Elizabeth the Queen: The Life of a Modern Monarch (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9780812979794)

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER - Perfect for fans of The Crown, this magisterial biography of Queen Elizabeth II is a close-up view of the woman we've known only from a distance--and a captivating window into the last great monarchy.

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.

Praise for Elizabeth the Queen

"An excellent, all-embracing new biography."--The New York Times

" An] imposing, yet nimbly written, biography that] dwarfs the field . . . a most satisfying and enjoyable read, one to be savored at length."--Minneapolis Star Tribune

"Fascinating . . . After sixty years on the throne, the monarch of Britain is better known for her poker face than for sly wit or easy charm. Yet in biographer Sally Bedell Smith's Elizabeth the Queen, Her Majesty sparkles with both."--More

" A] smart and satisfying book."--Los Angeles Times

Author: Sally Bedell Smith
ISBN-10: 0812979796
ISBN-13: 9780812979794
Publisher: Random House Trade
Language: English
Published: 10/30/2012
Pages: 720
Format: Paperback
Weight: 1.70lbs
Size: 9.10h x 6.10w x 1.80d

Review Citation(s):
New York Times Book Review 01/20/2013 pg. 24

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.