Mit einem angenehmen Schreibstil führt Robert Hardmann uns sachlich, aber informativ durch einen Querschnitt des Lebens der Queen.

The Duke had voiced similar love and affection the previous day during a wedding anniversary luncheon hosted by the City of London. After paying an unexpectedly tender tribute to their children, he turned to the Queen herself: ' I think the main lesson that we have learned is that tolerance is the one essential ingredient of any happy marriage. You can take it from me that the Queen has the quality of tolerance in abundance."Most biographies of Elizabeth II follow the “Crown in Crisis” narrative, which frames the Queen as lurching from one disaster to another, and portrays her reign as one of managed decline. The TV series The Crown is an outstanding example of this story of catastrophes – and Hardman is having none of it. He maintains that, for most of the so-called crises of her reign, the Queen remained firmly in control. 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. Queen Of Our Times is the definitive biography of Queen Elizabeth II by one of Britain’s leading royal authorities, Robert Hardman. This commemorative edition includes an epilogue reflecting upon Her Majesty’s Platinum Jubilee, her passing and her funeral. Elizabeth: The Unseen Queen tells the story of the Queen's life through BBC exclusive access to never-before-seen home videos and footage of Elizabeth’s private moments, making it the most complete look at her life in existence to date.

With fascinating revelations from those who knew her best and special access to unseen royal papers granted by Elizabeth II herself, author and royal expert Robert Hardman explores the full, astonishing life of our longest reigning monarch in this authoritative yet intimate biography. I don't know why I was expecting neutral opinion. Don't get me wrong, this was interesting representation of facts and some recollections from close environment and I am not sorry I listened through it all. However, the general tone and position of author was very one sided. All the facts were spun in favor of the Queen or royal family and not once there was any doubt raised or any thought given about any other possibility. And I like the Queen, I am much inclined to follow facts in her benefit, but I did want some options to ponder about, some different accounts so I could choose whom to believe. None of that is here.It’s worth remembering that it is often the small steps, not the giant leaps, that bring about the most lasting change." I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The author did his best to be even-handed when discussing various scandals and problems. His use of words was charming.... Jeffrey Epstein was mentioned several times as "the inexplicably wealthy businessman". This is a beautifully crafted, deeply informed, and rounded portrait of the gold standard monarch and the age to which she has given her name. Robert Hardman’s Queen of Our Times has depth feel and insight in abundance.” Simon Sebag Montefiore Robert Hardman has written a truly exceptional biography of an equally exceptional monarch, rich in new material, wit and original thought. With intimate and unrivalled access to those who really know the story.

The book also charts the way in which the Queen raised the future King Charles III as both son and heir. This is one of the best biographies I have ever read and after 25 hours of spending time in the Queen’s world, I was truly sad to reach the end. The author did a magnificent job of covering her reign and her character. The book was wonderfully paced with multiple interviews and primary sources that painted a full and clear picture for me. It was also a great reminder of how little the media gets right and how much is always going on behind the scenes. The care and detail to get things right almost always gets lost in our 24-7 news cycle. I ended the book with a deep appreciation for a woman who lived steadfastly and faithfully to her principles and left a beautiful legacy for us to emulate. This is a new biography of the Queen and her role published for the Platinum Jubilee earlier this year, taking her life and reign up until the beginning of 2022 (so some of the references to record-breaking and transition are now redundant). It is very comprehensive, covering her personal life, constitutional issues, domestic issues, politics, foreign policy, everything basically. It is very readable though, and never flags or bores at any point. 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: From an award-winning historian, a magisterial account of the revolution that created the modern world

Customer reviews

When discussing current affairs or politics, particularly foreign affairs, she never seems bored by it, or tired by it. I think it's that sort of combination of knowing "I have to do this" and finding it interesting at the same time." The definitive portrait of Queen Elizabeth IIby a renowned royal biographer in an updated Commemorative Edition following Her Majesty's passing, 1926-2022. Andrew Roberts A compendious new biography . . . closely observed . . . I relished the incidental details. 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.