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Royal : Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II
ROYAL is a celebration and analysis of Britain's monarchy - an explanation of why most people feel good about The Queen and why it is OK to feel that way - tracing the evolution of monarchy's alliance with popular culture which is both its strength and weakness today. One of the very first gestures Elizabeth learnt as a baby was to wave to the crowds. Destiny thrust the crown upon her and she has worked to do her duty with unfailing seriousness and simplicity. A biography of someone who is both a human being and an institution, the book examines the relationship between Elizabeth and Prince Philip, assessing the rumours that he has been unfaithful, a relationship at the heart of the story and one which had a crucial impact on the disastrous marriages of the royal children. The book looks at these dramas along with the turning points in Britain's recent history from the point of view of The Queen herself, showing how she felt and what she believes. She is the heroine of the adventure.
496 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1977
2 people are currently reading
69 people want to read
About the author
Robert Lacey
83 books324 followersRobert Lacey is a British historian noted for his original research, which gets him close to - and often living alongside - his subjects. He is the author of numerous international bestsellers.
After writing his first works of historical biography, Robert, Earl of Essex and Sir Walter Ralegh, Robert wrote Majesty, his pioneering biography of Queen Elizabeth II. Published in 1977, Majesty remains
acknowledged as the definitive study of British monarchy - a subject on which the author continues to write and lecture around the world, appearing regularly on ABC's Good Morning America and on CNN's Larry King Live.
The Kingdom, a study of Saudi Arabia published in 1981, is similarly acknowledged as required reading for businessmen, diplomats and students all over the world. To research The Kingdom, Robert and his wife Sandi took their family to live for eighteen months beside the Red Sea in Jeddah. Going out into the desert, this was when Robert earned his title as the "method actor" of contemporary biographers.
In March 1984 Robert Lacey took his family to live in Detroit, Michigan, to write Ford: the Men and the Machine, a best seller on both sides of the Atlantic which formed the basis for the TV mini-series of the same title, starring Cliff Robertson.
Robert's other books include biographies of the gangster Meyer Lansky, Princess Grace of Monaco and a study of Sotheby's auction house. He co- authored The Year 1000 - An Englishman's World, a description of life at the turn of the last millennium. In 2002, the Golden Jubilee Year of Queen Elizabeth II, he published Royal (Monarch in America), hailed by Andrew Roberts in London's Sunday Telegraph as "compulsively readable", and by Martin Amis in The New Yorker as "definitive".
With the publication of his Great Tales Robert Lacey returns to his first love - history. Robert Lacey is currently the historical consultant to the award-winning Netflix series "The Crown".
After writing his first works of historical biography, Robert, Earl of Essex and Sir Walter Ralegh, Robert wrote Majesty, his pioneering biography of Queen Elizabeth II. Published in 1977, Majesty remains
acknowledged as the definitive study of British monarchy - a subject on which the author continues to write and lecture around the world, appearing regularly on ABC's Good Morning America and on CNN's Larry King Live.
The Kingdom, a study of Saudi Arabia published in 1981, is similarly acknowledged as required reading for businessmen, diplomats and students all over the world. To research The Kingdom, Robert and his wife Sandi took their family to live for eighteen months beside the Red Sea in Jeddah. Going out into the desert, this was when Robert earned his title as the "method actor" of contemporary biographers.
In March 1984 Robert Lacey took his family to live in Detroit, Michigan, to write Ford: the Men and the Machine, a best seller on both sides of the Atlantic which formed the basis for the TV mini-series of the same title, starring Cliff Robertson.
Robert's other books include biographies of the gangster Meyer Lansky, Princess Grace of Monaco and a study of Sotheby's auction house. He co- authored The Year 1000 - An Englishman's World, a description of life at the turn of the last millennium. In 2002, the Golden Jubilee Year of Queen Elizabeth II, he published Royal (Monarch in America), hailed by Andrew Roberts in London's Sunday Telegraph as "compulsively readable", and by Martin Amis in The New Yorker as "definitive".
With the publication of his Great Tales Robert Lacey returns to his first love - history. Robert Lacey is currently the historical consultant to the award-winning Netflix series "The Crown".
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
January 17, 2021
Hoping one day there will be a better researched, well written book about this lady who has led the most extraordinary life.
October 5, 2009
This book is trash - badly written, badly researched, and full of irrelevant material - the first 75 pages or so are about the reigns of Victoria and Edward, with nothing taken from them and presented as relevant to QE2's reign. Also it's written from the perspective of a kind of post-Diana monarchy, which is ridiculous.
I think of Her Majesty as similar to Neil Armstrong - a great icon of the 20th Century, somehow impervious to intrusion, and therefore a blank canvas onto which we can project our feelings, longings and opnions. I learnt almost nothing about her, but perhaps there is very little to know. That doesn't excuse this book though. It's rubbish,
I think of Her Majesty as similar to Neil Armstrong - a great icon of the 20th Century, somehow impervious to intrusion, and therefore a blank canvas onto which we can project our feelings, longings and opnions. I learnt almost nothing about her, but perhaps there is very little to know. That doesn't excuse this book though. It's rubbish,
July 26, 2016
Although I like the writing and enjoyed reading "Royal" I was disappointed that this was not the comprehensive history I though it would be. I was also disappointed that the writer, a historian, showed his biases so blatantly and often. Other than that, it was an easy read.
March 6, 2013
Really liked this one, although a bit out of date now.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews