Born 21st April 1926, Queen Elizabeth II came to the throne in 1952 and is the longest serving British monarch. Queen of the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand and Head of the Commonwealth, she is also queen of 12 independent countries, Jamaica, Barbados, the Bahamas, Grenada, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Belize, Antigua and Barbuda, and Saint Kitts and Nevis.
Considered to be one of the hardest working Monarchs the UK ever saw, Queen Elizabeth II’s life has been documented in literature, both in fiction and biographical form and so today we’re going to recommend some great reads about our Liz!
Fact
Ben Pimlott – The Queen: Elizabeth II and the Monarchy
First written for Queen Elizabeth II’s 70th birthday, Pimlott’s The Queen has been reissued with a new foreword. The Independent on Sunday said there was no better biography of Queen Elizabeth II so this may be worth checking out.
The Queen: Elizabeth II and the Monarchy US
The Queen: Elizabeth II and the Monarchy UK
Fiction
Alan Bennett – The Uncommon Reader
This witty novella by Alan Bennett imagines the queen as a voracious reader and comes highly recommended for any bookworm. It all starts when the corgis wander into a mobile library and the queen feels bound to borrow a book, a new found passion for reading turns her world upside down and offers some disastrous and funny consequences for the country at large.
Fact
Sarah Bradford – Queen Elizabeth II: Her Life in Our Times
Released in 2012, Bradford’s biography is a detailed account of the Queen’s life, although it has been said to be a little choppy in places. Bradford is a well known biographer and has written about a multitude of well known figures.
Queen Elizabeth II: Her Life in our Times US
Queen Elizabeth II: Her Life in our Times UK
Fiction:
Sue Townsend – The Queen and I
The late Sue Townsend, creator of Adrian Mole was a phenomenal writer and here she sees a British Republic and a queen made to live like ordinary folk. A very funny novel, entertaining and engaging.
Fact
Sally Bedell Smith – Elizabeth the Queen: The Life of a Modern Monarch
Released in 2012, Sally Bedell Smith’s portrayal of our queen is of a woman thrown into a role she did not ask for, of a queen attempting to fulfil her destiny with a young family along. Elizabeth the Queen is said to be well researched and make compulsive reading and comes well recommended for those wanting to learn more about the longest reigning monarch.
Elizabeth the Queen: The Life of a Modern Monarch US
Elizabeth the Queen: The Life of a Modern Monarch UK
Fiction
William F Buckley – Saving the Queen
It’s 1952 and Queen Elizabeth has just settled onto the throne of England, but there’s drama as the CIA is baffled at the security breaches taking place, all of them seemingly coming from the queen’s chamber.
Queen Elizabeth II has been portrayed both in film, and print more times than we could mention but we hope the above offers you at least some ideas if you wish to learn more about the queen, and the British monarchy too.
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