From the Publisher
In this magisterial new biography, New York Times
bestselling author Sally Bedell Smith brings to life one of the
world's most fascinating and enigmatic women: Queen Elizabeth
II.
From the moment of her ascension to the throne in 1952 at the age
of twenty-five, Queen Elizabeth II has been the object of
unparalleled scrutiny. But through the fog of glamour and gossip,
how well do we really know the world's most famous monarch? Drawing
on numerous interviews and never-before-revealed documents,
acclaimed biographer Sally Bedell Smith pulls back the curtain to
show in intimate detail the public and private lives of Queen
Elizabeth II, who has led her country and Commonwealth through the
wars and upheavals of the last sixty years with unparalleled
composure, intelligence, and grace.
In Elizabeth the Queen, we meet the young girl who
suddenly becomes "heiress presumptive" when her
uncle abdicates the throne. We meet the thirteen-year-old Lilibet
as she falls in love with a young navy cadet named
Philip and becomes determined to marry him, even though her parents
prefer wealthier English aristocrats. We see the teenage Lilibet
repairing army trucks during World War II and standing with Winston
Churchill on the balcony of Buckingham Palace on V-E Day. We see
the young Queen struggling to balance the demands of her job with
her role as the mother of two young children. Sally Bedell Smith
brings us inside the palace doors and into the Queen's daily
routines-the "red boxes" of documents she reviews each day, the
weekly meetings she has had with twelve prime ministers, her
physically demanding tours abroad, and the constant scrutiny of the
press-as well as her personal relationships: with Prince Philip,
her husband of sixty-four years and the love of her life; her
children and their often-disastrous marriages; her grandchildren
and friends.
Compulsively readable and scrupulously researched, Elizabeth
the Queen is a close-up view of a woman we've known only from
a distance, illuminating the lively personality, sense of humor,
and canny intelligence with which she meets the most demanding work
and family obligations. It is also a fascinating window into life
at the center of the last great monarchy.
About the Author
Sally Bedell Smith is the author of
bestselling biographies of William S. Paley; Pamela Harriman;
Diana, Princess of Wales; John and Jacqueline Kennedy; and Bill and
Hillary Clinton. A contributing editor at Vanity Fair
since 1996, she previously worked at Time and The New
York Times, where she was a cultural news reporter. She is the
mother of three children and lives in Washington, D.C., with her
husband, Stephen G. Smith.
About the Book
In this magisterial new biography, a "New York Times"-bestselling author brings to life one of the world's most fascinating and enigmatic women: Queen Elizabeth II. Compulsively readable and scrupulously researched, "Elizabeth the Queen" illuminates the lively personality, sense of humor, and canny intelligence with which she meets the most demanding work and family obligations.
Format: Hardcover
Published: January 10, 2012
Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
Language: English
The following ISBNs are associated with this title:
ISBN - 10: 1400067898
ISBN - 13: 9781400067893
