Elizabeth: An intimate portrait from the writer who knew her and her family for over fifty years

by Gyles Brandreth

Overview

This intimate, personal biography of our beloved Queen Elizabeth II tells the story of her remarkable life, reign and times, from a perspective unlike any other. Gyles Brandreth will write the Queen's tale candidly with grace and sensitivity from the view of someone so close to her, her husband Philip and the wider Royal family. Told with a refreshing dose of humour and moving honesty from a totally unique viewpoint, Elizabeth: An Intimate Portrait is the must-have biography of the longest-serving monarch in English history, of a woman who has represented not only her people but stood as an emblem of fortitude and resilience worldwide, throughout her long life.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780241637968
Publisher:	Penguin Random House UK
Publication date:	04/15/2023
Pages:	576
Sales rank:	506,881
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.25(h) x 0.00(d)

About the Author

Gyles Brandreth is a writer, broadcaster, veteran of Just A Minute, QI and The One Show, former MP and Government Whip, now Chancellor of the University of Chester and founder of the 'Poetry Together' project bringing schoolchildren and older people together to learn poetry by heart. His many books include the best-selling poetry anthology, Dancing by the Light of the Moon, and the international best-seller about spelling and punctuation, Have You Eaten Grandma? With Susie Dent, the lexicographer from Countdown, he co-hosts the award-winning podcast, Something Rhymes With Purple.

Table of Contents

prologue September 2022 1 chapter one Princess Elizabeth Alexandra Mary 30 chapter two Queen Victoria 36 chapter three In the blood 46 chapter four King George and Queen Mary 58 chapter five Bertie and Elizabeth 75 chapter six Lilibet 94 chapter seven Miss Crawford and Mrs Simpson, Ms Giuffre and Ms Markle 106 chapter eight ‘Mummy and Papa – their Coronation’ 127 chapter nine Philip 151 chapter ten Lilibet’s War 159 chapter eleven Philip’s War 191 chapter twelve Men 207 chapter thirteen Engagement 218 chapter fourteen Wedding 245 chapter fifteen Charles Philip Arthur George 279 chapter sixteen Good times, bad times 305 chapter seventeen Elizabeth II 325 chapter eighteen Coronation Day 342 chapter nineteen Duty – and sacrifice 365 chapter twenty Private lives 387 chapter twenty-one Family matters 413 chapter twenty-two ‘Show us you care’ 438 chapter twenty-three ‘What was she really like? What did she actually do?’ 462 chapter twenty-four Diary days 504 epilogue September 2022 542 sources & acknowledgements 563 picture credits 569