What do you think?
Rate this book
Elizabeth: A Biography of Britain's Queen
A court insider's portrait of Elizabeth II and her eventful and turbulent reign journeys beyond the facade of Buckingham Palace to answer questions about the scandal-ridden royals, relationships among members of her family, her personal beliefs, and future prospects for the House of Windsor. Tour.
564 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1993
28 people are currently reading
779 people want to read
About the author
Sarah Bradford
55 books109 followersEducated at St. Mary’s Convent, Shaftesbury Dorset, where she won a State Scholarship and at Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford, where she won a College Scholarship in History, Sarah Bradford is an historian and biographer who has travelled extensively, living in the West Indies, Portugal and Italy. She speaks four languages which have been invaluable in her research for her various books, particularly The Englishman’s Wine, the Story of Port (the first book on the subject written by a woman), Portugal and Madeira. She worked in the Manuscript Department of Christie’s London, travelling for the Department and valuing manuscripts from the fifteenth to twentieth centuries, an experience which enabled her to write Cesare Borgia (used by the BBC as the source of their series ‘The Borgias’, for which she wrote the novelisation of the scripts) and, most recently, Lucrezia Borgia
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 44 reviews
April 1, 2017
A readable older biog of HMQ that I picked out of my pile after watching The Crown. Well informed and sympathetic toward its subject. HRH comes in for some bashing, and fans of Princess Di need not read. I think I'll wait a few more years for the definitive definitive version, if Her Majesty doesn't outlive me, that is.
February 11, 2021
Was ich mochte?
Ich mochte einzelne Anekdoten, die hier geschildert wurden und natürlich habe ich einiges erfahren, was ich noch nicht mochte.
Was ich nicht mochte?
Ich weiß nicht, aber irgendwie habe ich mich die meiste Zeit durch das Buch gequält. Zu viele Einzelheiten und Personen, die mich nicht interessiert haben. Kaum ein Gedanke, der mich zum Nachdenken brachte und es wurde so viel über die Personen im Umfeld berichtet, dass ich Elizabeth immer wieder aus den Augen verloren habe.
Elizabeth als Person kenne ich nach diesem Buch genauso gut wie vorher. Klar, ich weiß jetzt mehr über ihr Leben, aber totzden ist sie mir fern geblieben.
Das Buch wurde 1996 herausgebracht, was bedeutet, dass die wirklich schweren Jahre in dem sich die britische Mornachie erfinden musste, nicht enthalten ist.
Es war nichts dabei, was mir in meinem Leben weiterhilft, was für mich eigentlich auch immer bei einer Biografie wichtig ist - Was kann ich davon lernen?
Ich habe noch andere Bücher über sie auf dem SUB und hoffe, dass die mir besser gefallen werden.
Ich mochte einzelne Anekdoten, die hier geschildert wurden und natürlich habe ich einiges erfahren, was ich noch nicht mochte.
Was ich nicht mochte?
Ich weiß nicht, aber irgendwie habe ich mich die meiste Zeit durch das Buch gequält. Zu viele Einzelheiten und Personen, die mich nicht interessiert haben. Kaum ein Gedanke, der mich zum Nachdenken brachte und es wurde so viel über die Personen im Umfeld berichtet, dass ich Elizabeth immer wieder aus den Augen verloren habe.
Elizabeth als Person kenne ich nach diesem Buch genauso gut wie vorher. Klar, ich weiß jetzt mehr über ihr Leben, aber totzden ist sie mir fern geblieben.
Das Buch wurde 1996 herausgebracht, was bedeutet, dass die wirklich schweren Jahre in dem sich die britische Mornachie erfinden musste, nicht enthalten ist.
Es war nichts dabei, was mir in meinem Leben weiterhilft, was für mich eigentlich auch immer bei einer Biografie wichtig ist - Was kann ich davon lernen?
Ich habe noch andere Bücher über sie auf dem SUB und hoffe, dass die mir besser gefallen werden.
Read
November 13, 2025A biography of an inspiring figure, in my view, which portrays the fascination and drama of Elizabeth's unique position without ever trivializing or sensationalizing her story. Sarah Bradford's balanced yet involving style ensures that I will be reading more from her in the future.
April 20, 2020
God save the queen.
July 23, 2011
Unfortunately, I read the 1996 version of this superlative biography, but doing so offered some unsettling glimpses of the times to come for The Queen and her clan. This is a surprisingly even-handed biography which neither exploits nor glosses over the troubles in the House of Windsor, and acknowledges the kind permission of The Queen, The Queen Mother and Princess Margaret for their sharing of personal papers. The Queen is a lady I think I'd like to meet, and certainly someone for whom I'd love to work. I don't think I'd enjoy working for anyone else in her family, but she seems to be a great boss. She is portrayed as a kind woman who loves horses, and who is rather remote with her children; not terribly surprising information there. What is surprising is who attuned she is to the goings-on around her, but how she chooses to ignore many of the more troublesome aspects because she loathes confrontation. This is referred to by Sarah Bradford as "ostriching."
One of the sentences that leapt out at me in its optimism was one about Elizabeth's "ability to read the mood of her country." Just over a year later, this would prove tragically wrong when Princess Diana was killed in Paris and The Queen took almost a week to respond to the pain her country was feeling over the loss. It has been a turbulent decade since the original publication, including that awful week, and then the loss of Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother and Princess Margaret in 2002, and I'd like to read updated information regarding those events. I see that there is another version of "Elizabeth" updated in 2002, and I'll have to put that on my "to read" list.
One of the sentences that leapt out at me in its optimism was one about Elizabeth's "ability to read the mood of her country." Just over a year later, this would prove tragically wrong when Princess Diana was killed in Paris and The Queen took almost a week to respond to the pain her country was feeling over the loss. It has been a turbulent decade since the original publication, including that awful week, and then the loss of Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother and Princess Margaret in 2002, and I'd like to read updated information regarding those events. I see that there is another version of "Elizabeth" updated in 2002, and I'll have to put that on my "to read" list.
February 22, 2012
This took me a long tizme to read. I started it 2 years ago and then when Queen Elizabeth visted Halifax I went to see her for the first time. I am in awe of this woman and her commitment to service. I liked this book because it really seemed to see all sides of this complicated, amazing, often flawed individual.
January 25, 2011
This was a giant sized book but there are a lot of years to cover in the 85 yr old monarch's life. This must have been an authorized bio because there was little or no dirt or even surprises. The author was surprisingly critical and angry sounding about Princess Diana and Sarah Ferguson.
January 11, 2021
Äänikirjana, suomeksi, kuunneltu. Mielenkiintoinen, vaikkakin todella pitkä opus.
May 4, 2018
This book presents a comprehensive biography of Queen Elizabeth II. Although somewhat dated, having been published in 1996, it provides a detailed account of the Queen's family background, childhood, marriage, the first decades of her reign, as well as an overview of her children's early lives.
One element that I appreciated about this book (and consequently likely not appreciated by the royals), is that it was not an official biography authorized by the royal family. This allows the author significant leeway to be more frank and divulge insight that otherwise might have been omitted from the text. For example, there is a long discussion about the Queen Mother's difficulty in combating jealousy when her daughter ascended the throne: "Apart from her grief at the loss of her husband, the Queen Mother could not help feeling jealous of her daughter, who had suddenly become the focus of all the attention and the possessor of all the power that had recently been her" (170). There wasn't even a hint of such a difficult adjustment in the Queen Mother's official biography written by William Shawcross, likely because the author in that instance was constrained by the fact that the royal family would review the manuscript before publication. Likewise, Bradford relates her opinion with sometimes brutal honesty, such as describing the Queen's daughter Princess Anne as having "rather horse-faced looks" (341). I appreciated the candor and felt that this was a deeper insight into the royal family than other accounts I have read.
At times, the author segued into spending large amounts of time discussing Elizabeth's close relatives rather than closely following her. While of course her uncle's abdication from the throne and later her famous daughter-in-law's Diana's public divorce from her son were key points in her life, they seemed to consume sections of this book, leaving Elizabeth very much in the shadows. Furthermore, as 22 years have gone by since this book was published, it leaves many years of the Queen and her family's more recent years uncovered. However, this was a detailed biography that gave an insightful portrait of the woman behind the crown. I particularly loved the final chapter that described her ordinary life, including her daily habits and her pack of dogs swirling about her heels. A fascinating subject covered in great detail by Sarah Bradford.
One element that I appreciated about this book (and consequently likely not appreciated by the royals), is that it was not an official biography authorized by the royal family. This allows the author significant leeway to be more frank and divulge insight that otherwise might have been omitted from the text. For example, there is a long discussion about the Queen Mother's difficulty in combating jealousy when her daughter ascended the throne: "Apart from her grief at the loss of her husband, the Queen Mother could not help feeling jealous of her daughter, who had suddenly become the focus of all the attention and the possessor of all the power that had recently been her" (170). There wasn't even a hint of such a difficult adjustment in the Queen Mother's official biography written by William Shawcross, likely because the author in that instance was constrained by the fact that the royal family would review the manuscript before publication. Likewise, Bradford relates her opinion with sometimes brutal honesty, such as describing the Queen's daughter Princess Anne as having "rather horse-faced looks" (341). I appreciated the candor and felt that this was a deeper insight into the royal family than other accounts I have read.
At times, the author segued into spending large amounts of time discussing Elizabeth's close relatives rather than closely following her. While of course her uncle's abdication from the throne and later her famous daughter-in-law's Diana's public divorce from her son were key points in her life, they seemed to consume sections of this book, leaving Elizabeth very much in the shadows. Furthermore, as 22 years have gone by since this book was published, it leaves many years of the Queen and her family's more recent years uncovered. However, this was a detailed biography that gave an insightful portrait of the woman behind the crown. I particularly loved the final chapter that described her ordinary life, including her daily habits and her pack of dogs swirling about her heels. A fascinating subject covered in great detail by Sarah Bradford.
Read
April 21, 2023I FINALLY FINISHED IT!!!!!
I have been reading this book on again and off again for at least 8 years (I think more like 9 or 10). It’s kind of like my emotional support book, it’s seen me through the end of high school, all of college, the beginning of adulthood. I’m glad to be done with it because my interest in it has waned, but it’ll be weird not having such a chunker to pick up now and again.
This book is interesting in that it was published a year before Princess Diana died. The author is very pro Elizabeth II, like she can truly do no wrong in her eyes, so the opinion of Diana is pretty critical and severe. Which was oddly refreshing because you don’t often read that POV nowadays. I wholeheartedly disagree with her views on Diana, but it was interesting to read a critical lens on a deceased person who is adored in today’s society.
It was also interesting reading it over such a long period of time. I remember watching the first season of the Crown and already having a pretty extensive knowledge of the events portrayed because of this book. And now today, reading it once Elizabeth II has passed away and Charles is King. The author’s predictions are often pretty on point, down to her guess on the age he would be on accession.
Overall the author is very biased towards the Queen. I didn’t mind it but there were parts that warranted more criticism. My biggest gripe with this book were the tangents on random people and politicians surrounding the Queen that went on for ages. It could have had more focus on just Elizabeth and her family and therefore been shorter in length.
I have been reading this book on again and off again for at least 8 years (I think more like 9 or 10). It’s kind of like my emotional support book, it’s seen me through the end of high school, all of college, the beginning of adulthood. I’m glad to be done with it because my interest in it has waned, but it’ll be weird not having such a chunker to pick up now and again.
This book is interesting in that it was published a year before Princess Diana died. The author is very pro Elizabeth II, like she can truly do no wrong in her eyes, so the opinion of Diana is pretty critical and severe. Which was oddly refreshing because you don’t often read that POV nowadays. I wholeheartedly disagree with her views on Diana, but it was interesting to read a critical lens on a deceased person who is adored in today’s society.
It was also interesting reading it over such a long period of time. I remember watching the first season of the Crown and already having a pretty extensive knowledge of the events portrayed because of this book. And now today, reading it once Elizabeth II has passed away and Charles is King. The author’s predictions are often pretty on point, down to her guess on the age he would be on accession.
Overall the author is very biased towards the Queen. I didn’t mind it but there were parts that warranted more criticism. My biggest gripe with this book were the tangents on random people and politicians surrounding the Queen that went on for ages. It could have had more focus on just Elizabeth and her family and therefore been shorter in length.
November 26, 2023
This 4 star review is more realistically a 3.5 one.
I overall enjoyed the book and despite knowing a lot about the royal family already I did learn a lot of new things.
This is a very raw and intimate portrait of Her late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II throughout her life and the author doesn’t hesitate to call out everyone on their behaviour if justified (for example it is refreshing to not have another depiction of the late Princess of Wales as this innocent and naive girl that was thrown into the role unwillingly).
However I found the biography scattered and sometimes hard to follow. It follows a semi chronological order with a lot of flashbacks and flash forwards that derails the natural flow of events.
Some parts are also very long and too detailed without bringing much more to the book.
It might also be hard to follow for people unfamiliar with the extended family as a lot of them have the same first name and with the time jumps mentioned above it quickly becomes confusing.
Last detail to note is that it ends in the year 2001 unfortunately missing over 20 years of her reign and life.
Despite its flaws it is a well written and interesting book. So if you watch the over fictionalised and sensationalised Netflix program The Crown do yourself a favour and read this book instead!
I overall enjoyed the book and despite knowing a lot about the royal family already I did learn a lot of new things.
This is a very raw and intimate portrait of Her late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II throughout her life and the author doesn’t hesitate to call out everyone on their behaviour if justified (for example it is refreshing to not have another depiction of the late Princess of Wales as this innocent and naive girl that was thrown into the role unwillingly).
However I found the biography scattered and sometimes hard to follow. It follows a semi chronological order with a lot of flashbacks and flash forwards that derails the natural flow of events.
Some parts are also very long and too detailed without bringing much more to the book.
It might also be hard to follow for people unfamiliar with the extended family as a lot of them have the same first name and with the time jumps mentioned above it quickly becomes confusing.
Last detail to note is that it ends in the year 2001 unfortunately missing over 20 years of her reign and life.
Despite its flaws it is a well written and interesting book. So if you watch the over fictionalised and sensationalised Netflix program The Crown do yourself a favour and read this book instead!
September 7, 2024
Parts of this book were boring, parts were very interesting due to previous reading and watching (The Crown) about the British royal family, both present and historical. It was very much a duty read, great for bedtime when I needed something boring to lull me to sleep. As we neared the modern era I found the author to be a staunch supporter of Elizabeth II, and found her viewpoint to be very biased against the younger generations. She did not take a sympathetic view at all to Diana, nor to Charles’ passion for the environment and trying to be a defender of all faiths rather than just THE faith. It was definitely illuminating to get some background on how changes in Elizabeth’s administration weakened her connection with her children. However at times I felt like the author was making excuses for her and blaming all missteps on others.
There is no question that Elizabeth was extremely good at her job, and an important point of constancy and stability for the UK for a very long time. However as someone who is in favor of change, I find Charles’s perspectives to be refreshing. This all said, of course, as an American, so without full context for what it is like to live in a nation with a royal family. RIP Elizabeth Regina.
There is no question that Elizabeth was extremely good at her job, and an important point of constancy and stability for the UK for a very long time. However as someone who is in favor of change, I find Charles’s perspectives to be refreshing. This all said, of course, as an American, so without full context for what it is like to live in a nation with a royal family. RIP Elizabeth Regina.
December 9, 2016
This is a lovely biography of the Queen. It was written back in 1997 so it's definitely out of date in some respects, but since I was interested mainly in her earlier life, it was perfect. The author is very sympathetic towards her and the monarchy, and clearly likes her. The amount of detail and research that went into this book is staggering. I get the impression that the author is of Elizabeth's generation, making comments in multiple parts of the books about how the younger generation of the monarchy is ruining its image, etc. They're now the "old folks" and everyone is interested in William and Harry, so it was definitely a throwback. As always, I find myself immensely sympathetic for Prince Charles, even though I don't like him. Elizabeth is a harder one to judge, in my opinion. She's essentially an actress who's been playing the same role very well since the 1950s.
This one felt less biased than the Sally Bedell Smith biography of Elizabeth that I read a while back, so even though it's more out of date, I'd recommend reading this one to get a clearer picture of the monarch.
This one felt less biased than the Sally Bedell Smith biography of Elizabeth that I read a while back, so even though it's more out of date, I'd recommend reading this one to get a clearer picture of the monarch.
August 6, 2017
It was fascinating to learn about the woman who is Britain's longest reigning monarch. I always liked her just because she's the second Elizabeth, and I'm obsessed with Elizabeth I, but I finally got around to learning about Elizabeth II herself, and she's amazing. It would take a book to explain my love for the Elizabeths, so we'll skip that part and go to the book itself. It was published in 1996, so reading the parts about Diana was interesting, since she seems to have been virtually canonized after her death in '97. The writing itself was good, although there were some incredibly awkward sentences, and a couple missing words that made me grind me teeth at the editors and proofreaders who apparently failed at their job. Toward the end, specifically the last two chapters before the epilogue, it was too descriptive, focusing on the houses and the list of people and the changes to the household in the '90s as opposed to talking about the Queen. Overall, good book and I'm glad I read it. Now I want to read a more recent biography!
Read
July 30, 2017A wonderful biography- explained so much about our Queen. I can't imagine anyone wanting to take on such a 'job'- you are never really your own person. Your title 'owns' you, and Gt Britain is so fortunate to have such an honorable, dedicated, intelligent, democratic, insightful, and diplomatic. I think Sarah Bradford did a good job with this bio - it felt to be balanced, it did go into some touchy places, yet it was always respectful. Well written.
May 18, 2020
Ich habe schon lange ein Faible für die Queen und die ganze Royale Familie. Dieses Buch war das was mich am meisten ansprach. War richtig interessant so viel über die Queen zu erfahren. Vor allem weil ich viel noch nicht wusste! Allerdings wurde dieses Buch 1995 veröffentlich, heisst dass viele grosse Ereignisse noch nicht passiert waren. Kann ich jedem empfehlen der sich für die Royals interessiert!
July 25, 2021
I had read this book because I had watched The Crown. I enjoyed reading this book because I learned more about Queen Elizabeth II's childhood, her education, her marriage to Prince Philip, their children, and her reign as queen. I loved that it was informative even though it was a slow in places. I thought the book was well written. It is a must read.
February 7, 2020
Lite torr för min smak. Författaren håller sig strikt till fakta och låter inte läsaren ana hennes egna tankar om drottningen. För få fotografier tycker också. Troligen har författaren hämmats något av att denna drottning fortfarande är i livet. Det kan göra en berättelse mindre frispråkig.
April 26, 2021
DNF
I really like this book for the first half the book. It was beautifully written and filled with detail however I lost interest and put it aside in favour of other books. Since then I have lost the book which makes me sad.
I really like this book for the first half the book. It was beautifully written and filled with detail however I lost interest and put it aside in favour of other books. Since then I have lost the book which makes me sad.
August 30, 2018
quite historical account of the queen's life. I find it a little too dry though
May 15, 2018
I read about 30% of the book. Enjoyed the pictures. It is, however, not an up to date biography of EII and it felt like an older book.
November 14, 2020
Respectuous butt kissing with a good chance for the taxpayers to give a generous recompense for the official propaganda writer.
February 19, 2021
Full of detail and seemingly well-researched, there is a great tendency towards rambling.
September 21, 2022
Absolutely beautiful book.
September 25, 2022
This book was published in 1996 so it is a bit out of date and probably a bit more fawning that some later books might be, but it gave me a lot of insight into her life.
October 5, 2022
Extremely well written biography of Queen Elizabeth from her youth to becoming Queen. Interesting detail about Prince Philip and rest of family.
November 21, 2015
It must always difficult to write a biography of an individual yet living - after all, what is a biography but the story of a life, and surely one can only get the necessary perspective when one can see the entire picture. How much more difficult it must be when that yet-living-individual is the Queen, and as a result so many aspects of her life, the most personal and therefore most interesting from a biographical point of view, are shrouded in mystery and protocol and etiquette. Not to mention the lack of access to relevant documentation which is no doubt hidden away in royal archives for an unknown period of time.
That said, this is a brave effort from Sarah Bradford, an sympathetic yet not hagiographic portrait of a woman who has left her mark on everyone's lives, aware of it or not. It is hard to understate the impact and importance of the Queen - she has served as a pillar of stability for the nation through thick and thin, a unifying figure above party, politics, creed or code. The one theme which emerges from this book, and one assumes the central theme of the Queen's life, is her dedication to duty, her awareness of the responsibilities of her position, the price royalty must pay for the privilege they enjoy. Elizabeth II is very much like her father in that, something I noticed all the more having read Bradford's biography of George VI immediately beforehand.
Which brings me to my one criticism of this book - almost the entire first quarter, effectively the entire period of Elizabeth's life up to her father's death, is almost identical to passages from Bradford's George VI. It doesn't detract from either book separately, and admittedly it must be difficult to revisit identical group in a new way, but I was having distinct sensations of deja vu reading the two in this order.
Elizabeth emerges from this pages with great credit, and even in those areas where she has been held to the greatest criticism, namely her lack of the maternal instinct and prioritising of her role as Queen over that of mother one finds it hard to hold it against her. She has been Queen through perhaps the most tumultuous and testing period in the monarchy's history, when the very institution itself has been held up to the greatest scrutiny in the glaring light of modern media - and yet the recent events of her Golden Jubilee demonstrate just how much affection she inspires in the British public, and much of that is down to her as an individual.
That said, this is a brave effort from Sarah Bradford, an sympathetic yet not hagiographic portrait of a woman who has left her mark on everyone's lives, aware of it or not. It is hard to understate the impact and importance of the Queen - she has served as a pillar of stability for the nation through thick and thin, a unifying figure above party, politics, creed or code. The one theme which emerges from this book, and one assumes the central theme of the Queen's life, is her dedication to duty, her awareness of the responsibilities of her position, the price royalty must pay for the privilege they enjoy. Elizabeth II is very much like her father in that, something I noticed all the more having read Bradford's biography of George VI immediately beforehand.
Which brings me to my one criticism of this book - almost the entire first quarter, effectively the entire period of Elizabeth's life up to her father's death, is almost identical to passages from Bradford's George VI. It doesn't detract from either book separately, and admittedly it must be difficult to revisit identical group in a new way, but I was having distinct sensations of deja vu reading the two in this order.
Elizabeth emerges from this pages with great credit, and even in those areas where she has been held to the greatest criticism, namely her lack of the maternal instinct and prioritising of her role as Queen over that of mother one finds it hard to hold it against her. She has been Queen through perhaps the most tumultuous and testing period in the monarchy's history, when the very institution itself has been held up to the greatest scrutiny in the glaring light of modern media - and yet the recent events of her Golden Jubilee demonstrate just how much affection she inspires in the British public, and much of that is down to her as an individual.
June 15, 2012
I enjoyed this biography of the Queen, but since I admire her generally, this mostly admiring and positive biography was right up my alley. The author did not shy away from mistakes or poor decisions the Queen may have made. It took me ages to get through it - almost 600 pages and none of them gimmes - but I enjoyed it a lot.
Here is my favourite bit, a quote from the wife of the Foreign Secretary in 1976, about being on the royal yacht during a Force 9 gale:
"She appeared, however, looking philosophical, almost merry, twenty yards of chiffon scaft flung over one shoulder. Half a pace behind her was her Consort, his face less fresh than usual, ashen and drawn, in fact. [... After dinner and coffee] the Queen rose to say goodnight, resting one hand against the handle of the open sliding door which at that moment began sliding over again. The Queen gripped the handle firmly, pressed her back to the door and moved with it as it slid slowly shut, the chiffon scarf flying in the opposite direction. 'Wheeeeee,' said the Queen. Britannia shuddered, reeled again. The chiffon scarf blew the other way. 'Wheeeeee,' said the Queen. Britannia hesitated before the next heave. 'Goodnight,' said the Queen, slipping through the door, Prince Phillip half a pace behind her ..." pg 375
Here is my favourite bit, a quote from the wife of the Foreign Secretary in 1976, about being on the royal yacht during a Force 9 gale:
"She appeared, however, looking philosophical, almost merry, twenty yards of chiffon scaft flung over one shoulder. Half a pace behind her was her Consort, his face less fresh than usual, ashen and drawn, in fact. [... After dinner and coffee] the Queen rose to say goodnight, resting one hand against the handle of the open sliding door which at that moment began sliding over again. The Queen gripped the handle firmly, pressed her back to the door and moved with it as it slid slowly shut, the chiffon scarf flying in the opposite direction. 'Wheeeeee,' said the Queen. Britannia shuddered, reeled again. The chiffon scarf blew the other way. 'Wheeeeee,' said the Queen. Britannia hesitated before the next heave. 'Goodnight,' said the Queen, slipping through the door, Prince Phillip half a pace behind her ..." pg 375
August 10, 2012
I read this right around the time Princess Diana was killed and the world was shocked at what appeared to be a cold and unfeeling response by adult members of the royal family, including Queen Elizabeth. This book covers Elizabeth's life from her birth to childhood, from the time her father became King through WW II, her marriage to Prince Philip and becoming a mother, and her ascent to the throne of England. It offers great insights into her personality and who she really is as a human being, not just a queen. I came away with a very different impression of her than I had before reading the book.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 44 reviews