The Queen

Queen Elizabeth II is one of the most widely recognized women on earth, yet she remains a figure of considerable mystery. Robert Lacey, a royal biographer, sets out to trace her life in this short biography. She was born on April 21, 1926, the first daughter of the Duke of York, which placed her on the fringes of the royal family, roughly where Princess Beatrice stands today. Known within the family as Lilibet, she was raised with an nearly religious reverence for the crown, though inheriting it seemed unlikely.

Lacey contends that her lack of ego was the paradoxical source of her greatness. Because she never fixated on the personal rewards of rank, she was unusually well suited to the demands of the job. Over more than thirty years, Lacey has gathered material from people in her inner circle, including friends, relatives, private secretaries, and prime ministers.

The book is organized into four parts, each capturing the atmosphere of a particular era. Throughout, Lacey shows how the monarch adapted to changing times and, on some occasions, pointedly declined to. Lacey is also the author of The Kingdom.