Elizabeth & Margaret: The Intimate World of the Windsor Sisters
- Downloads：6876
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-04-26 18:32:52
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Andrew Morton
- ISBN：1538700468
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
Reviews
Kath
，
I so enjoyed this book， was especially poignant as I was reading it at the time Prince Phillip passed away。 What I found most interesting was that the Queen actually left it up to Margaret as to whether to marry Peter Townsend， totally opposite the impression The Crown series gave。 There are a lot of similarities between the two spares， Margaret and Harry， but ultimately Margaret decided her devoir to her sister was more important， we can only hope Harry will wake up and do the same。 Margaret wa I so enjoyed this book， was especially poignant as I was reading it at the time Prince Phillip passed away。 What I found most interesting was that the Queen actually left it up to Margaret as to whether to marry Peter Townsend， totally opposite the impression The Crown series gave。 There are a lot of similarities between the two spares， Margaret and Harry， but ultimately Margaret decided her devoir to her sister was more important， we can only hope Harry will wake up and do the same。 Margaret was misunderstood and tragic in ways， I don't think she ever found the true love of her life the way the Queen did。 Seeing the Queen sitting all alone at Prince Phillip's funeral was heartbreaking。 I hope Andrew Morton's next book is about the Queen and Prince Phillip or Princess Anne。 。。。more
Karina
，
Elizabeth & Margaret: The Intimate World of the Windsor Sisters is the first book I have read by this author Andrew Morton。 This definitely will not be the last book of his that I read。 I really enjoyed this book about the sisters and how their lives were changed when their uncle abdicated the Throne。 Mr。 Morton has written a wonderful story which drew me right in， making me forget everything else and did not let me go until I turned the last page。 I did not want to put this book down and read w Elizabeth & Margaret: The Intimate World of the Windsor Sisters is the first book I have read by this author Andrew Morton。 This definitely will not be the last book of his that I read。 I really enjoyed this book about the sisters and how their lives were changed when their uncle abdicated the Throne。 Mr。 Morton has written a wonderful story which drew me right in， making me forget everything else and did not let me go until I turned the last page。 I did not want to put this book down and read well past my bedtime。 Every time I turned the page there was something new to learn about this royal family。 I learned mostly how Margaret fit into the family dynamics and how that affected her choices in life。 This was an excellent book and I highly recommend it for readers interested in the real life of the Windsor family。 。。。more
Ashley
，
What an incredible biography focusing on two incredible women！ Every single time I picked up "Elizabeth and Margaret": The Intimate World of the Windsor Sisters， I learned something new about Queen Elizabeth II and Princess Margaret。Andrew Morton truly knows how to tell a story， and bring history to life。 He writes in a way that reads like fiction， and each chapter flows so well to the next。 I can only imagine the amount of research Mr。 Morton must have done， as this biography goes in depth， and What an incredible biography focusing on two incredible women！ Every single time I picked up "Elizabeth and Margaret": The Intimate World of the Windsor Sisters， I learned something new about Queen Elizabeth II and Princess Margaret。Andrew Morton truly knows how to tell a story， and bring history to life。 He writes in a way that reads like fiction， and each chapter flows so well to the next。 I can only imagine the amount of research Mr。 Morton must have done， as this biography goes in depth， and is very well-rounded。 At times heartwarming， and extremely heartbreaking in others， this book really explores how both Elizabeth and Margaret's lives changed forever following the abdication of their uncle， Edward VIII， and his marriage to Wallis Simpson， as well as the death of their beloved father George VI。 This unforeseen set of circumstances not only altered the path of their lives， but also changed their relationship to one another。 Additionally， other relationships were changed as well。So many additional people were featured in this biography including: Elizabeth， the Queen Mother， Prince Phillip， Tony Armstrong-Jones， Group Captain Peter Townsend， Prince Charles， Princess Anne， Princess Diana， and so， so many more。 If you enjoy reading about the British Royal Family， I highly recommend this book！ It had me turning the pages， and I had such a difficult time putting it down。Thank you so much to Grand Central Publishing for the ARC of this book， it is amazing！ All opinions expressed in this review are my own。 。。。more
Ann
，
I’ve been rather snooty in my belief that books by certain authors， such as Andrew Morton， are closer to celebrity tell-alls than biographies。 But I’ve developed great respect for the Queen after watching The Crown on Netflix; and her relationship with her sister， Margaret， is one of the more fascinating aspects of the show。 This book seems well-researched and not sensationalized。 I see criticism in other reviews that it doesn’t cover any new ground， but since I haven’t read much about Queen Eli I’ve been rather snooty in my belief that books by certain authors， such as Andrew Morton， are closer to celebrity tell-alls than biographies。 But I’ve developed great respect for the Queen after watching The Crown on Netflix; and her relationship with her sister， Margaret， is one of the more fascinating aspects of the show。 This book seems well-researched and not sensationalized。 I see criticism in other reviews that it doesn’t cover any new ground， but since I haven’t read much about Queen Elizabeth & Princess Margaret， it was new to me。 I’d recommend this to anyone who has enjoyed The Crown and wants a more detailed （and accurate） account。 。。。more
Samantha
，
I found this book really interesting， as I didn’t know a lot about the queen and her sister。 I will say that the author repeats themself a lot and so that made reading this book slightly tedious。
Dale Wyant
，
This is an interesting look at the sisters' relationship， but ends up being more about Margaret than Elizabeth for obvious reasons。 I had never really read much about Margaret， so it was intriguing and highlighted how the press portrayed her instead of what was actually going on in her life。 She was both maddening and sympathetic， but ultimately prone to tragedy。 We are currently seeing how little the monarchy empathizes with mental illness issues， and although "Keep Calm and Carry On" is a well This is an interesting look at the sisters' relationship， but ends up being more about Margaret than Elizabeth for obvious reasons。 I had never really read much about Margaret， so it was intriguing and highlighted how the press portrayed her instead of what was actually going on in her life。 She was both maddening and sympathetic， but ultimately prone to tragedy。 We are currently seeing how little the monarchy empathizes with mental illness issues， and although "Keep Calm and Carry On" is a well known phrase， it is seriously heartbreaking when you are forced to live it。 。。。more
Krista
，
（I'd say this is really a 3。5， but Goodreads doesn't allow half stars！）"Elizabeth & Margaret" is the latest in the Andrew Morton royal biographies。 In this book， rather than leaning into scandal and shocking revelations as he did with his Diana book， Morton stays close to the known facts of Elizabeth and Margaret's lives， for the most part tracing their actions， their marriages， and to a lesser extent， their children。 What's good: The book is a sensible review of these women's lives。 It lives up （I'd say this is really a 3。5， but Goodreads doesn't allow half stars！）"Elizabeth & Margaret" is the latest in the Andrew Morton royal biographies。 In this book， rather than leaning into scandal and shocking revelations as he did with his Diana book， Morton stays close to the known facts of Elizabeth and Margaret's lives， for the most part tracing their actions， their marriages， and to a lesser extent， their children。 What's good: The book is a sensible review of these women's lives。 It lives up to its title， focusing on the "intimate world" of the family relationships。 The book faces problematic behavior， including Margaret's attitude and work ethic， without excusing it; it does， indeed， offer pointed comparisons where possible to show how some of our impressions might have been shaped by sexism。 What's iffier: In some ways， this book is more about Margaret than Elizabeth。 I felt like I learned more about her （the fact the government tried to let her marry Townsend， the family tensions over her divorce from Armstrong-Jones）。 The book， like a fish-eye lens， keeps its focus squarely on the sisters， and any other player in their lives is given reduced coverage。 In addition， the book's end （while at an obvious point） feels a bit rushed。 This review is based on an ARC provided to me by NetGalley。 。。。more
Hannah
，
Absolutely fascinating！ I was intrigued from the first page and couldn’t put it down。 I definitely learned a lot！
Kim
，
After re-watching the Crown， reading The Other Windsor Girl and Lady in Waiting， not sure I learned anything new from this book。
Aimee
，
"When others referred casually to "your sister，" Princess Margaret would snap haughtily， "You mean the queen。""It's no secret - the Royal Family is fascinating。 I think we've all had an interest at one point or another in getting a glimpse behind the scenes of arguably the world's most famous family。 Elizabeth and Margaret is a portrait of two sisters who could not be more different。 The book covers most of the sisters' lives， starting at birth and ending when Margaret passed away in 2002。At one "When others referred casually to "your sister，" Princess Margaret would snap haughtily， "You mean the queen。""It's no secret - the Royal Family is fascinating。 I think we've all had an interest at one point or another in getting a glimpse behind the scenes of arguably the world's most famous family。 Elizabeth and Margaret is a portrait of two sisters who could not be more different。 The book covers most of the sisters' lives， starting at birth and ending when Margaret passed away in 2002。At one point， the book really pivots to being primarily about Margaret - i'm not sure if that's because she's more "interesting" or if the Queen has just been that well protected， but as someone who didn't know much about Margaret， I found it fascinating。 It's a little repetitive at times， but overall it's a very accessible and easily readable book。Fans of The Crown will be surprised at some of the facts presented in this book （especially concerning Peter Townsend）。 This is a great supplement to the show， and gave me a little more knowledge behind what I see on the screen （i'm only on season two so i'm catching up！）Thank you Grand Central Publishing for sending me a copy of this book！ 。。。more
Susan
，
As usual， well researched and chronologically presented with the typical black-and-white glossy pictures in the book （also chronologically done）。 Did I learn more about Margaret and Elizabeth and their relationship than I knew before？ Marginally yes！ Did I trust what I was reading？ Definitely yes， given the footnotes and acknowledgments and bibliography and extensive index （and author's prior works）。 Am I a fan of the royals？ Average。 Am I glad I read this entire book？ Not so much。。。it was "ok" As usual， well researched and chronologically presented with the typical black-and-white glossy pictures in the book （also chronologically done）。 Did I learn more about Margaret and Elizabeth and their relationship than I knew before？ Marginally yes！ Did I trust what I was reading？ Definitely yes， given the footnotes and acknowledgments and bibliography and extensive index （and author's prior works）。 Am I a fan of the royals？ Average。 Am I glad I read this entire book？ Not so much。。。it was "ok" and 3 starred not because anything was wrong but because somehow Margaret and Elizabeth came out more as historically important figures when， based on what Morton said， the intent was to paint a picture of the private lives of each in such a way as their sisterhood and their rivalry were both described and displayed。 I guess the best thing to say is I "get" the description， but if by "display" I meant did I internalize it and understand the women better， the answer is no。 That is probably on me。。。not Morton。 But still。。。3 stars。 。。。more
Pina Arnone
，
This book in entitled: Elizabeth and Margaret the Intimate World of the Windsor Sisters; however it was mainly about Princess Margaret。 After reading the book I could see how being the “spare” is not an easy position to be in。 As with Margaret and her great nephew Harry you go from being the second heir to being further down the ladder as your sibling has more children who then marry and have their own children。 Not easy if you’re close to being at the top when you are young and made to feel spe This book in entitled: Elizabeth and Margaret the Intimate World of the Windsor Sisters; however it was mainly about Princess Margaret。 After reading the book I could see how being the “spare” is not an easy position to be in。 As with Margaret and her great nephew Harry you go from being the second heir to being further down the ladder as your sibling has more children who then marry and have their own children。 Not easy if you’re close to being at the top when you are young and made to feel special。 If you’ve watched the Crown this book is almost identical。 。。。more
Megan
，
This deep dive into the complicated lives and relationship of the Queen of England and her sister sheds light on a subject that hasn't been sufficiently explored before。 Anyone who is intrigued by they have been portrayed on The Crown will get a much more complete and accurate picture of who they were/are by reading this book。 Having read Morton's famous work， Diana: Her True Story， last year， I expected great things from Elizabeth and Margaret and I wasn't disappointed。 This deep dive into the complicated lives and relationship of the Queen of England and her sister sheds light on a subject that hasn't been sufficiently explored before。 Anyone who is intrigued by they have been portrayed on The Crown will get a much more complete and accurate picture of who they were/are by reading this book。 Having read Morton's famous work， Diana: Her True Story， last year， I expected great things from Elizabeth and Margaret and I wasn't disappointed。 。。。more
Banan
，
For such a great piece， a lot of audience must read your piece。 You can publish your work on NovelStar Mobile App。
Beryl Sortino
，
Nothing new for me， but royals always intrigue me。
Dana
，
Thank you to Grand Central Publishing and the author for the gifted copy of this book。 All opinions in this review are my own。My only experience with the royal family is from watching The Crown （and only the newest season） so when I saw a book focused on the relationship between Queen Elizabeth and her sister， Princess Margaret， I was immediately interested。 Real life is so much more scandalous than the show could ever be！The first part of the book focuses on their uncle abdicating the throne so Thank you to Grand Central Publishing and the author for the gifted copy of this book。 All opinions in this review are my own。My only experience with the royal family is from watching The Crown （and only the newest season） so when I saw a book focused on the relationship between Queen Elizabeth and her sister， Princess Margaret， I was immediately interested。 Real life is so much more scandalous than the show could ever be！The first part of the book focuses on their uncle abdicating the throne so that Elizabeth and Margaret's father becomes King of England。 This changes the dynamic of the sisters' relationship because now Elizabeth is the heir apparent and more of a focus is put on her。As Elizabeth settles into her life as Queen of England with her family， Margaret is still trying to find someone who can assimilate into the royal family。 The second half of the book focuses on Margaret's relationships and how they affect the royal family。I liked this book because although it's about both sisters， I learned the most about Margaret。 As detailed in the beginning， Margaret was often pushed aside or had to have her wishes approved by Elizabeth。 I like that she is able to take more of spotlight in this story。This isn't just another biography about the royal family and I highly recommend if you like The Crown！ 。。。more
Laura O'Kane
，
An interesting， in-depth look at the royal sisters。 Although it gets extremely repetitive at times and doesn't follow a consistent timeline， it is a good choice for lovers of "The Crown" TV show， and those interested in a family whose lives are like no others in the world。 An interesting， in-depth look at the royal sisters。 Although it gets extremely repetitive at times and doesn't follow a consistent timeline， it is a good choice for lovers of "The Crown" TV show， and those interested in a family whose lives are like no others in the world。 。。。more
Erin Goettsch
，
I’m RULL curious about Andrew Morton now after reading this; he’s telling some events differently than anything else I’ve read about them， and it’s pretty pro-Liz to me （does he think she’s at the ready to be besties with him after the Diana book？ methinks not）。 But this is readable like a novel， sincere without being sensational， and just detailed enough that you feel like you’ve gotten some backstory without being a too-tiring deep dive。
Paula
，
This was an enjoyable read。 And unlike many other books about the Windsors， this one is not gossipy or mean。 Though it does relate some interesting stories。And it does point to the differences in personality between Princess Margaret and Queen Elizabeth， who were very different right from childhood。 Elizabeth seems to have been content or accepting， at least， and maybe even happy with her role in life while Margaret seems to have always been unhappy or depressed with her position。 And maybe even This was an enjoyable read。 And unlike many other books about the Windsors， this one is not gossipy or mean。 Though it does relate some interesting stories。And it does point to the differences in personality between Princess Margaret and Queen Elizabeth， who were very different right from childhood。 Elizabeth seems to have been content or accepting， at least， and maybe even happy with her role in life while Margaret seems to have always been unhappy or depressed with her position。 And maybe even jealous at times of what her sister had。 For most of her life， she was her sister's stanch defender yet by some of her actions Margaret caused a lot of trouble for the Queen。 What this book did provide was a look at royal life from two very different points of view by two very strong-minded but different women。 。。。more
Susan Long
，
Having read a multitude of books on the Royals I was interested in new information or insights into their complicated relationships。 Andrew Morton did deliver a story of underlying care and love between these two sisters， separated by destiny。
Jennifer ~ TarHeelReader
，
Quick thoughts: For fans of The Crown， Author Andrew Morton is well known for his royal biographies， and Elizabeth and Margaret is all about the Windsor Sisters。 They were the best of friends for most of their early lives， until their uncle abdicated the throne。 With that action， a rift was made that was only more pronounced as Margaret adjustes to her new position in the new royal household。 Beautifully-written with vibrant detail， I enjoyed this insightful glimpse into the lives of two most me Quick thoughts: For fans of The Crown， Author Andrew Morton is well known for his royal biographies， and Elizabeth and Margaret is all about the Windsor Sisters。 They were the best of friends for most of their early lives， until their uncle abdicated the throne。 With that action， a rift was made that was only more pronounced as Margaret adjustes to her new position in the new royal household。 Beautifully-written with vibrant detail， I enjoyed this insightful glimpse into the lives of two most memorable sisters。 Plus， there are pictures！I received a gifted copy。 Many of my reviews can also be found on my blog: www。jennifertarheelreader。com and instagram: www。instagram。com/tarheelreader 。。。more
Sue
，
Listened through Audible。 Having recently watched the Crown I enjoyed learning more about Princess Margaret。
Amy Sprenger
，
Could not put it down。 Literally。 Finished iver two days。 What a relationship these two women had。
Meghan
，
I enjoyed reading this book however it felt more like an extended copy of hello magazine。 Many of the quotes were from anonymous courtiers， making the reader question the true intimacy of this story。 Having said that， the author did create an interesting image of the queen and her sister。 It was enjoyable to read， even though the content should be taken with a grain of salt。
Jennifer
，
This was a very interesting book。 I feel like I learned so much more about the sisters。 If you are curious about the royal family， I recommend this book。
Deborah Kinate
，
Interesting read especially as the world mourns the passing of Prince Philip this week。 I especially learned a lot about the Princess Margaret's life。 Interesting read especially as the world mourns the passing of Prince Philip this week。 I especially learned a lot about the Princess Margaret's life。 。。。more
Jackie Latham
，
I loved this book。 I was surprised because this is the same author that wrote Diana: her story。 He was respectful to the Queen and Princess Margaret with out being sappy or clingy。 The book is very heavy on Princess Margaret than the Queen but that is kind of expected。 The Queen is a very simple lady and I'm sure will hear more about her when she leaves this earth but I really doubt it would be all that salacious。 She's a simple country girl at heart; is shy and loves her horses and dogs。 The Pr I loved this book。 I was surprised because this is the same author that wrote Diana: her story。 He was respectful to the Queen and Princess Margaret with out being sappy or clingy。 The book is very heavy on Princess Margaret than the Queen but that is kind of expected。 The Queen is a very simple lady and I'm sure will hear more about her when she leaves this earth but I really doubt it would be all that salacious。 She's a simple country girl at heart; is shy and loves her horses and dogs。 The Princess on the other hand was the complete opposite。 Its always interesting to see the history of the second child; Princess Victoria was brilliant whereas Prince Albert Edward （King Edward VII） was considered dull and lascivious--he turned out to be a good King。 Prince Edward and George who became George V， David （Edward VIII） and Bertie （George VI）， Prince Charles and Princess Anne。。it will be interesting to see how Charles fares （I think he'll be fine） and William and Harry--George and Charlotte。 The spare is usually indulged， spoiled that was the case with Elizabeth and Margaret。 Margaret comes across in the media as a do nothing but she worked so hard for the crown。 Elizabeth was not just her sister but her boss as well。 She did have a very sad romantic life but again Morton presented it so she was not a victim of being royal so much as a victim of being the younger sister。 I get that cause I'm the youngest in my family and they forget that I have stuff too， I'm not that little kid who had temper tantrums or whatever。 She was similar to Princess Diana and in fact gave her some help and guidance。 We forget that the previous Royals opened a lot of door for the new younger generation and I'm so glad that Morton showed that and respected that 。Sorry this is a long one but I am such an armchair history buff and its refreshing to read about the characters and not the gossip。 I do recommend a read of this book。 I wouldn't call this the greatest biography but it was good and respectful 。。。more
Teresa Skidmore
，
So you could say I am a bit of a Royals obsessor。 I have been enamored of this family starting with my love for Princess Diana and then of course followed with Will and Harry。 To be honest the obsession extends to anything and everything British in general！ As you can see from this picture I have read a lot of Diana books。 This book though is different and takes us in a closer look of the Elizabeth and Margarets relationship as sisters。 Obviously I am also a fan of The Crown and there were a lot So you could say I am a bit of a Royals obsessor。 I have been enamored of this family starting with my love for Princess Diana and then of course followed with Will and Harry。 To be honest the obsession extends to anything and everything British in general！ As you can see from this picture I have read a lot of Diana books。 This book though is different and takes us in a closer look of the Elizabeth and Margarets relationship as sisters。 Obviously I am also a fan of The Crown and there were a lot of similarities in what I saw portrayed and what happens in this book。 So going into this book I already knew a lot about these lives。 I loved hearing more about the sisters relationship though。 And to see just how different the two really were。 Elizabeth- traditional and routine and Margaret- daring and nonconforming。 Thank you to @grandcentralpub and @andrewmorton for the gifted copy of this book。 I really enjoyed this one and happy to add it to my royal collection！ Pub Date was March 30。 。。。more
Katie
，
This Andrew Morton book focuses on the sibling relationship between Elizabeth and Margaret。 Interesting to read about the support they gave each other and how the show The Crown had embellished their relationship sometimes for the worse。 Nice to see sibling differences yet their ability to maintain a love for each other regardless。 So much history and drama！Ironically while reading about Prince Phillip and his supporting role - he passes away at 99。 I enjoy all things Royal even though the insti This Andrew Morton book focuses on the sibling relationship between Elizabeth and Margaret。 Interesting to read about the support they gave each other and how the show The Crown had embellished their relationship sometimes for the worse。 Nice to see sibling differences yet their ability to maintain a love for each other regardless。 So much history and drama！Ironically while reading about Prince Phillip and his supporting role - he passes away at 99。 I enjoy all things Royal even though the institution seem quite antiquated。 。。。more
Piper Winchester
，