I just received a book that I sent away to the U.K. for because I didn't want to wait till October, when it will be published here. 'A Royal Life' is a memoir by Prince Richard, Duke of Kent, who has been near the very center of the British royal family for more than 86 years, while managing to remain relatively unknown to the public. Richard, who is a first cousin of the Queen and whose mother was a first cousin to Prince Philip, is the son of George VI's younger brother, who was killed in a military aircraft accident in 1942, and has been active in service to Crown, government and private charities for his entire life.