The Queen goes AWOL. No one can find her: where is she going and why ? In Emma Tennant's hilarious 'autobiography' of Queen Elizabeth, the monarch moves to the Caribbean island of St Lucia, where, after more than half a century on the throne, she can recall the years of her reign in peace and tranquillity. But the house is no more than a hole in the ground, her servants are gone and no one knows that 'Mrs Gloria Smith' is the Queen of England. The Queen quickly realizes she has a lot to learn about living life as a commoner. The story of the sovereign's new life in St Lucia is a funny and touching account of the friendship, sometimes contentious and on occasion baffling, between Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth and a young St Lucian, Austin Ford. How the Queen reacts to her new life- and how she changes as a result- make The Autobiography of the Queen a hilarious and moving tale, in which her need for her subjects is a marked as their dependence on her staying on the throne. "A quiet, quirky charm" - The Times
The definitive portrait of Queen Elizabeth II by a renowned royal biographer. As seen on Good Morning America, CNN, and the BBC Shy but with a steely self-confidence; inscrutable despite ten decades in the public eye; unflappable; devout; indulgent; outwardly reserved, inwardly passionate; unsentimental; inquisitive; young at heart. Even with her recent passing at age ninety-six, she remains a twenty-first century global phenomenon commanding unrivalled respect and affection. Sealed off during the greatest peacetime emergency of modern times, she has stuck to her own maxim: "I have to be seen to be believed." Robert Hardman, one of Britain’s most acclaimed royal biographers, now wraps up the full story of one of the undisputed greats in a thousand years of monarchy. Hardman distills Elizabeth's complex life into 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. With peerless access to members of the Royal Family, staff, friends, and royal records, Queen of Our Times brings fresh insights and scholarship to the modern royal story. There will be no more thorough, more readable, more original book on Elizabeth II as we celebrate a life and reign that, surely, will never be equaled.
Matthew Dennison's elegant and magisterial biography of Her late Majesty, updated following the death of Elizabeth II and the accession of King Charles III. 'A worthy and balanced overview of the Queen's life. Dennison is especially good on her childhood... quietly, tactfully, tastefully reverent.'The Times The death of Queen Elizabeth II on 8 September 2022 was more than just a moment of profound sadness; her passing marked the end of an era in our national life – and the final closing of the Elizabethan Age. For millions of people, both in Britain and across the world, Elizabeth II was the embodiment of monarchy. Her long life spanned nearly a century of national and global history, from a time before the Great Depression to the era of Covid-19. Her reign embraced all but seven years of Britain's postwar history up to the accession of her son King Charles III; she was served by fifteen UK prime ministers from Churchill to Truss, and witnessed the administrations of fourteen US presidents from Truman to Biden. In this brand-new biography of the longest-reigning sovereign in British history, Matthew Dennison traces her life and reign across an era of unprecedented and often seismic social change. Stylish in its writing and nuanced in its judgements, The Queen charts the joys and triumphs as well as the disappointments and vicissitudes of a remarkable royal life; it also assesses the achievement of a woman regarded as the champion of a handful of 'British' values endorsed – if no longer practised – by the bulk of the nation: service, duty, steadfastness, charity and stoicism.
The race to the crown -- The birth of "pocket Hercules"--The lonely, naughty princess -- An impossible, strange madness -- "Awful scenes in the house"--Becoming queen: "I shall not fail" -- The coronation: "a dream out of the Arabian nights" -- Learning to rule -- A scandal in the palace -- Virago in love -- The bride: "I never, never spent such an evening" -- Only the husband, not the master -- The palace intruders -- King to all intents: "like a vulture into his prey" -- Perfect, awful, spotless prosperity -- Annus Mirabilis: the revolutionary year -- What Albert did: the Great Exhibition of 1851 -- The Crimea: 'This unsatisfactory war' -- London boils over -- Royal parents: "everything passes so quickly!" -- "Who will call me Victoria now?" -- "The whole house seems like Pompeii." -- Resuscitating the widow at Windsor -- The queen's stallion -- The faery queen awakes -- Enough to kill any man -- Two ironclads colliding: the queen and Mr. Gladstone -- The monarch in a bonnet -- The "poor munshi" -- The diamond empire -- The end of the Victorian Age - "The streets were indeed a strange sight
Farverig og dramatisk slægtsskildring fra 1800-tallets USA. Queen er Alex Haleys farmor, datter af en velhavende sydstatsgodsejer og en sort slavepige, og kernen i romanen er hendes tunge skæbne som plantagebarn mellem to verdener
ELIZABETH II: A QUEEN FOR OUR TIME is a lively and affectionate celebration of the beloved monarch and a beautiful visual record of her extraordinary reign over the past twenty years leading up to her platinum jubilee. For as long as many of us can remember, Queen Elizabeth II has been an omnipresent figurehead—an icon. As Head of the Commonwealth, she is respected and admired around the world in equal measure. Her stalwart presence has signaled stability, neutrality, and responsibility. Uniting all that is British as an ambassador and statesperson, Queen Elizabeth II has seen more of the planet and its people than any other head of state and has engaged with them like no other monarch in British history; she is unquestionably a global voice for our time. As a Getty Images royal photographer, Chris Jackson has been granted privileged access to the monarch and the British royal family. He has documented the Queen’s official engagements over the past two decades, during a period of seismic changes in the British monarchy. "Photographing Her Majesty the Queen has, and is, one of the biggest privileges of my career as Getty Images Royal Photographer. As we head towards the celebration of her Platinum Jubilee, she remains at the heart of a nation and Commonwealth's affections, and is hugely admired and respected around the world,” says Jackson.. “This book is my personal perspective across the last, almost two decades, documenting many different facets of the Monarch's life, from the formal ceremony to family life and those unexpected and heartwarming moments that left me smiling behind the camera". In Jackson’s photographs, documenting public and private moments and accompanied by warm and engaging text offering a personal perspective and behind-the-shot anecdotes, ELIZABETH II: A QUEEN FOR OUR TIME captures her majesty’s great elegance and charm. From royal tours and state dinners to family time and equestrian triumphs, this book takes us to the heart of what it means to be the head of the British royal family. Much has also been made of the Queen’s enduring style, and Jackson shines a spotlight on the coats, dresses, evening gowns, jewels, bags, and accessories that make up her coordinated wardrobe.
A tribute to the life and enduring reign of Elizabeth II draws on numerous interviews and previously undisclosed documents to juxtapose the queen's public and private lives, providing coverage of such topics as her teen romance with Philip, her contributions during World War II and the scandals that have challenged her family. (This book was previously listed in Forecast.)
The bestselling behind-the-scenes memoir of the royal family by a cousin who served in MI5—and as one of the Queen’s bridesmaids. Includes photos! A Sunday Times number one bestseller in the United Kingdom, this is the intimate and revealing autobiography of Margaret Rhodes, first cousin of Queen Elizabeth II and niece of Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother. Margaret was born into the Scottish aristocracy, into a now almost vanished world of privilege. Royalty often came to stay, and her house was run in the style of Downton Abbey. During the Second World War, she “lodged” at Buckingham Palace while she worked for MI5. She was a bridesmaid at the wedding of her cousin, Princess Elizabeth, to Prince Philip. Three years later, the King and Queen attended her own wedding, in which Princess Margaret was a bridesmaid. In 1990, she was appointed as a lady-in-waiting to the Queen Mother, acting also as her companion, which she describes in touching detail. In the early months of 2002, she spent as much time as possible with her ailing aunt and was at her bedside when she died. The next morning, she went to Queen Elizabeth’s bedroom to pray, and in farewell dropped her a final curtsey. The Queen Mother regarded Margaret Rhodes as her “third daughter,” and she has been extremely close to her cousins, the Queen and Princess Margaret, throughout their lives. Full of charming anecdotes, fascinating characters, and personal photographs, this is an unparalleled insight into the private life of the British monarchy. “Surprisingly addictive.” —New Zealand Herald
