Queen of Our Times: The Life of Elizabeth II

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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. 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." There have always been people for and against the monarchy. Here is a quote from the book that I found put the situation quite well: “Left Wing radicals couldn’t understand why ordinary workers view the monarchy as a source of patriotic pride rather than as a class thing."

You can get a feel for Hardman’s style and content in this article, published by the Daily Mail on June 1, 2022, the eve of the Queens Jubilee Celebrations announced in the opening statement of this review: This is a delightful book that follows Queen Elizabeth from her birth to today. We see so much about the family here than in other books I have read. While the book is rather long, it is also filled with so many events I’ve not read about before so I enjoyed every bit of it.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. 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: Elizabeth was dutiful, reserved, reluctant to be the centre of attention, reticent with emotions and opinions.” Queen Of Our Times is the definitive biography of Queen Elizabeth II by one of Britain’s leading royal authorities, Robert Hardman. This commemorative edition includes an epilogue reflecting upon Her Majesty’s Platinum Jubilee, her passing and her funeral. This article from Elite Daily contains a nice list of documentaries if you would like more in that genre...

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. 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." Many of the biographies of Queen Elizabeth and other royals have been written in a way that makes the author appear to have an axe to grind. In other words, they can be catty and written in manner that makes the royal look bad. However, this book is so refreshing in that I didn’t find that to be the case here. This book was written in a positive manner and included so many things that I have never learned before. Yes, there are some difficult times and some good times too. 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.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.