The official and definitive biography of Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother: consort of King George VI, mother of Queen Elizabeth II, grandmother of Prince Charlesβand the most beloved British monarch of the twentieth century.
Elizabeth Angela Marguerite Bowes-Lyonβthe ninth of the Earl of Strathmoreβs ten childrenβwas born on August 4, 1900, and, certainly, no one could have imagined that her long life (she died in 2002) would come to reflect a changing nation over the ourse of an entire century. Now, William Shawcrossβgiven unrestricted access to the Queen Motherβs personal papers, letters, and diariesβgives us a portrait of unprecedented vividness and detail. Here is the girl who helped convalescing soldiers during the First World War . . . the young Duchess of York helping her reluctant husband assume the throne when his brother abdicated . . . the Queen refusing to take refuge from the bombing of London, risking her own life to instill courage and hope in others who were living through the Blitz . . . the dowager Queenβthe last Edwardian, the charming survivor of a long-lost eraβrepresenting her nation at home and abroad . . . the matriarch of the Royal Family and βthe nationβs best-loved grandmother.β
A revelatory royal biography that is, as well, a singular history of Britain in the twentieth century.
Media Buzz
Good Morning America - October 21, 2009 Good Morning America - September 17, 2009
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