Elizabeth: The Woman and the Queen

by Graham Turner

Graham Turner has had access to the Royal Family and their inner circle for almost a decade. In this intimate biography of Elizabeth II, he aims to show the flesh-and-blood woman. He takes us behind the scenes to describe the sometimes raw reality of her relationship with Prince Philip and the influence of the Queen Mother. He analyses how she deals with her own children and asks how good a mother she has been and if she has successfully juggled family and work. Turner also gives rare glimpses behind the formality, showing the Queen on holiday at Sandringham and Balmoral - where she might serve dinner and clear the table.

224 pages, Hardcover

First published May 24, 2002

Reviews

[Stephanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

A lot of the stories/information in this book were from un-named sources, which got annoying, but it still felt legitimate and honest in many ways. (There were lots of named sources, too.)

I hadn't really known much about Philip's childhood and early years - basically no parental involvement at all, and living on the charity of others. That, plus the Queen's need to put duty before family, seems to really help clarify at least some reasons why their kids have so many relationship problems. (Charles in particular. He is, in the author's opinion, looking for a mother - and Diana was looking for a father. The author says that Charles was 32 going on 50 and Diana was 20 going on 15 - and he was in love with Camilla even then - so no wonder it didn't work out.)

An interesting read, and the photos in this were fantastic. (And Prince Charles was an incredibly pudgy baby - adorable!)