Elizabeth and Philip

by Charles Higman, Roy Moseley

Discusses the family life of Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip

Genres: Biography, History, Nonfiction, British Literature, Royalty

516 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1991

Reviews

[Debbie W. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Often refer to this book when needing information.

[Leslie Goddard · Rating 2 out of 5]

It's tempting to throw up your hands reading this book. And not entirely because it was written around 1990 -- before the scandals/divorces/fires/deaths and recent weddings cast a new light on the royal family. The 1990s changed so much about the royal family, a book set before that era feels hopelessly out-of-date today.

What makes it aggravating is that it is not, despite the title, an exploration of the story of Elizabeth and Philip. Yes, they are both in there a lot, but really this is a book about the life of the queen, with Philip tossed in a lot, yes, but then you can't really write a biography of the queen and not talk about him.

I do give the book credit for covering a lot more of the politics of the day than is typical, a close reminder of how the queen's personal life and political role are inseparably important in her life. Many biographies of her fail to highlight the contextual political situation well.

But I suspect politics plays a large role because of how the book was researched. It appears that Higham went through newspapers, day by day, year by year, and compiled a book essentially telling the story of what was reported about the Queen day by day and year by year. You frequently see phrases such as "the Queen Mother was in the news that year for ..." or "Philip made headlines that month by ..." It starts to feel like you're getting a daily report of where the Queen went each day, what she ate, sometimes even what she wore. It's like a daily newspaper briefing put into a book format.

I will admit there are some advantages to this -- it's one thing to say "the Queen undertook xx state visits abroad that year," but another thing to actually recount month by month where she was going and really see how frequent and tiring her travel must have been. You also get to see how personal and family issues are constantly popping up when there are important state visits and ceremonial duties going on.

But the disadvantage of this approach is that you get no sense of overall narrative. It is so packed with details and comings and goings that it's hard to see the big picture. The phrase "can't see the forest for the trees" kept coming to mind.

On a personal note, I found the author's commentary more often opinionated and rude than insightful or thoughtful (Sarah Ferguson is described as "pushy, forceful" and he notes, "she was certainly not a beauty").

There have been other, more up-to-date and more insightful biographies of the Queen since this one. I'd hesitate to recommend it, other than to someone looking for a snapshot of how she and the royal family were viewed circa 1990.

[Mishon · Rating 2 out of 5]

For a book titled “Elizabeth and Philip; the untold story of the queen of England and her Prince” it had an awful lot of stuff more to do with the government and different political situations. Pages and pages would go by without a mention of either of them. Disappointing

[Annie Booker · Rating 5 out of 5]

A good and interesting read, somewhat outdated now by more recent events but still an intriguing inside look at the royal couple

[Carolyn Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a recent thrift-store find and reading it was made poignant by the death of Prince Philip a couple of weeks ago. If it had only been about “the Queen of England and Her Prince” it would have been half the length it is but it is padded with plenty of information about national and international politics, which makes it a bit hard going at times but nevertheless it remains a fascinating account of the family - if, as we now know, incorrect in the closing assurance that reports of the unhappiness of Charles and Diana were “without foundation” and that the Queen was considering stepping down on her 70th birthday.
Prince Philip, 10th June 1921 - 9th April 2021.
Requiescat in Pace.

[Moira Mackinnon · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is more than the usual Royal biography. It is a detailed political, social and economic history of Britain in the second half of the 20th Century. This historyis, of course, intimately entwined with the history of Queen Elizabeth ll, whose reign has encompassed the major part of it. The title is somewhat misleading. Although Philip and his relationship with the Queen is an integral part of the story, it is more a portrait of a family than of a couple. The Queen's relationships with her parents, sister and children are given as much attention as that with her husband. Despite the occasionally gushing tone, this was still a very interesting read.

[Kyrie · Rating 1 out of 5]

That was not what I expected. I think I could have learned as much simply by reading newspaper accounts of the history of England from 1926 forward.
The authors seem to think Elizabeth is nothing less than a saint, Philip is a jerk who doesn't deserve her, and some of her children are okay. Anyone who obstructs Elizabeth is bad, and she's an angel for putting up with them.
They also take off on long lectures on British politics. I guess that is entertwined with the monarchy, but there was little deeply personal about the royal couple.
In light of events that occurred since this novel ended, it's almost laughable about the way they insist rumors about Charles and Diana are untrue.

[Laurie Byro · Rating 3 out of 5]

So much of this espionage and historical info HAS been covered on the Crown, I am certain they studied this book, I found it at times tedious and times exhilerating. I say read it while watching that series.

[Jane · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very good biography of the Queen and Prince Philip. My only wish is that it could be updated, because so much has happened since the book was written.

[Kate Schureman · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent, in-depth look at a very special relationship.

[Ashley Beery · Rating 2 out of 5]

The audio book is very abridged and just covers the basic tidbits of the monarchy. Was a bit disappointed as it feels more like a wikipedia summary than a book.

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

#79 of 120 books pledged to read during 2022

[Erin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Much more about international espionage than i expected, honestly.

[Linda]

Wow! I love to read books of the royals. I enjoyed this book, even though it provided much on the government and the problems that go with it. It was a long book, but I read it all. Like the style of this author. What a life they lead!

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I can't really give this a fair review as I abandoned it about half way through. I was thinking it would be more of their story and it turned out to be much more political and historical than I want.

[Barbara Phinney · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lot of politics, but very interesting.

[Anne Hendricks · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent resource on the life and times of Elizabeth, Margaret Rose, and Phillip - the royals of the 20th Century. A must for all English history buffs.

[Michaele Claves · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn't enjoy this book but then I never liked History in school. After watching The Crown I thought I would enjoy it but I was wrong.