spouse |
James Leith (m. 1970) |
Children | 4, including Sam Leith |
Parent |
|
Penelope Jane Junor[1] (born 6 October 1949) is an English journalist and author.
Early life and education
Born in
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 with singer Barbara Dickson from 1984 to 1985.
Junor was the main presenter (1988–1997) of the
Junor has written several books about the
Junor's other books include works on Margaret Thatcher (1983), actor Richard Burton (1986) and John Major (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, the former fashion model and former wife of English rock stars George Harrison and Eric Clapton. 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 Home Truths: Life Around My Father (2002), "an unflattering account".[4][5]
Junor has worked for the Evening Standard and a column for Private Eye lasted five years.[2]
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; Queen Elizabeth II: 1952-1992: A Pictorial Celebration of Her Reign, Longmeadow Press, 1992. ISBN 9780681414723.
- Junor, Penny; Charles: Victim or Villain?, HarperCollins, 1998. ISBN 9780002559003.
- Junor, Penny; The Firm: The Troubled Life of the House of Windsor, Bertrams Print On Demand, 2009 [2005]. ISBN 9780007326464.
- Junor, Penny; Prince William: The Man Who Will Be King, Open Road Media, 2012. ISBN 9781453264836.
- Junor, Penny; Prince Harry: Brother, Soldier, Son, 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; All The Queen's Corgis: Corgis, Dorgis and Gundogs: The Story of Elizabeth II and Her Most Faithful Companions, Hodder & Stoughton, 2018. ISBN 9781473686755.
References
- ^ "Ms Penny Junor Authorised Biography". Debrett's People of Today. Archived from the original on 10 November 2014. Retrieved 11 September 2014.
- ^ a b Natalie Graham "Fame & Fortune: Royal biographer lived the real Good Life", The Times, 5 June 2005
- ^ Emma Daly "Media families; 8. The Junors", The Independent, 7 April 1997
- ^ "Journey around the real John Junor". The Herald. 8 July 2002. Retrieved 20 January 2017.
- ^ Kemp, Arnold (14 July 2002). "The lion and the rat". The Observer. Retrieved 20 January 2017.