Queen Of Our Times (the Life Of Elizabeth Ii)

By (author) Hardman Robert
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An insightful biography, based on exclusive research, of Queen Elizabeth II, bringing us the full story of one of our greatest and best-loved monarchs as she celebrates her Platinum Jubilee.
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The Amazon No. 1 Bestseller and Sunday Tmes Bestseller

The definitive biography of Her Majesty The Queen by one of Britain’s leading royal authorities.

''Sensational'' - Kirsty Young, BBC1''s The Platinum Pageant

''This is a beautifully-crafted, deeply informed and rounded portrait of the gold standard monarch and the age to which she has given her name. Queen of Our Times has depth, feel and insight in abundance’ - historian Peter Hennessy

With original insights from those who know her best, new interviews with world leaders and access to unseen papers, bestselling author Robert Hardman explores the full, astonishing life of our longest reigning monarch in this compellingly authoritative yet intimate biography.

Elizabeth II was not born to be queen. Yet from her accession as a young mother of two in 1952 to the age of Covid-19, she has proved an astute and quietly determined figure, leading her family and her people through more than seventy years of unprecedented social change. She has faced constitutional crises, confronted threats against her life, rescued the Commonwealth, seen her prime ministers come and go, charmed world leaders, been criticised as well as feted by the media, and steered her family through a lifetime in the public eye.

Queen of Our Times is a must-read study of dynastic survival and renewal, spanning abdication, war, romance, danger and tragedy. It is a compelling portrait of a leader who remains as intriguing today as the day she came to the throne aged twenty-five.

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The essential authoritative biography of the Queen that everyone needs to read - packed with new research, gripping details and telling anecdotes on every page, equally masterful on matters high and low, power and family. Hardman not only explains her; he defines her and her epoch.
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Robert Hardman has written a truly exceptional biography of an equally exceptional monarch, rich in new material, wit and original thought. With intimate and unrivalled access to those who really know the story, Queen of Our Times not only gives us the real Elizabeth II, but it also reminds us, often movingly, that we are living through one of history’s greatest reigns.
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A compendious new biography . . . closely observed . . . I relished the incidental details.
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Hardman’s exhaustive and endlessly enthusiastic biography paints a vivid picture of a phenomenal sovereign.
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Authoritative . . . scrupulously well researched, thoughtful and sensitive to the sweep of history.
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Revelatory . . . Queen of Our Times shows why her extraordinary lifetime of service should be celebrated, honoured and cherished.
Biographical note
Robert Hardman is an internationally renowned writer and broadcaster, specializing in royalty and history for more than twenty five years. He has previously written the acclaimed books Monarchy: The Royal Family at Work, Our Queen and Queen of the World, along with the BBC and ITV television documentaries of the same name. Among other television credits, he wrote and presented the BBC Two documentary George III – The Genius of the Mad King and wrote the BBC series, The Queen’s Castle. Hardman interviewed the Prince of Wales for the BBC’s Charles at 60, the Duke of Edinburgh for the BBC’s The Duke: In His Own Words and the Princess Royal for ITV’s Anne: The Princess Royal at 70. He wrote and co-produced the BB