Our Queen

Elizabeth II has reigned longer than any British sovereign before her, and she has travelled farther abroad than all of them combined. Over her long reign she has shaken hands with a remarkable roster of twentieth-century leaders, among them Churchill, Mandela, de Gaulle, Reagan and Obama. Nothing about her suggests she plans to step back from the role she assumed in 1952.

The monarchy she leads is an institution often pictured as stuck in the past, yet it has kept pace with the modern world. Inherited from a court that still felt Edwardian, it has grown more adaptable while remaining grand and traditional. Few public figures in Britain are held in higher regard or enjoy wider affection than the Queen, and the institution's appeal has held steady through her years on the throne.

Written to mark the Diamond Jubilee, a milestone in her reign, this book by Robert Hardman examines how the Queen has managed this balancing act. It offers a fresh portrait of a sovereign who has presided over more change than any monarch since Great Britain was formed.