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Elizabeth II: Life of a Monarch
Respected royal broadcaster Jennie Bond narrates the life story of Queen Elizabeth II, and takes listeners inside the private life of one of the most public figures in modern history. Learn intimate details of Elizabeth's childhood, her courtship and marriage, and the tragic moments following the death of Princess Diana.
Born a minor royal in 1926, Elizabeth is now the longest-reigning British monarch and also the most recognizable woman in the world. Admired by many, she has reigned through a period of unprecedented change, keeping the monarchy strong and consistent through the end of the empire, public scandals, and private loss. This riveting history uses actors and eyewitness observations to bring to life the story of this most remarkable woman.
Born a minor royal in 1926, Elizabeth is now the longest-reigning British monarch and also the most recognizable woman in the world. Admired by many, she has reigned through a period of unprecedented change, keeping the monarchy strong and consistent through the end of the empire, public scandals, and private loss. This riveting history uses actors and eyewitness observations to bring to life the story of this most remarkable woman.
4 pages, Audible Audio
First published January 1, 2017
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644 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 433 reviews
April 12, 2021
This was a free Audible listen for me and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
The narration was perfect and it did feature some dramatization. A very entertaining audible on the ups and downs of Elizabeth's reign. I finished this on the day it was announced Elizabeth's consort, Prince Philip The Duke of Edinburgh had passed. This made her story all the more touching. As she herself described Philip in a speech for their 50th wedding anniversary as her, "strength and stay." That part pulled at the heartstrings when I heard it today. I highly recommend this to fans of the Netflix series, "The Crown." You are sure to enjoy this one! 👑
The narration was perfect and it did feature some dramatization. A very entertaining audible on the ups and downs of Elizabeth's reign. I finished this on the day it was announced Elizabeth's consort, Prince Philip The Duke of Edinburgh had passed. This made her story all the more touching. As she herself described Philip in a speech for their 50th wedding anniversary as her, "strength and stay." That part pulled at the heartstrings when I heard it today. I highly recommend this to fans of the Netflix series, "The Crown." You are sure to enjoy this one! 👑
May 22, 2019
Another audible freebie, told with some dramticazation, but mostly in s documentary manner. Taking us through Elizabeth's birth, Edwards abdication, her father despite his stammering, ascending to the throne, admirably taking on a responsibility for which he was never trained not expected. A young Elizabeth, who finds her former carefree life changed as she is now second to the throne. Forward on to Elizabeth's marriage, her coronation, and her children.
I liked that genuine recorded radio messages were related at key moments, enjoyed the narrators voice. This and eyewitness accounts added depth and authenticity to this account I did know most of this though, I think this might have been taken from the documentary of Elizabeth's life shown on PBS. If not I saw some of this somewhere or another.
I liked that genuine recorded radio messages were related at key moments, enjoyed the narrators voice. This and eyewitness accounts added depth and authenticity to this account I did know most of this though, I think this might have been taken from the documentary of Elizabeth's life shown on PBS. If not I saw some of this somewhere or another.
April 16, 2019
Audible Original
Elizabeth II: Life of a Monarch was pretty interesting to listen to. I kind of wish it was a bit longer just so I could learn more about Queen Elizabeth's life. I was intrigued to hear about certain things that happened in her life. Whether it was her marriage, her kids, or dealing with deaths/unfortunate events. Especially when things came about Princess Diana's death and how the royal family was portrayed during that.
Overall, I wish I got more about the Queen herself, instead of the whole family, but I did enjoy learning all about their history.
Elizabeth II: Life of a Monarch was pretty interesting to listen to. I kind of wish it was a bit longer just so I could learn more about Queen Elizabeth's life. I was intrigued to hear about certain things that happened in her life. Whether it was her marriage, her kids, or dealing with deaths/unfortunate events. Especially when things came about Princess Diana's death and how the royal family was portrayed during that.
Overall, I wish I got more about the Queen herself, instead of the whole family, but I did enjoy learning all about their history.
July 18, 2018
Really enjoyed listening to this one. Full review to follow. 4.5 stars
September 17, 2025
לסקירה מפורטת בעברית, קישור לבלוג שלי -
https://sivi-the-avid-reader.com/eliz...
https://sivi-the-avid-reader.com/eliz...
September 17, 2019
3.5 stars.
Not gripping but interesting. I got this as a free monthly Audible Original. I enjoyed listening to it. If you're fascinated by the British Royal Family, then I recommend this for you....
Not gripping but interesting. I got this as a free monthly Audible Original. I enjoyed listening to it. If you're fascinated by the British Royal Family, then I recommend this for you....
April 7, 2019
An informative account of QEII. Short and quick.
October 8, 2019
Can't call it a hagiography by any stretch. It's snarky in spots, but it's fine. Nothing really new if you're a royal nerd to start with, but nothing outrageous, either.
April 6, 2019
An alright little modern history of the British royal family. It focuses on Queen Elizabeth but her whole family is there. This came out in 2016 so Meghan Markle isn't mentioned. Otherwise, it's pretty much everything you would want on the subject.
By everything you would want, I mean everything I would want. It's not everything my mom would want as she is a voracious consumer of all things royal. If you're like her there's probably not nearly enough detail here.
It's a good little primer for the life of Elizabeth II in her family.
By everything you would want, I mean everything I would want. It's not everything my mom would want as she is a voracious consumer of all things royal. If you're like her there's probably not nearly enough detail here.
It's a good little primer for the life of Elizabeth II in her family.
June 8, 2019
I rather enjoyed listening to this book that was a gift from Audible. The narrator’s voice was pleasant and I was reminded and learned interesting facts about the life of Queen Elizabeth, her family and their roles as English royalty. It was concise and gave insight into a private life without being too gossipy. The actual radio broadcasts interspersed throughout the recording added to the pleasure. Perhaps it should not be given a 4-star, perhaps a 3, but I am not hesitant to tell a friend I enjoyed it. That fits my standard for a 4 star.
April 25, 2019
That was a quick and insightful Audible Original. I've learned so much about the life of Queen Elizabeth II, Prince Philip (the Greek) and the rest of the royal family. I enjoyed more the first half of the book for the little Lilibet and her first years as a Queen. I had the chance to "see" her as a little kid, sister, wife, mother, grandmother, ruler. The book is very well organised. It doesn't go too much in details but reveals a little bit of everyone in the royal family and of course, focusing on Elizabeth II.
P.S. I loved the sound effects which are typical for Audible Originals
P.S. I loved the sound effects which are typical for Audible Originals
September 10, 2019
basic overview of queen elizabeth and major things she has dealt with in her life. audible.
April 18, 2019
OK, so I don't normally go in for the royals or anything like it. A free Audible Original, however, so I did this time. I really enjoyed it. It might be the very best Audible Original I've listened to. The information was interesting, the narration was excellent and the background sounds effects, which I rarely like, actually enhanced the narration. Overall, it was an astonishingly well-done production. Now, if you hate everything about the monarchy, this won't be for you, but I did enjoy it, in spite of myself.
April 11, 2019
A well-written, though necessarily truncated biography of Queen Elizabeth II expertly narrated by Jenny Bond
November 20, 2018
This was another free Audible original. It is done in 8 30 minute episodes, so it is like a weekly radio play -- each episode starts with "royal" music and ends with a summary of what's coming next. While it was enjoyable to listen to, it was very, very superficial. I had been hoping for a bit more insight on the Queen herself and less about her ill-behaved relatives. But it was definitely worth the price!
April 27, 2019
Interesting audible book, but I wanted to hear more about the queen’s role . I would have liked it to be a little more in-depth in her life .
May 10, 2019
This was surprisingly good! I was worried it would be too effusive, but it's not at all. There isn't anything new or original, but it's an entertaining and soothing recap of Elizabeth II's life.
January 17, 2020
Really good except one bullshit comment blaming Diana for the divorce because she was jealous. Other than that, excellent. Informative and entertaining.
June 8, 2020
Being American, I didn't pay much attention to the British royal family until the night of Princess Diana's death. So this was very interesting to me!
July 30, 2019
This was an Audible "original" audio about the life of Queen Elizabeth. I feel like I had a fair amount of knowledge already about the 20th/21st century royal family but this definitely filled in the blanks on the parents (Elizabeth I and Bertie of "The King's Speech") and sibling (Margaret) of Elizabeth , as well as her lesser known children (Anne, Andrew and Edward).
What I found fascinating is how over the years, the royals have feverishly tried to reach a balance with the media--trying to keep their privacy while still remaining to seem like "real people." After learning more about the life of Queen Elizabeth, I have a warmer appreciation for her.
What I found fascinating is how over the years, the royals have feverishly tried to reach a balance with the media--trying to keep their privacy while still remaining to seem like "real people." After learning more about the life of Queen Elizabeth, I have a warmer appreciation for her.
December 5, 2022
A quick and superficial retelling of the main events of the royal family during Elizabeth's life. It is decorated with sound effects and dramatizations that I didn't care for, otherwise the narration was good. I was a little put down by the lack of depth here, at times I felt like I was just reading what you could find on Wikipedia. Still it's a lifespan worth retelling and worth spending a few hours to review the recent history of a monarchy at a crossroads.
April 27, 2019
This isn't, as I feared it might be, a cheer-leading, uncritical work, nor is it carping and hypercritical, which was the other risk. It shows Elizabeth as a human being with strengths and weaknesses, and the ways her strong sense of duty has been both an essential part of being a successful Queen in a century where society has experienced rapid and turbulent change, and something that kept her comparatively distant from her children, and created problems understanding her daughters-in-law, especially Diana, raised in a different age and not even as close to royal circle as Elizabeth was before her father's ascension to the throne.
Elizabeth Windsor wasn't originally expected ever to become Queen of England. She was the daughter of the Duke of York, the second son of George V, and, a shy man with a stammer, he was happy to leave the Crown to his elder brother, the Prince of Wales.
Then George V died, the Prince of Wales became King Edward VIII, and all the behaviors that had been of growing concern quickly transformed into a crisis. He announced his determination to marry Wallis Simpson, a twice-divorced American socialite on friendly terms with Nazis. I suppose younger readers and listeners might only recognize why the last of those was a problem, society and culture have changed so much in the past century. Edward abdicated within a year, and the Duke of York, very reluctantly, became King George VI. Elizabeth was now the heir to the throne.
We follow her development from a carefree, young girl hoping to someday marry a farmer to the longest-lived and longest-reigning British monarch in history, and it's fascinating and a good listen.
Recommended.
I bought this audiobook.
Elizabeth Windsor wasn't originally expected ever to become Queen of England. She was the daughter of the Duke of York, the second son of George V, and, a shy man with a stammer, he was happy to leave the Crown to his elder brother, the Prince of Wales.
Then George V died, the Prince of Wales became King Edward VIII, and all the behaviors that had been of growing concern quickly transformed into a crisis. He announced his determination to marry Wallis Simpson, a twice-divorced American socialite on friendly terms with Nazis. I suppose younger readers and listeners might only recognize why the last of those was a problem, society and culture have changed so much in the past century. Edward abdicated within a year, and the Duke of York, very reluctantly, became King George VI. Elizabeth was now the heir to the throne.
We follow her development from a carefree, young girl hoping to someday marry a farmer to the longest-lived and longest-reigning British monarch in history, and it's fascinating and a good listen.
Recommended.
I bought this audiobook.
April 24, 2019
This audio was one of the monthly free ones from Audible. Awhile ago we'd started watching "The Crown" and I found this period of time with the royals to be interesting. Figured I might learn something.
Well, not so much. This could be titled "Stuff that happened during the reign of Elizabeth II - 101". It is a very basic history of not just the Queen Mother, but all the scandals (the abdication of King Edward VIII, the Queen's younger sister Margaret, Diana, Fergie, etc.). It's very top level, and quite honestly if you lived and breathed in the last 30 years, you know all of this already. If you don't, then this would be a pretty good place to start. Or you could watch "The Crown".
The audio is primarily narrated by Jennie Bond, a royal broadcaster, and supplemented by recreated speeches and such, performed Tim Piggott-Smith and Lindsay Duncan. The production sounds like a proper BBC documentary, it's not all that dynamic but it isn't intended to be.
Well, not so much. This could be titled "Stuff that happened during the reign of Elizabeth II - 101". It is a very basic history of not just the Queen Mother, but all the scandals (the abdication of King Edward VIII, the Queen's younger sister Margaret, Diana, Fergie, etc.). It's very top level, and quite honestly if you lived and breathed in the last 30 years, you know all of this already. If you don't, then this would be a pretty good place to start. Or you could watch "The Crown".
The audio is primarily narrated by Jennie Bond, a royal broadcaster, and supplemented by recreated speeches and such, performed Tim Piggott-Smith and Lindsay Duncan. The production sounds like a proper BBC documentary, it's not all that dynamic but it isn't intended to be.
April 24, 2019
Surprisingly good short audiobook about the life of Elizabeth II, and how the royal family has changed over the years. Doesn't go into extreme detail of any one area, but is a pretty good overview. I had been blissfully unaware of the specifics of various royal scandals, and instead just knew about the abdication of Edward VIII, the issues with Prince Charles/Lady Diana/Camilla Parker Bowles, so now i know 10 more scandals I don't really care about. Ironically I'm somewhat pro monarchy for Hoppean reasons, but only in a feudal/transitory system where an incompetent monarch could realistically be replaced -- the weird permanent but limited monarchies of today seem worse than either a real monarch or a republic.
August 21, 2019
It's the Queen
A Solid 4.5 Star Rating
The good thing about this, is that I've always been fascinated by the Queen. I'm not sure why. Could be because the monarch's life is so different than mine. Or because almost every little girl wants to be a princess. Or maybe because Monarchs and Monarchies are practically extinct. Yet, the UK, one of the smallest and strongest nations in the world has managed to hold on to theirs.
Everything mentioned I knew already. Documentaries on the royal family, tv shows like The Crown already spilled these beans and there are some events that I actually remember myself as I've lived through them. However, it's still fascinating to me, and I still enjoyed this short look into the life of Queen Elizabeth II.
A Solid 4.5 Star Rating
The good thing about this, is that I've always been fascinated by the Queen. I'm not sure why. Could be because the monarch's life is so different than mine. Or because almost every little girl wants to be a princess. Or maybe because Monarchs and Monarchies are practically extinct. Yet, the UK, one of the smallest and strongest nations in the world has managed to hold on to theirs.
Everything mentioned I knew already. Documentaries on the royal family, tv shows like The Crown already spilled these beans and there are some events that I actually remember myself as I've lived through them. However, it's still fascinating to me, and I still enjoyed this short look into the life of Queen Elizabeth II.
April 10, 2019
As an American the who concept of royalty is a bit confusing -- it makes sense to me when looking back to a time when royalty were not figureheads, but in the 21st century it seems a bit redundant, unnecessary and expensive. Still I am quite intrigued by their lives. This book didn't bring any new information to me but it was a well-organized, short listen. I liked it okay, but didn't love it. It felt a bet too deferential to the royals and negative regarding the in-laws, especially Prince Philip and Princess Diana.
April 11, 2019
I still haven’t decided whether these audible originals should be rated as books, or just enjoyed as podcasts? Anyway, I knew nothing about Queen Elizabeth, and now I know something. I never really knew who Prince Phillip or Fergie or Camilla were, and now I do. This audio book also came with cool sound effects, like horse hooves, crowd noises, etc. Overall it was a mildly entertaining explanation of the royal families and their scandals, although I will never understand how British people rever the royal family like they do. I guess you’d have to be British to understand that.
April 30, 2019
Because it was an Audible freebie and because I've enjoyed watching The Crown and because I've had so much time in the car of late.
This is more of a quick overview which I mostly knew, but the production value and narration are very good so I still enjoyed it.
Now I might have to read some other books on the royal family.
This is more of a quick overview which I mostly knew, but the production value and narration are very good so I still enjoyed it.
Now I might have to read some other books on the royal family.
June 5, 2019
A well-done overview of Elizabeth II's life and legacy. I really enjoyed the use of music and different actors' voices to make the biography feel three-dimensional. I was struck by Elizabeth's steadfastness and elegance in The Crown and I'm pleased to find out that Claire Foy's performance is based on fact. She truly is a remarkable person.
August 25, 2020
Garbage. Got about halfway through before I decided not to finish it. I was looking forward to learning about the queen and monarchy I know little of as an american, but this entire thing is just a string of -literally- regurgitated tabloid headlines and quotes, with a gross gossip tone. Nothing of substance. Completely pointless and boring.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 433 reviews