Stories circulated that the queen didn’t want to give Diana a royal funeral, which only fueled public sentiment against the monarch. Nearly a week after Diana’s death, Elizabeth returned to London and issued a statement on the late princess. For the Jubilee, I also watched a few documentaries about Queen Elizabeth. My favorite was, The Unseen Queen, 2022. Die Zitate von verschiedenen Personen, die die Queen trafen und kannten Verleihen dem Buch nochmal mehr Authentizität.

Queen of Our Times by Robert Hardman | Waterstones Queen of Our Times by Robert Hardman | Waterstones

In 1992, another of Elizabeth’s children, Prince Andrew, ended up in the tabloids after photos emerged of his wife, Sarah Ferguson, and another man engaged in romantic activity. The couple divorced soon after. Along with the dissolution of Charles’ and Andrew’s marriages, Princess Anne divorced her husband Mark Phillips that year. More bad news came when a fire broke out at Windsor Castle in November. The 15-hour blaze destroyed 115 rooms, though it only consumed two pieces of art from the queen’s valuable private collection. The year became known as her “annus horribilis.” The author is also telling us about the glorious relationship queen had with the American people in this book.

About Stanfords

A definitive portrait of Queen Elizabeth II on the seventieth anniversary of her reign by a renowned royal biographer. On February 6th, 2022 ,she marks 70 years on the Throne. Robert Hardman, the acclaimed and respected author of Her Majesty and Queen of the World has already examined the Queen as a modern monarch and her role as a stateswoman abroad. Now, he wraps up the full story of one of the undisputed greats in a thousand years of monarchy. 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.

Queen of Our Times: The Life of Queen Elizabeth II Queen of Our Times: The Life of Queen Elizabeth II

I cannot lead you into battle, I do not give you laws or administer justice, but I can do something else, I can give you my heart and my devotion to these old islands and to all the peoples of our brotherhood of nations. Fifteen years later, the monarchy changed hands again when King George died. The younger Elizabeth assumed the responsibilities of the ruling monarch on February 6, 1952. At that point, the 25-year-old became Queen Elizabeth II, and her mother became Queen Mother.

I declare before you all that my whole life, whether it be long or short, shall be devoted to your service and the service of our great imperial family to which we all belong.

Queen of Our Times: The Life of Elizabeth II | Stanfords

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: 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." For much of her life, the queen surrounded herself with dogs. She was especially known for her love of corgis, owning more than 30 descendants of the first corgi she received as a teenager, until the death of the final one, Willow, in 2018. In 1945, Elizabeth joined the Auxiliary Territorial Service to help in the war effort. She trained side-by-side with other British women to be an expert driver and mechanic. While her volunteer work only lasted a few months, it offered Elizabeth a glimpse into a different, non-royal world. She had another vivid experience outside of the monarchy when she and Margaret were allowed to mingle anonymously among the citizenry on Victory in Europe Day. William and Kate have three children, who are Elizabeth’s great-grandchildren. The Prince and Princess of Wales welcomed Prince George Alexander Louis in July 2013, Princess Charlotte Elizabeth Diana in May 2015, and Prince Louis Arthur Charles in April 2018. All three are currently in the line of succession directly after their father.

Elizabeth was dutiful, reserved, reluctant to be the centre of attention, reticent with emotions and opinions.” With the outbreak of World War II in 1939, Elizabeth and her sister largely stayed out of London, having been relocated to Windsor Castle. From there she made the first of her famous radio broadcasts in 1940, with this particular speech reassuring the children of Britain who had been evacuated from their homes and families. The 14-year-old princess, showing her calm and firm personality, told them “that in the end, all will be well; for God will care for us and give us victory and peace.” 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. Elizabeth was not born to be queen, being third in line to the throne. Yet from her accession as a young mother of two in 1952 to the age of Covid-19, she proved an astute and quietly determined figure, leading her family and her people through more than seventy years of unprecedented social change. She faced constitutional crises, confronted threats against her life, unified the Commonwealth, saw fifteen British prime ministers come and go, charmed world leaders, and steered her family through a lifetime in the public eye. Her Platinum Jubilee was celebrated in June 2022 and her death mourned months later, both events a reminder of the huge impact she had made.