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Elizabeth Angela Marguerite Bowes Lyon, the youngest daughter of the Earl of Strathmore, was born on 4 August 1900. It might reasonably have been expected that she would lead a life of ease and privilege but few could have imagined the profound effect she would have on Britain and its people.
Queen Elizabeth's long life spanned the whole of the twentieth century and this official biography tells not only her story but, through it, that of the country she loved so devotedly. She first came to prominence after the announcement of her engagement to Prince Albert and she brought a sense of ease and informality to the Royal Family, both privately and in public. Becoming Queen Consort in 1936, after the crisis of Edward VIII's abdication, she was unstinting in her support of her husband, now King George VI, and would continue to be so throughout the turbulent years ahead. Indeed, during the Second World War, Queen Elizabeth, the King and the Princesses came to embody Britain's resistance against her enemies.
But her greatest challenge was to come. In 1952, George VI died of lung cancer, leaving Queen Elizabeth a widow at only fifty-one. And though her support of him is often noted, his of her is perhaps too often overlooked. She was devastated but, true to her nature, determined to carve out a new role for herself as Queen Mother, which she did – to splendid effect – for the next fifty years.
Drawing on her private correspondence and other hitherto unpublished material from the Royal Archives, William Shawcross vividly reveals the qualities that endeared her to those who knew and loved her personally and to the nation as a whole. Her zest for life, whether on a Royal Tour or at Royal Ascot, her devotion to duty and her love and patronage of the arts are all here but so, too, is a sense of the person beneath the facade: the witty girl who endeared herself to soldiers convalescing at Glamis in the First World War; the assured young Duchess of York; the Queen, at last feeling able to look the East End in the face at the height of the Blitz; the Queen Mother, constant and supportive to both her family and her country throughout her long widowhood.
Published by MacMillan in September 2009.
'Totally absorbing and highly readable'
THE TIMES
'A wonderful book...authoritative, frank and entertaining'
DAILY TELEGRAPH
'A spectacular 1,096-page journey across the entire twentieth century through the eyes of a thoughtful woman'
DAILY MAIL
Click here to download a list of links to online articles about this book (Microsoft Word document).
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Leading articles
Bush, Blair, Iraq and Obama
...the criticisms of President Bush and Tony Blair are often hysterical and disproportionate, particularly in regard to Iraq and the post 9/11 “war on terror”.
Are the sponsors of the mosque wise?
Enthusiasm for the Islamic centre and mosque near Ground Zero (Editorial Comment, August 17) is misplaced. It is not just easy hate figures of the right such as Sarah Palin and Newt Gingrich who are opposed to this mosque – CNN’s poll showed 70 per cent of Americans to be against it and the Senate majority leader, Harry Reid, has joined them. President Barack Obama has shilly-shallied.
Financial Times, 24 August, 2010
The victory of Coleman prison’s famous professor, Conrad Black
They had a party in Coleman prison, north Florida on June 24. The guest of honour was the prison's most famous inmate, Conrad Black, Lord Black of Coldharbour, former media mogul. The occasion was a unanimous decision by the US Supreme Court that day which called into question Black's 2008 conviction on fraud.
Evening Standard, 6 July, 2010
Britain's humiliation
A Foreign Office diplomat’s proposal to mark the Pope’s visit to Britain with Benedict condoms and by having him bless a gay marriage, open an abortion clinic, and set up a hotline for abused children is a perfect example of the ruling Labour party’s degradation of Britain.
National Review online, 29 April , 2010
An irrational, obscene hatred
Israel is a cartoon villain, beyond sympathy, beyond even redemption. What is shocking – and frightening – is that the narrative the world accepts is always that of Israel as the evildoer.
Jerusalem Post, 8 June , 2010
Even Obama holds Israel to a double standard
"Shut up. Go back to Auschwitz." That was the response from the "peace flotilla" when the Israelis broadcast a radio message warning the Turkish ships that they were about to enter an area under naval blockade.
Washington Examiner, 7 June, 2010
more...
Iraq is, even in its present condition, a rebuke to the dynasties and dictatorships of the Arab world'
Evening Standard, 5 March, 2010
Blair, Chilcot and Iraq
Thanks to this 'illegal' war, Iraqis at last have real hope for the future. Blair will never satisfy those who demand some ritual sacrifice. But he was right to join an invasion that rid Iraq of tyranny.
The Guardian, 27 January, 2010
Democratic dawn in Iraq
The military successes of the last year show that Iraq can defeat terrorist assault, but only if its allies honor their commitments. Neither Democrat front runner seems to wish to do so. This is shameful and very dangerous.
The Guardian, 3 February, 2009
Obama has a dream but he is no Messiah
There will be great things about an Obama victory. Above all, America haters around the world will be forced to see that the United States is an extraordinarily open society. A black leader in any European state is unimaginable.
The Sun, 30 October 2008
This website is operated and owned by William Shawcross. Last updated: August, 2010.
