Queen of Our Times: The Life of Elizabeth II

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Hardman distils Elizabeth's complex life in to a must-read study of dynastic survival and renewal. It is a portrait of a world leader who remains as intriguing today as the day she came to the Throne at age twenty-five. The Duke had voiced similar love and affection the previous day during a wedding anniversary luncheon hosted by the City of London. After paying an unexpectedly tender tribute to their children, he turned to the Queen herself: ' I think the main lesson that we have learned is that tolerance is the one essential ingredient of any happy marriage. You can take it from me that the Queen has the quality of tolerance in abundance." The definitive portrait of Queen Elizabeth II by a renowned royal biographer in an updated Commemorative Edition following Her Majesty's passing, 1926-2022. Queen Elizabeth II was one of the main reasons for the recent changing relations between the UK and Ireland. Her historic visit to Ireland and her Gaelic (Irish) opening line in her speech all played a major role in it. Hardman calls the first decade of Elizabeth’s era the “unfinished reign” of George VI, when the old guard of the previous Household remained in charge. By the late 1960s, the old men had gone. The Queen was firmly installed, and she embarked on a programme of modernisation.

When discussing current affairs or politics, particularly foreign affairs, she never seems bored by it, or tired by it. I think it's that sort of combination of knowing "I have to do this" and finding it interesting at the same time." This is a most interesting book to read, at this time just after the passing of the Queen. I came to realise how much the Queen owed to her father, King George the Sixth. A s well as setting her a good example he also mentored her in the duties of a constitutional monarch.Most biographies of Elizabeth II follow the “Crown in Crisis” narrative, which frames the Queen as lurching from one disaster to another, and portrays her reign as one of managed decline. The TV series The Crown is an outstanding example of this story of catastrophes – and Hardman is having none of it. He maintains that, for most of the so-called crises of her reign, the Queen remained firmly in control.

Queen Elizabeth's reign is the longest by any British monarch and the longest by any female head of the State. The world has changed a lot from 1952 when she became the Queen, and she will always be remembered for her sense of duty and dedication for more than 70 years when she was the Queen.

The author is a well known writer and broadcaster, specializing in the monarchy and history. He has spoken to and interviewed many people who knew the Queen including the Duke of Edinburgh, the Prince of Wales and the Duke of Cambridge. Elizabeth: The Unseen Queen tells the story of the Queen's life through BBC exclusive access to never-before-seen home videos and footage of Elizabeth’s private moments, making it the most complete look at her life in existence to date. Die Zitate von verschiedenen Personen, die die Queen trafen und kannten Verleihen dem Buch nochmal mehr Authentizität.

She invited the US ambassador, Will Farish, to attend as her guest of honour. The gesture was not only profoundly comforting for expatriate Americans stranded in the UK, but resonated powerfully across the United States. So, too, did the Queen's message to the American people. To this day, her conclusion – 'Grief is the price we pay for love' – remains one of her most widely quoted statements." Perhaps the Duke of Windsor (formerly King Edward VIII) and Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex, have strengthened the monarchy by leaving. They have demonstrated that your fate is not completely sealed by birth into the State system because, whether already King or merely in the line of succession, you can step away from public service to the monarchy. Likewise, perhaps the expulsion of Prince Andrew for his long-documented abuses of status indicates the family can be self-monitoring to maintain their beneficent role? Meanwhile, the success of the Queen, her husband Prince Philip, her daughter Princess Anne and son Prince Edward (with his wife Sophie), and Prince William (and his wife, Katherine) highlight that the role can be fulfilled well. There is of course, an ethical question at the center of the constitutional/ parliamentary monarchy. It is this: Recognizing all the benefits of this system, particularly those realized through a capable long reigning monarch, the great percentage of which cannot be realized by an appointed rather inherited royalty: All of these describe Her Royal Highness Queen Elizabeth II, who has reigned through more seismic social change than any monarch since 1066 (Charles I included). From the Abdication to the Sussexes, she has witnessed family crises on a scale not seen since the days of George III. This is one of the best biographies I have ever read and after 25 hours of spending time in the Queen’s world, I was truly sad to reach the end. The author did a magnificent job of covering her reign and her character. The book was wonderfully paced with multiple interviews and primary sources that painted a full and clear picture for me. It was also a great reminder of how little the media gets right and how much is always going on behind the scenes. The care and detail to get things right almost always gets lost in our 24-7 news cycle. I ended the book with a deep appreciation for a woman who lived steadfastly and faithfully to her principles and left a beautiful legacy for us to emulate.To celebrate this unprecedented anniversary, events and initiatives will take place throughout the year, culminating in a four-day UK bank holiday weekend from Thursday 2nd to Sunday 5th June. Simon Sebag Montefiore Robert Hardman has written a truly exceptional biography of an equally exceptional monarch, rich in new material, wit and original thought. With intimate and unrivalled access to those who really know the story.