Queen Elizabeth II by Hugo Vickers

Queen Elizabeth II occupies a unique place in the hearts of her people. She was elegant, self-contained, and enigmatic. After a supremely happy childhood, gravitas descended with the death of her beloved grandfather and after the Abdication she accepted her destiny. When she was 21 in 1947, she made a promise to serve and kept it for a remarkable 75 years. She was steadfast and conciliatory and presided calmly over decades of change, political upheaval and family tragedy. Tommy Lascelles described her as ‘the most remarkable woman’ he had ever met.

Hugo Vickers has been described by the Financial Times as ‘the most knowledgeable royal biographer on the planet.’ This major new biography is based on sixty years of close observation and research, and uses never-before-seen sources and personal recollections to illuminate her life as never before.

A unique and deeply researched portrait of our best-loved monarch

About the Author: Hugo Vickers is a writer, lecturer and broadcaster, and an acknowledged expert on the British Royal Family. He has written biographies of the Queen Mother, Cecil Beaton, Vivien Leigh, Princess Andrew of Greece and the Duchess of Windsor. His book The Kiss won the 1996 Stern Silver Pen Award for Non-Fiction. His recent bestsellers have included The Quest For Queen Mary and The Sphinx – the life of Gladys, the Duchess of Marlborough.

09 Apr 2026
 

Queen Elizabeth II: A personal history by Hugo Vickers ISBN 9781529355208