Penny Junor

Penny Junor
Born	Penelope Jane Junor (1949-10-06)6 October 1949 Leatherhead,Surrey
Occupation(s)	Journalist, royal biographer, author
Years active	1981–present
Spouse	James Leith ​ (m.1970)​
Children	4, includingSam Leith
Father	Sir John Junor

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

Early life and education

Born inLeatherhead, Surrey,Junor was educated atBenenden Schoolin Kent. Her father was the newspaper editorSir John Junorand her brother Roderick (1944–2000), to whom she was very close throughout his life, was a leader writer forThe Daily Telegraphand speechwriter forMargaret Thatcher.She studied history atSt Andrews University,but left in her second year to get married.

Career

Junor started out on television in 1981, aged 32, presenting a programme calledCollecting Nowwhen she worked as a reporter. The following year in 1982 she presented4 what's it worthwhich 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-presentedThe Afternoon ShowonBBC1with singerBarbara Dicksonfrom 1984 to 1985.

Junor was the main presenter (1988–1997) of theTravel ShowGuidesonBBC2alongside Matthew Collins (Collins named 'The Special Assignments Man' did all the travelling) andJohn Kettleypresented 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 theBritish royal family;she has written biographies ofDiana, Princess of Wales(1982) andCharles, Prince of Wales(1987 and 1998), andCharles and Diana: Portrait of a Marriage(1991).The Firm: The Troubled Life of the House of Windsorfollowed 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 titledPrince William: The Man Who Will Be King(2012). This biography ofPrince Williamends withhis marriagetoCatherine Middleton.Junor's biography ofPrince Harry,Prince Harry: Brother, Soldier, Son,was published in 2014.

Junor's other books include works onMargaret Thatcher(1983), actorRichard Burton(1986) andJohn 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-authoredWonderful TodaywithPattie Boyd,the former fashion model and former wife of English rock starsGeorge HarrisonandEric Clapton.Junor assistedSir Cliff Richardin writing the number one best sellingMy Life, My Way(2008) which sold over 250,000 copies andShaun Elliswith his bookThe Man Who Lives with Wolves(2009). Her father, John Junor, was the subject of hermemoirHome Truths: Life Around My Father(2002), "an unflattering account".

Junor has worked for theEvening Standardand a column forPrivate Eyelasted five years.

Personal life

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