Queen of Our Times: The Life of Elizabeth II
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- Create Date：2022-09-10 00:52:37
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- Author：Robert Hardman
- ISBN：1529063418
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Summary
A definitive portrait of Queen Elizabeth II on the seventieth anniversary of her reign by a renowned royal biographer。
Shy but with a steely self-confidence; inscrutable despite ten decades in the public eye; unflappable; devout; indulgent; outwardly reserved， inwardly passionate; unsentimental; inquisitive; young at heart。
All of these describe Her Royal Highness Queen Elizabeth II， who has reigned through more seismic social change than any monarch since 1066 （Charles I included）。 From the Abdication to the Sussexes， she has witnessed family crises on a scale not seen since the days of George III。
Yet she is not merely hanging on。 She is a 21st Century global phenomenon commanding unrivalled respect and affection。 Sealed off during the greatest peacetime emergency of modern times， she has stuck to her own maxim: ‘I must be seen to be believed。’ And now she is preparing for an event without parallel since the reign of Louis XIV: her Platinum Jubilee。
On February 6th， 2022 ，she marks 70 years on the Throne。 Robert Hardman， the acclaimed and respected author of Her Majesty and Queen of the World has already examined the Queen as a modern monarch and her role as a stateswoman abroad。 Now， he wraps up the full story of one of the undisputed greats in a thousand years of monarchy。
Hardman distils Elizabeth's complex life in to a must-read study of dynastic survival and renewal。 It is a portrait of a world leader who remains as intriguing today as the day she came to the Throne at age twenty-five。
With peerless access to members of the Royal Family， staff， friends and royal records， Queen of Our Times will bring fresh insights and scholarship on the modern royal story。 There will be no more thorough， more readable， more original book on the record-breaking Elizabeth II as she reaches a landmark which， surely， can never be equaled。
Shy but with a steely self-confidence; inscrutable despite ten decades in the public eye; unflappable; devout; indulgent; outwardly reserved， inwardly passionate; unsentimental; inquisitive; young at heart。
All of these describe Her Royal Highness Queen Elizabeth II， who has reigned through more seismic social change than any monarch since 1066 （Charles I included）。 From the Abdication to the Sussexes， she has witnessed family crises on a scale not seen since the days of George III。
Yet she is not merely hanging on。 She is a 21st Century global phenomenon commanding unrivalled respect and affection。 Sealed off during the greatest peacetime emergency of modern times， she has stuck to her own maxim: ‘I must be seen to be believed。’ And now she is preparing for an event without parallel since the reign of Louis XIV: her Platinum Jubilee。
On February 6th， 2022 ，she marks 70 years on the Throne。 Robert Hardman， the acclaimed and respected author of Her Majesty and Queen of the World has already examined the Queen as a modern monarch and her role as a stateswoman abroad。 Now， he wraps up the full story of one of the undisputed greats in a thousand years of monarchy。
Hardman distils Elizabeth's complex life in to a must-read study of dynastic survival and renewal。 It is a portrait of a world leader who remains as intriguing today as the day she came to the Throne at age twenty-five。
With peerless access to members of the Royal Family， staff， friends and royal records， Queen of Our Times will bring fresh insights and scholarship on the modern royal story。 There will be no more thorough， more readable， more original book on the record-breaking Elizabeth II as she reaches a landmark which， surely， can never be equaled。
Reviews
Candy
，
Enjoyed reading about Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II。 Many details and stories。
Beth
，
This took forever to read， but I’m so glad I did！ Queen Elizabeth is an amazing woman。 I’m thankful to have lived in “our times”。
Steph （semi-break）
，
A thoroughly well researched book about Her Majesty The Queen starting from her childhood and going right up to today with Harry and Meghan stepping away from royal duties， the Prince Andrew scandal and the incredibly sad passing of The Duke of Edinburgh。 Clearly an author who isn’t biased and who doesn’t have an agenda， this book was an absolute joy to read。
Snorki
，
Not an official biography， but Hardman has been granted access to some royal material （like King George’s diaries） and has been able to interview a great many notable people， from former members of staff and prime ministers & other heads of state。 He is somewhat deferential in places， and this is clearly a somewhat sympathetic portrait， but it is also packed full of sourced information so not just gossip or personal opinion。 It is fascinating to see the length and breadth of experience the Queen Not an official biography， but Hardman has been granted access to some royal material （like King George’s diaries） and has been able to interview a great many notable people， from former members of staff and prime ministers & other heads of state。 He is somewhat deferential in places， and this is clearly a somewhat sympathetic portrait， but it is also packed full of sourced information so not just gossip or personal opinion。 It is fascinating to see the length and breadth of experience the Queen has - the people she's met over the decades and the welcomes she has had， not just the 14 US Presidents， which is an often-quoted statistic， but the many other heads of state and countries she has visited over the years。 I was a bit unsure about this， not being a devout monarchist， but I found it interesting。 。。。more
Samantha Pollock
，
Highly recommend reading this book。 I struggled to put it down and found myself still reading it at 3am one morning。
Judith
，
Robert Hardman is an excellent writer。 He easily walks us through not only the life of Queen Elizabeth 11， but the world stage that surrounded that her。 I highly recommend this book。
Ebookwormy1
，
“On 6th February this year Her Majesty The Queen became the first British Monarch to celebrate a Platinum Jubilee， marking 70 years of service to the people of the United Kingdom， the Realms and the Commonwealth。To celebrate this unprecedented anniversary， events and initiatives will take place throughout the year， culminating in a four-day UK bank holiday weekend from Thursday 2nd to Sunday 5th June。 The four days of celebrations will include public events and community activities， as well as n “On 6th February this year Her Majesty The Queen became the first British Monarch to celebrate a Platinum Jubilee， marking 70 years of service to the people of the United Kingdom， the Realms and the Commonwealth。To celebrate this unprecedented anniversary， events and initiatives will take place throughout the year， culminating in a four-day UK bank holiday weekend from Thursday 2nd to Sunday 5th June。 The four days of celebrations will include public events and community activities， as well as national moments of reflection on The Queen’s 70 years of service。” （https://www。royal。uk/platinum-jubilee。。。， Retrieved 8/6/2022） On April 5th of 2022， Robert Hardmann published the 690-page biographic overview of the reign as Queen of our Times: The Life of Queen Elizabeth II。 An appropriate title， as QE2 *has* been the Queen of our times。 My entire life she’s reigned， and for most of the life of anyone who is likely to read this review， even should she pass into eternity any day， she has been Queen of the United Kingdom and various realms for almost a century。 This basic fact of longevity makes Hardman’s accounting of the QE2’s reign a summation of the history before a reader’s birth and a review of what has happened since， told from the perspective of the Queen。 Queen Elizabeth II’s service has had broad impact across the English-speaking world， both directly through the Commonwealth and indirectly through the European Union and former colonies that share the English Common Law legal system， English language， and English customs。 What a skillful dance the once Empress of India has played in continuing the planned divestment of Empire begun by King George VI。 Hardman walks through year by year the Queen’s dance of global leadership combined with freedom for democratic electorates to choose their own beat， while companionably dancing with those countries that wanted to stay ensembled through the Commonwealth。 The passages explaining the complexities and hostilities of the United Kingdom， the Commonwealth and the European Union are full of helpful commentary and quotation from people who navigated these diplomatic quandaries。 Also insightful are sections on the many countries that vacated the Queen and the few that added her as Head of State， all of whose ceremonies were attended by the Queen or her representative （usually Prince Charles in her later years）。 Yet Hardman has not limited himself to merely a state history。 For the Queen’s story is also the story of a family。 When she came to the throne， the family was recently in crises due to her father’s shocking untimely death at the age of 56。 Hardman does a good job of illuminating how two men anchored QE2’s reign and family life: her father， King George VI and her husband， Prince Philip， the Duke of Edinburgh。 Both men were capable， diligent， and determined to serve in their role to the best of their God given ability。 It is， of course， here， among her family， that the Queen has made many public mistakes。 While her sense of duty and service anchored her firmly in times of diplomatic or political storm， her struggles of motherhood are particularly plain in the salacious stories of her offspring。 It is hard not to be absorbed Hardman’s stiff English accounting of the scandals that have rocked the family and impacted the Queen’s reign。 Diana， Diana， Diana in the 1990s， followed by Charles & Diana and Charles & Camilla surely ranks high on the list of definitive points。 The Diana storyline， which took place in the line of succession， was so strong that it overshadowed the profligate behavior of the Queen’s younger son， Prince Andrew。 While Charles has gotten his personal life together through faithfulness to Camila， Prince Andrew ran wild for another two decades before being forcibly retired from public life in the early 2020s。 But in the Platinum year of 2022， the headlines are dominated by the current Duke of Sussex and his wife， Meghan， as they attempt to monetize their royal standing without serving the crown directly。 Meanwhile the Duke of Cambridge， Prince William and his wife Katherine have taken a steady approach to living as family in royal public life。 With all the drama of these younger generations， it is easy to forget the propensity for scandal plagued generations before the Queen。 The Duke of Windsor’s famous dalliances culminated in his choosing to marry the American， Wallis Simpson and abdicate to the throne to King George VI （Queen Elizabeth’s father）， who was raised the spare， not the heir。 These events are well covered in Queen of our Times。 However， youngsters may not be aware that each generation going back through the previous House of Hanover and beyond has had trials for both the righteous and wicked， which has served to sort them respectively – as they do for all， little and great。 It’s part of the job and leading this very public family can often be the most difficult part。 Along the way in telling the public and private story of Queen Elizabeth II， Hardman gently promotes the Royalist value from the monarchy argument – both explicitly and implicitly。 The churn of Prime Ministers and governments through the decades of QE2’s reign illustrates the wisdom of a royal hand in long term diplomacy as a small group of people have a lifetime commitment to upholding the history， the confidentiality， and the service of the head of state。 It’s a wonderful system。 The flow of American Presidents – who fulfill *both* political leadership/ executive enforcement AND ceremonial roles （greeting World Series Winners， recognizing American public service & achievement， and coordinating State Visits by world leaders）， also underlines the gravitas that the Queen’s permanence gives to the ceremonial functions she owns， which has allowed the trail of English influence to extend into the 21st century， far beyond the dissolution of Empire。 It’s a good system， especially with a benevolent， long tenured， and ethical monarch intent on serving the people。 It also allows the government to minimize the damage of a bad monarch， though whether the royal family could survive such mismanagement at any point is open for debate。 It’s clear that the capability and faithfulness of QE2 has shut down that debate during the later part of her life。 Whether Republican anti-royal attacks will emerge at her death and the ascension of the brazenly less capable Prince of Wales to the throne remains to be seen。 Though Hardman attempts to be fair， measured and encouraging of the Prince of Wales， I found little to ease my opinion of Prince Charles’ abilities。For a resent critical article declaring concerns about Prince Charles’ leadership ability， seehttps://www。dailymail。co。uk/news/arti。。。There is of course， an ethical question at the center of the constitutional/ parliamentary monarchy。 It is this: Recognizing all the benefits of this system， particularly those realized through a capable long reigning monarch， the great percentage of which cannot be realized by an appointed rather inherited royalty: Should the United Kingdom be breeding people for this role？ Perhaps the Duke of Windsor （formerly King Edward VIII） and Prince Harry， the Duke of Sussex， have strengthened the monarchy by leaving。 They have demonstrated that your fate is not completely sealed by birth into the State system because， whether already King or merely in the line of succession， you can step away from public service to the monarchy。 Likewise， perhaps the expulsion of Prince Andrew for his long-documented abuses of status indicates the family can be self-monitoring to maintain their beneficent role？ Meanwhile， the success of the Queen， her husband Prince Philip， her daughter Princess Anne and son Prince Edward （with his wife Sophie）， and Prince William （and his wife， Katherine） highlight that the role can be fulfilled well。 After all this background， you may wonder: Who is Robert Hardman and is he worth listening to？ His Goodreads Author page states （retrieved Jul 2022） “Robert Hardman has covered aspects of royal life for more than twenty years and is the writer of both the film and the book Monarchy: The Royal Family at Work as well as Her Majesty: The Court of Elizabeth II， also available from Pegasus Books。 He writes for the Daily Mail in London。” I found him to be an reasonable guide in the typical understated manner of an Englishman entrusted to exercise a certain amount of discretion in his coverage of the family and it’s households。 Obviously， he wants to preserve the sources he has cultivated over decades， and his Royalist accounting is not sensationalized in either it’s praise or reserved censure。 You can get a feel for Hardman’s style and content in this article， published by the Daily Mail on June 1， 2022， the eve of the Queens Jubilee Celebrations announced in the opening statement of this review:https://www。dailymail。co。uk/news/arti。。。 While I’m not interested in the celebrity of monarchy， I am interested in the governance/ geopolitical precedent of the English system。 Most of my reading of the Royal Family has taken place in context of history and biography。 I also watch a few documentaries。 Though I write more of my musings about the ethics of the system in my review， the only other book I have also read/ reviewed is the inferior:Not in Front of the Corgis: Secrets of Life Behind Royal Curtains， Brian Hoey， 2011https://www。goodreads。com/review/show。。。 。。。more
Dawn Emsen-Hough
，
Great narrative of the Queen's reign。 You can't help but admire and respect her after reading this。 Wonderful book。 Great narrative of the Queen's reign。 You can't help but admire and respect her after reading this。 Wonderful book。 。。。more
Lori
，
Excellent！！！
Lisa Neal
，
I have read many biographies of Queen Elizabeth and I do believe this is the most evenly reported and well-researched one。 Such great detail！ If you enjoy biographies or learning about the “Queen of our Times”， I highly recommend reading this。
Soo
，
Excellent book。 Extremely well researched and expertly written。
John
，
Phenomenal！（Read via audiobook rather than print）I’ve listened to this fascinating insight into the life and loves of our beloved Sovereign twice now， the first time I zipped through quickly （as swift as one can manage with a 25 hour audiobook） and then a second time to savour and inwardly digest nuggets of pure gold， notable insights and aspects of modern Elizabethan history with which I was less or not at all aware until now。 Robert Hardman’s narration pace is just right ~ not rushed but not t Phenomenal！（Read via audiobook rather than print）I’ve listened to this fascinating insight into the life and loves of our beloved Sovereign twice now， the first time I zipped through quickly （as swift as one can manage with a 25 hour audiobook） and then a second time to savour and inwardly digest nuggets of pure gold， notable insights and aspects of modern Elizabethan history with which I was less or not at all aware until now。 Robert Hardman’s narration pace is just right ~ not rushed but not tiresomely slow either！ 。。。more
Tracey Sessions
，
Not the sort of book I would normally read although I do like autobiographies。 I just happened to catch Jeremy Vine interviewing Robert Hardman about this book and thought it sounded interesting。 I was not disappoint and in fact pleasantly surprised with the book。 A very interesting read and at times very touching。
Marcea
，
Was looking for a more unbiased view of the Queen’s reign。 There were so many mentions of the tv show The Crown and how much it wasn’t real， I thought I was reading about the show。
Pina Arnone
，
A history of the reign of Queen Elizabeth II as she celebrates her 70th jubilee。 Hardly ever making a wrong move the Queen has lived thru many tragedies， difficulties and happy events during 70 years on the throne。 A long read， but worthwhile if you enjoy history。
Laura-Jane Lucas
，
Not my usual type of book so took me a while to get into but amazing insight to the queen's life。 Very fitting tribute for the platinum jubilee。 Not my usual type of book so took me a while to get into but amazing insight to the queen's life。 Very fitting tribute for the platinum jubilee。 。。。more
Leanne
，
An excellent biography。 Beautifully written。 More focused on her incredible abilities with diplomatic state craft and soft power politicking。 Thankfully covers her entire lifetime of global and worldly pursuits and endeavors to help humanity beyond her family experiences and circumstances。 Although they are included， it is more balanced than the press hysteria。 More facts and circumstances than social influencing。
Mathilde Stich
，
Very complete and thorough telling of the Queen’s life， but not the unbiased historical account I was expecting。 There is was not a single criticising line （these were reserved for The Crown and Meghan Markle） but I should have been anticipating that upon learning that the author writes for the Daily Mail。
Amanda Q
，
I'm pretty sure the author wrote this book just to talk about how much they hate The Crown on Netflix （ which is fair the newer seasons have not been that great）。 I'm pretty sure the author wrote this book just to talk about how much they hate The Crown on Netflix （ which is fair the newer seasons have not been that great）。 。。。more
Issi
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Excellent book。
Ayelet
，
I love reading just about anything about the Queen but this was pretty long。 He seemed very determined to disprove any negative comments about her。
Jonathan Brown
，
I read this book during the Queen’s latest Jubilee。 It was a fantastic book and despite being over 600 pages， I was never bored。 The book captures the Queen’s life right up until this year， pointing out that for most of us， she had been the Queen our entire lives。 It does not shy away from the controversy around her and the monarchy。 It often countered some of the perceptions left in my mind after watching The Crown on Netflix。 Highly recommend this if you are looking to explore the life of Quee I read this book during the Queen’s latest Jubilee。 It was a fantastic book and despite being over 600 pages， I was never bored。 The book captures the Queen’s life right up until this year， pointing out that for most of us， she had been the Queen our entire lives。 It does not shy away from the controversy around her and the monarchy。 It often countered some of the perceptions left in my mind after watching The Crown on Netflix。 Highly recommend this if you are looking to explore the life of Queen Elizabeth and the modern monarchy。 。。。more
Patricia
，
A well-researched， measured account of Queen Elizabeth II， starting from her earliest years， before her father became king。 It's full of history and reflects the many changes - both small and global - that the Queen has seen in her 70-year reign。 I admit that I found it a bit of a slog to read， but I think that has mostly to do with the fact that I read Tina Brown's "Palace Papers" right before "Queen of Our Times"。 Both books cover much of the same territory， but Ms。 Brown's prose is much more A well-researched， measured account of Queen Elizabeth II， starting from her earliest years， before her father became king。 It's full of history and reflects the many changes - both small and global - that the Queen has seen in her 70-year reign。 I admit that I found it a bit of a slog to read， but I think that has mostly to do with the fact that I read Tina Brown's "Palace Papers" right before "Queen of Our Times"。 Both books cover much of the same territory， but Ms。 Brown's prose is much more compelling and readable。 She also has the advantage of being able to cover some of the fast-breaking news related to Andrew's legal battle （and settlement）。 However， I do recommend Robert Hardman's solid， thorough， interesting book。 He has included some great photos， especially the very young Elizabeth。 。。。more
Bailey Adams
，
I’m 100% certain that this guy is 100% certain that The Crown and the Sussexes are ruining the world。 If you’re looking for a QEII bio to read highly recommend skipping this one entirely。 Sally Beddel Smith’s bio was WAY better。
WM D。
，
The Queen of our times is a good book。 I loved the characters。 It explored the making of the queen and issues she went through every day of her life。 A must read for anyone who likes non fiction
Cherrie
，
If you didn't know anything about the Queen then this is the book to start with。 I skimmed over the more political chapters in this book but overall a great read。 If you didn't know anything about the Queen then this is the book to start with。 I skimmed over the more political chapters in this book but overall a great read。 。。。more
Jan Laney
，
Pro- Queen Elizabeth and pro-royalty。 Seeks to redress the balance of opinion put forward by The Crown TV series。 Early parts more interesting than recent ones。
Ruth Dipple
，
A very thorough and well grounded biography of HM， up to date too。 It is particularly interesting on the political aspects of her reign and her attitudes to the Commonwealth and the Union。
Scott
，
I read new books about the queen and other royals almost as a way to return to “old friends。” I don’t really them to learn new things， but to catch up on the stories that I have come to know in 35 years of reading on these people and this institution。 How surprising it was then， that in Hardman’s new book I was learning things I did not know again and again。 While I know that the queen has authorized more and more people to talk frankly as she has aged， Hardman’s new book is truly a tour de forc I read new books about the queen and other royals almost as a way to return to “old friends。” I don’t really them to learn new things， but to catch up on the stories that I have come to know in 35 years of reading on these people and this institution。 How surprising it was then， that in Hardman’s new book I was learning things I did not know again and again。 While I know that the queen has authorized more and more people to talk frankly as she has aged， Hardman’s new book is truly a tour de force。 Blair， Cameron， Major， Bush， Obama， various Australians and many other commonwealth leaders。 Fascinating stuff。 。。。more
Joseph William
，