best queen biography book

20 of the Best Books About Queen Elizabeth II

From exhaustive biographies, to illustrated coffee table books, and dishy accounts from former palace staffers.

Every item on this page was chosen by a Town & Country editor. We may earn commission on some of the items you choose to buy.

On the one year anniversary of Queen Elizabeth's passing, you may find yourself wanting to deepen your knowledge of the longest-reigning female monarch in world history. There's a wealth of books out there to delve into. From exhaustive biographies, to illustrated coffee table books, to dishy accounts from former palace staffers, here are 20 of the best books you can read about the queen.

Sally Bedell Smith Elizabeth the Queen: The Life of a Modern Monarch

Angela Kelly The Other Side of the Coin: The Queen, the Dresser and the Wardrobe

To be fascinated by the Queen is to be fascinated by her wardrobe, and The Other Side of the Coin is a must-read for anyone wanting the inside scoop on those impeccably coordinated suits. Angela Kelley is the Queen’s personal dresser , and was given permission to share this exclusive glimpse into the royal costuming process, complete with never-before-seen images.

Hearst Home Town & Country: The Queen: A Life in Pictures

This carefully curated coffee table book from T&C was created by longtime royal reporter Victoria Murphy. The photographic tribute to Queen Elizabeth II features more than 300 photographs from the seven decades of her reign, spotlighting significant moments from both her public and private spheres, all accompanied by commentary and context from Murphy. The collection encompasses her coronation, her marriage to Prince Philip, her numerous royal tours around the world, her evolving wardrobe through the years, the births of her children and grandchildren, and much more.

Ingrid Seward My Husband and I: The Inside Story of the Royal Marriage

If you were gripped by season two of The Crown ’s deep dive into Elizabeth and Philip’s once-troubled marriage , you’ll want to prioritize this one. Seward delves into the couple’s 70-year long marriage with a lightness of touch, detailing their courtship and ups and downs as well as their formidable bond.

Robert Lacey The Crown, The Official Companion

If while watching The Crown , you're simultaneously fact-checking each episode, this is the book for you. Written by the show's historical consultant, Robert Lacey, it offers an in-depth look at the true story behind the drama. While this volume only addresses seasons two and three, hopefully Lacey will offer a season four version soon.

Elizabeth and Philip: A Royal Love Story

Similar to Seward's text, this special edition of Town & Country centers on the Queen and Prince Philip's romance, and features the true story of their courtship and 70+ year marriage alongside rarely seen photos of the royal couple.

Sali Hughes Our Rainbow Queen: A Tribute to Queen Elizabeth II and Her Colorful Wardrobe

This beautiful coffee table book by Welsh journalist Sali Hughes offers a photographic voyage through nine decades of the Queen’s wardrobe, and more importantly her color schemes .

Brian Hoey Not in Front of the Corgis: Secrets of Life Behind the Royal Curtains

Admit it, this one had you at the title. Though this book isn’t exclusively about Queen Elizabeth’s famous collection of corgis (disappointing), it’s still a fun, deliberately lightweight collection of trivia and tidbits about royal life.

Sarah Bradford The Reluctant King: The Life and Reign of George VI, 1895-1952

In order to fully understand Queen Elizabeth, and the turbulent circumstances of her ascension to the throne, you need to understand her father, King George VI. Now most famous as the subject of 2010's The King's Speech , George was forced to become King after his brother abdicated the throne, a saga which Sarah Bradford chronicles in fascinating detail.

The Queen Mother: The Official Biography

As important as King George VI is to Queen Elizabeth's story, the Queen Mother played a far more central role in her daughter's reign, having lived to see its first five decades. William Shawcross’s official biography, published seven years after the Queen Mother's death in 2002, is a weighty tome packed with details and insight into her daily life.

Carol Ann Duffy Jubilee Lines: 60 Poets for 60 Years

Though not technically a book about Queen Elizabeth at all, Jubilee Lines is nevertheless an evocative portrait of her reign. In this collection, published in 2012 for the Queen's Diamond Jubilee, 60 poets are each assigned one of the 60 Jubilee years, and write a poem related in some way to the events or reality of that year.

Ben Pimlott The Queen: A Biography of Elizabeth II

Originally published in 1996, this definitive and acclaimed biography of Queen Elizabeth was updated in 2002 to mark her Golden Jubilee. Written by the late, highly respected historian Ben Pimlott, The Queen was described by The Independent newspaper as “the standard work on its sovereign subject, while The New York Times Book Review called it a “superbly judicious biography of Elizabeth II.”

Pegasus Books Queen of the World: Elizabeth II: Sovereign and Stateswoman

Veteran royal chronicler Robert Hardman focuses his 2019 biography on a specific aspect of Queen Elizabeth – her role as the head of Commonwealth of Nations—and thus avoids retreading familiar ground. Queen of the World was described by the BBC as “an intimate portrait of the Royal commitments at home and abroad.”

Andrew Marr The Diamond Queen: Elizabeth II and Her People

Scottish journalist Andrew Marr has a unique perspective as royal biographer, having once been a diehard republican (i.e. opposed to the existence of monarchy). Now an admirer of the Queen, Marr argues in this biography that “Britain without her would have been a greyer, shriller, more meagre place."

Sarah Bradford Queen Elizabeth II: Her Life In Our Times

In this relatively recent biography of the Queen—published in 2012—Sarah Bradford places the Queen’s life in a broader historical context. Per The Telegraph , the book represents “a familiar story being sparked into new life by a skilled practitioner.”

Marion Crawford The Little Princesses

For a truly one-of-a-kind perspective on the Queen’s formative years, look no further than this extraordinary biography by Marion Crawford, who was governess to the young Elizabeth and her sister Margaret for 17 years (they called her “Crawfie”). The 1950 publication of The Little Princesses caused a stir, and Crawford was reportedly shunned by the royal family for writing it.

Gyles Brandreth Philip and Elizabeth: Portrait of a Royal Marriage

Another option for those fascinated by the Elizabeth/Philip dynamic, this biography by Gyles Brandreth is unusual for being focused primarily on Philip’s perspective.

Catherine Ryan The Queen: The Life and Times of Elizabeth II

This beautifully presented coffee table book takes a photo-centric approach to chronicling Queen Elizabeth’s life and reign.

Dickie Arbiter On Duty With The Queen

In his part-autobiography and part-royal biography, former palace spokesman Dickie Arbiter recounts how he went from working in broadcast journalism to being appointed as press secretary to the Royal family in 1988. Given Arbiter’s unparalleled access to the Queen—not to mention Princess Diana—it’s no surprise that this is a compelling, if restrained, read.

Cecil Beaton Queen Elizabeth II: Portraits by Cecil Beaton

Society photographer Cecil Beaton was chosen to take the official photographs of the Queen’s Coronation in 1953, and his portraits became some of the most iconic images from her entire reign. Along with the pictures themselves, this book offers insight into Beaton’s long relationship with the royals, and the role his work played in their public image.

Emma Dibdin is a freelance writer based in Los Angeles who writes about culture, mental health, and true crime. She loves owls, hates cilantro, and can find the queer subtext in literally anything.

@media(min-width: 40.625rem){.css-1jdielu:before{margin:0.625rem 0.625rem 0;width:3.5rem;-webkit-filter:invert(17%) sepia(72%) saturate(710%) hue-rotate(181deg) brightness(97%) contrast(97%);filter:invert(17%) sepia(72%) saturate(710%) hue-rotate(181deg) brightness(97%) contrast(97%);height:1.5rem;content:'';display:inline-block;-webkit-transform:scale(-1, 1);-moz-transform:scale(-1, 1);-ms-transform:scale(-1, 1);transform:scale(-1, 1);background-repeat:no-repeat;}.loaded .css-1jdielu:before{background-image:url(/_assets/design-tokens/townandcountrymag/static/images/diamond-header-design-element.80fb60e.svg);}}@media(min-width: 64rem){.css-1jdielu:before{margin:0 0.625rem 0.25rem;}} The Crown @media(min-width: 40.625rem){.css-128xfoy:before{margin:0.625rem 0.625rem 0;width:3.5rem;-webkit-filter:invert(17%) sepia(72%) saturate(710%) hue-rotate(181deg) brightness(97%) contrast(97%);filter:invert(17%) sepia(72%) saturate(710%) hue-rotate(181deg) brightness(97%) contrast(97%);height:1.5rem;content:'';display:inline-block;background-repeat:no-repeat;}.loaded .css-128xfoy:before{background-image:url(/_assets/design-tokens/townandcountrymag/static/images/diamond-header-design-element.80fb60e.svg);}}@media(min-width: 64rem){.css-128xfoy:before{margin:0 0.625rem 0.25rem;}}

How Did Prince William and Kate Middleton Meet?

King Charles III's Life in Photos

Queen Camilla's Life in Photos

'The Crown' Leads BAFTA TV Nominations

Elizabeth Debicki Wins SAG Award

Dominic West Stayed in Bed After 'The Crown'

The Crown's Costumes, Props, and More at Auction

Elizabeth Debicki Stuns in Dior

Elizabeth Debicki's Best Red Carpet Looks

Elizabeth Debicki Wins Golden Globe

Jonathan Pryce Apologized to Princess Anne

Advertisement

Supported by

9 Books to Read About Queen Elizabeth II

Elizabeth, famously reticent during her decades in the public eye, was a source of fascination for many. These books offer a deeper understanding of her life, family and world.

• Share full article

By The New York Times Books Staff

During the 70-year reign of Queen Elizabeth II, through times of turbulence and peace, celebration, controversy and scandal, the monarchy has been an object of fascination.

Elizabeth, who died on Thursday at 96 , became Britain’s sovereign in 1952. Her reign, which spanned 15 British prime ministers and 14 American presidents, coincided with tremendous social and cultural change at home and abroad, as its empire overseas fell away.

Her duties were largely ceremonial, but supporters felt that she, and the monarchy, played an important and stabilizing role as the anchor of the country. Critics, on the other hand, considered the institution expensive and increasingly irrelevant in modern life.

Her coronation in 1953 was the first in Britain to be broadcast on television almost from beginning to end, and she struggled throughout her life to balance the norms and traditions with 24-hour news cycles and a far more public age. All the while, she worked to keep intact the public consensus the monarchy needed to survive.

Here are nine books we recommend for a deeper understanding of Elizabeth, her family and her time as Britain’s longest-reigning monarch. — Elizabeth A. Harris

‘Elizabeth the Queen: The Life of a Modern Monarch,’ by Sally Bedell Smith

This thorough but deferential biography was published to coincide with the queen’s diamond jubilee. Smith — who has also written books about Princess Diana, Prince Charles and various American presidents — “curtsies before the British throne as deeply as a lady-in-waiting,” as wrote Alan Riding in The Times in 2012. Smith consulted public sources, friends and former courtiers of the queen who shared “intimate tidbits (all too often about horses and corgis). But despite that,” Riding goes on, “She faces a problem encountered, I suspect, by other royal biographers. Elizabeth has lived a remarkable life yet one that, quite frankly, is a bit dull to recount. Put differently, her somewhat dysfunctional family has provided far livelier copy.” — Elisabeth Egan

Read the review

‘Queen of the World: The Global Biography,’ by Robert Hardman

In this 2018 biography, Hardman, a journalist known for his reporting on the royal family, explores the queen’s global standing, her role as the head of the British Commonwealth and her extensive international travels. He catalogs her most significant international trips, and lists some of the memorable gifts she received during her journeys — including a pair of Brazilian jaguars and a baby crocodile, presented in a biscuit tin by a boy in Senegal. He details the byzantine protocols and security measures that were part of her travels to at least 126 nations and territories. “No one is entirely sure how many miles she has traveled,” he writes. “No monarch — perhaps no world leader — has seen as much of the planet and its peoples as Queen Elizabeth II.” — Alexandra Alter

‘The Palace Papers: Inside the House of Windsor — the Truth and the Turmoil,’ by Tina Brown

Even if you think you know all there is to know about the difficult last decade in the life of the royal family — and even if you think you don’t care — you’ll find yourself riveted. This book is Brown at her best: acerbically funny, compassionate, and fully sourced. Ingeniously structured, the narrative has chapters devoted to central players whose stories tell the broader story of the Windsors through their many rises and falls. Brown is particularly sympathetic when it comes to imagining the romantic lives of her protagonists — and everyone here is a protagonist. The result has the exhilaration of real-life gossip, while offering a moving depiction of a family, and a nation, at a moment of monumental change. — Sadie Stein

‘The Queen’s Speech: An Intimate Portrait of the Queen in Her Own Words,’ by Ingrid Seward

Seward, a tireless chronicler of the monarchy, profiles the famously private Elizabeth by analyzing what little she shared with her subjects: seven decades’ worth of speeches. While this may seem like a narrow framework, in fact it’s a savvy workaround. Starting with Elizabeth’s first broadcast in 1940 — a segment on the Children’s Hour directed to young refugees when she was 14 — and continuing through a lifetime’s worth of national highs, lows, and Christmases, Seward manages to paint a surprisingly vivid portrait.

While the author has a wealth of respectful sources, it’s the queen’s words that drive the book. And that’s probably how she’d want it; she was known for the exacting attention she paid to every comma and fully aware of the implications of even the most oblique reference. Her public addresses are probably as close to a memoir as could exist. — Sadie Stein

‘Queen Elizabeth II: Portraits,’ by Cecil Beaton

Beaton, a prominent fashion and society photographer, first received a request to photograph Elizabeth, who was then a teenage princess, some 80 years ago. Over the next three decades, Beaton, who died in 1980, helped to shape the monarchy’s public image through his carefully choreographed and curated portraits . He photographed the queen during some of the most significant moments in her private and public life: in a military uniform as war broke out in England; shortly after the birth of her first child, Charles, and at her coronation in 1953. The book, which contains text by Susanna Brown, a photography curator at the Victoria and Albert Museum, is as much a celebration of Beaton’s talents as of his subject, Elizabeth. — Alexandra Alter

‘Philip and Elizabeth: Portrait of a Royal Marriage,’ by Gyles Brandreth

“Biographers sometimes borrow the attitudes of their subjects,” our critic, Janet Maslin, wrote of this comprehensive examination of the royal union. “Perhaps that is why Gyles Brandreth would like you to know this about the marriage of Queen Elizabeth II and Philip, Duke of Edinburgh: what goes on between them, Dear Reader, is really none of your affair.” However: Brandreth, who knew Prince Philip for 25 years, does “spin little bits of information into long stories” and “ramble reasonably charmingly about royal history.” For instance, Brandreth writes, “Thanks to servants’ tittle-tattle (reliable in this instance) we do know that Prince Philip, in the early days of his marriage, did not wear pajamas.” — Elisabeth Egan

‘Elizabeth and Margaret: The Intimate World of the Windsor Sisters,’ by Andrew Morton

Before they were regal women waving white-gloved hands at adoring crowds, Elizabeth and her sister, Princess Margaret , were a formidable, and occasionally antagonistic pair, leading an “insulated and carefree” life, according to Morton. “The king of royal tea,” as our reviewer described him, may rely on oft-shared sagas (for instance, the particulars of Margaret’s love life), but he makes an important point: The Windsors were regular siblings before they were royals. Morton writes, “The two sisters were contradictory and conflicted, butting heads over matters both small and monumental, but they also loved one another.” — Elisabeth Egan

‘Ninety-Nine Glimpses of Princess Margaret,’ by Craig Brown

Brown’s biography of the queen’s younger sister is as irreverent and untraditional as Margaret herself. Elizabeth figures into the book mainly as a foil, with a “distrust of the unexpected” that contrasts sharply with Margaret’s taste for outlandish remarks, a bohemian crowd, scandal — and vodka and orange juice. As Brown (who recounts his own in-person meeting with the queen) described the monarch: “It was her duty and destiny to be dull, to be as useful and undemonstrative as a postage stamp, her life dedicated to the near-impossible task of saying nothing of interest.” — Joumana Khatib

‘All the Queen’s Corgis: The Story of Elizabeth II and Her Most Faithful Companions,’ by Penny Junor

Everything you always wanted to know about royal corgis but were afraid to ask! The biting of footmen! The pack power struggles! The nipping at foreign dignitaries! The illicit liaisons! (A corgi who shall remain nameless mated with one of Margaret’s dachshunds, resulting in several “dorgis.”) From the time she was 7, the future queen had a Welsh corgi trotting at her heels. Her hands-on affection for her pets — she fed and walked them, even traveled with them — provides a rare window into her life, or, at any rate, those of Candy, Disco, Pundit (yes, really), Vulcan and their generations of predecessors . — Sadie Stein

An earlier version of this article referred imprecisely to one of aspect of Queen Elizabeth’s tenure. As queen for 70 years she was Britain’s longest-reigning monarch, but not the world’s. (Louis XIV of France ruled for 72 years.)

How we handle corrections

• NONFICTION BOOKS
• BEST NONFICTION 2023
• BEST NONFICTION 2024
• Historical Biographies
• The Best Memoirs and Autobiographies
• Philosophical Biographies
• World War 2
• World History
• American History
• British History
• Chinese History
• Russian History
• Ancient History (up to 500)
• Medieval History (500-1400)
• Military History
• Art History
• Travel Books
• Ancient Philosophy
• Contemporary Philosophy
• Ethics & Moral Philosophy
• Great Philosophers
• Social & Political Philosophy
• Classical Studies
• New Science Books
• Maths & Statistics
• Popular Science
• Physics Books
• Climate Change Books
• How to Write
• English Grammar & Usage
• Books for Learning Languages
• Linguistics
• Political Ideologies
• Foreign Policy & International Relations
• American Politics
• British Politics
• Religious History Books
• Mental Health
• Neuroscience
• Child Psychology
• Film & Cinema
• Opera & Classical Music
• Behavioural Economics
• Development Economics
• Economic History
• Financial Crisis
• World Economies
• Investing Books
• Artificial Intelligence/AI Books
• Data Science Books
• Sex & Sexuality
• Death & Dying
• Food & Cooking
• Sports, Games & Hobbies
• FICTION BOOKS
• BEST NOVELS 2024
• BEST FICTION 2023
• New Literary Fiction
• World Literature
• Literary Criticism
• Literary Figures
• Classic English Literature
• American Literature
• Comics & Graphic Novels
• Fairy Tales & Mythology
• Historical Fiction
• Crime Novels
• Science Fiction
• Short Stories
• South Africa
• United States
• Arctic & Antarctica
• Afghanistan
• Myanmar (Formerly Burma)
• Netherlands
• Kids Recommend Books for Kids
• High School Teachers Recommendations
• Prizewinning Kids' Books
• Popular Series Books for Kids
• BEST BOOKS FOR KIDS (ALL AGES)
• Ages Baby-2
• Books for Teens and Young Adults
• THE BEST SCIENCE BOOKS FOR KIDS
• BEST KIDS' BOOKS OF 2023
• BEST BOOKS FOR TEENS OF 2023
• Best Audiobooks for Kids
• Environment
• Best Books for Teens of 2023
• Best Kids' Books of 2023
• Political Novels
• New History Books
• New Historical Fiction
• New Biography
• New Memoirs
• New World Literature
• New Economics Books
• New Climate Books
• New Math Books
• New Philosophy Books
• New Psychology Books
• New Physics Books
• THE BEST AUDIOBOOKS
• Actors Read Great Books
• Books Narrated by Their Authors
• Best Audiobook Thrillers
• Best History Audiobooks
• Nobel Literature Prize
• Booker Prize (fiction)
• Baillie Gifford Prize (nonfiction)
• Financial Times (nonfiction)
• Wolfson Prize (history)
• Royal Society (science)
• Pushkin House Prize (Russia)
• Walter Scott Prize (historical fiction)
• Arthur C Clarke Prize (sci fi)
• The Hugos (sci fi & fantasy)
• Audie Awards (audiobooks)

Make Your Own List

World » Europe » Britain » The Royal Family

The best books on the queen, recommended by robert lacey.

The Queen by Robert Lacey

She became the heir to the British throne because her uncle had resigned and became Queen Elizabeth II aged just 25, after her father's early death in 1952. The royal biographer Robert Lacey considers Elizabeth Windsor (1926-2022),  her family history, her legacy and what made her so successful as Britain's titular head of state.

The English Constitution by Walter Bagehot

King George V by Kenneth Rose

Edward VIII by Frances Donaldson

Crown and People by Philip Ziegler

The Diana Chronicles by Tina Brown

1 The English Constitution by Walter Bagehot

2 king george v by kenneth rose, 3 edward viii by frances donaldson, 4 crown and people by philip ziegler, 5 the diana chronicles by tina brown.

Y ou’ve studied Queen Elizabeth II and written books about her for many years. How would you personally describe her importance?

What kind of role do you think she played in that?

Your first book takes a more detailed look at the issue of the Queen’s role in British politics. The English Constitution , written in 1867 by the political journalist Walter Bagehot, shows us where the monarchy fits in with British politics—which is often a difficult thing to work out.

Bagehot was the first person to try to explain the recent evolution of the non-political, constitutional monarchy—what I sometimes call the ‘sentimental monarchy’ because of the part played by Queen Victoria and her promotion of respectable, family life. One hundred years before Bagehot, the monarchy was embroiled in all sorts of political conflicts and personal scandals. Victoria changed that with a style and with instincts that were remarkably close to those of Queen Elizabeth II. Both women displayed the same sense of duty and willingness to subordinate themselves.

Bagehot identified the way the monarchy had undergone this sea change, and was now the impartial referee and the dignified symbol of what people could agree upon in national life. One of the interesting things about Queen Victoria is that in later years, if she couldn’t be bothered to go and open Parliament herself, she would just send the crown on a cushion. This symbolised her understanding that the crown was above everything including herself. I think that same sort of essential modesty was the reason for Queen Elizabeth II’s success. She spent the first 10 years of her life as part of the royal family but with no idea that she would one day come to the throne. So while she developed a great seriousness and respect for the monarchy, her head was never turned. I think her modesty and self-effacement are major reasons for her enduring popularity.

To put it in perspective, as you describe in your book, Queen Elizabeth II was effectively very similar to Princess Beatrice, the eldest daughter of Prince Andrew, in that she was royal but not directly in line to the throne.

One person who had a great deal of influence on Queen Elizabeth II was her grandfather, George V. What can Kenneth Rose’s book tell us about him?

My principal reason for putting Rose’s study of George V on my list is that I consider it the best royal biography ever written. It is a classic which is full of insight and humanity, along with dry wit and revelation. There had previously been an official biography of George V by Harold Nicolson, and Kenneth Rose was able to get hold of the Nicolson papers, where he discovered quite a lot of material that Nicolson had diplomatically left out.

It was Kenneth Rose who revealed that the British government had a plan to rescue the deposed Russian royal family, and that it was stopped by King George V and Queen Mary because they thought that bringing the Tsar and his wife to England would destabilise the British monarchy. In 1917 and 1918 the Russian monarchy vanished, the German monarchy vanished and the Austrian monarchy went as well. The three great remaining European monarchies were swept away.

So the British monarchy was feeling vulnerable?

Yes. People at Buckingham Palace tried to stop Kenneth publishing this revelation, and other revelations in the book, until his manuscript was shown to the Queen. ‘Let him publish,’ she wrote across the top of the draft, without requesting a single change. Elizabeth II was a very open-minded person who saw that the facts were the facts. She did not see the film The King’s Speech about her father’s problem with stuttering, and there were some people in the family who disapproved of it. But the basic facts of the film about Lionel Logue, the Australian speech therapist, were all revealed in the official biography of George VI, which the Queen originally commissioned and approved. She was very keen that these details should come out.

What about the Queen’s relationship with George V?

I think that the Queen learnt her public relations skills from George V. On the outside he was very stuffy and conventional, but he was also very nimble and responsive. He grasped that in order for the monarchy to survive it was crucially important that it should no longer sit on top of some social pyramid of aristocracy, middle class and lower class. That was all crumbling in the early 20th century. If the monarchy was to survive, its basic support had to come from the bottom. The monarch had to create and foster a direct personal link with the people.

Which Queen Elizabeth very much did.

Yes, and George V also did. He started the royal broadcasts and giving out honours such as OBEs and MBEs, which are essentially titles, distinctions and medals for ordinary civilian folk.

Your book also shows his fondness for Queen Elizabeth II. She seems to have been a bit of a favourite.

Now to a book about the man who changed the Queen’s destiny—Frances Donaldson’s biography of Edward VIII, first published in 1974.

I think this is the definitive biography of Edward VIII. There have been others, notably by Philip Ziegler, who wrote the official biography. But Frances Donaldson’s is the one which best captures the ambiguous spirit of Edward VIII. I have put it on the list for two reasons—because of its shrewd depiction of the king’s character and failings, but also because those were the mechanical reasons that propelled the little Princess Elizabeth into the main line of succession.

Get the weekly Five Books newsletter

When Edward VIII abdicated in order to be able to marry the American divorcee Wallis Simpson, his younger brother Bertie, Elizabeth’s father, became king. There were 12 incredibly dramatic months in 1936 when Britain actually saw three kings in one year—George V, Edward VIII and, by the end of the year, George VI. In that time, little Princess Elizabeth went from being on the sidelines to becoming the heir to the throne. It was quite an extraordinary transformation, and the turning point of her story.

Did Edward VIII get on with his niece Elizabeth?

The two little princesses Elizabeth and Margaret Rose, her younger sister, adored their playful uncle who was so very dashing and handsome. Queen Elizabeth always used to talk about him as her favourite uncle. But Edward proved to lack the grit, application and sense of sacrifice which is so crucial to being a monarch. In the case of Queen Elizabeth, we were able to see her willingness to subordinate her own life to duty, in her two families of children. She started with Charles and Anne and was planning more. But then her father died unexpectedly. So she suspended childbearing for the best part of a decade until she had played herself in as queen—when she produced Andrew and Edward.

Edward VIII actually lived to see Elizabeth become queen. Is there any record of how he thought she managed?

He clearly felt that Elizabeth understood and embodied all the dignity of the monarchy. I have a story in my book about how he pulled himself together in his dying days, when Elizabeth went to see him while she was in France. He insisted on getting dressed and bowing to her, even though he was being kept alive with tubes which had to be concealed under his clothing.

And she was very respectful towards him, in terms of making sure he had a proper funeral and treating his widow Wallis Simpson properly.

Your next choice is Philip Ziegler’s Crown and People .

This is a highly original study by Philip Ziegler, who wrote the authorised biographies of both Edward VIII and Mountbatten, both of them excellent books. What is interesting about Crown and People is that Philip rediscovered the Mass Observation archive, which started in 1937 as a British left-wing response to American public opinion polls. It was an attempt by a group of quite radical intellectuals to put their fingers on the pulse of British sentiment and popular feeling. What they discovered, rather to their chagrin, was that the best occasions to find the British people expressing themselves were royal ceremonies like coronations and jubilees.

Although she was obviously very popular, I think it is fair to say that Queen Elizabeth had her ups and downs in terms of people’s perceptions. A low point, it could be argued, was her relationship with Princess Diana —which is discussed in your final book, The Diana Chronicles by Tina Brown.

Diana is such a major figure in the history of the British monarchy and also in British popular culture. Her death and the week before her funeral were an absolutely crucial moment in the history of the monarchy and its relationship to the people—and Queen Elizabeth herself played the central role in that, as I describe in my own book.

Support Five Books

Five Books interviews are expensive to produce. If you're enjoying this interview, please support us by donating a small amount .

Tina’s book captures Diana with such raciness, charm and insight. The book is based on incredible research. One of Tina’s strengths is that she is a great British journalist who has been living in America for many years. So she embodies that slightly bemused and admiring attitude of America toward the British monarchy. I think some Americans almost wish they had a monarchy—and, of course, they do. The American president gets selected by an arduous and ludicrously expensive and drawn-out electoral process. Then he—not yet she—is promptly turned into a monarch, complete with a First Family and all the trappings of empire. If you happen to be called Kennedy or Bush you are treated as part of a royal dynasty, and you are entitled to be considered for future succession.

How does Tina Brown define the relationship between Queen Elizabeth and Diana?

One of the things you see in The Diana Chronicles is the way in which there was more fondness and closeness between Diana and Queen Elizabeth than people realise. Queen Elizabeth, if only through a sense of duty, bent over backwards to support her daughter-in-law through her early difficulties. Right at the start of the marriage, she realised something was wrong and brought in the best medical and psychological help she could. She talked to the newspaper editors and tried to get them to lay off Diana and create less pressure, although she didn’t realise in those early days the full horror for Diana of the fact that Charles had given his heart to someone else—Camilla Parker Bowles.

And what does Tina Brown say that Diana felt towards Queen Elizabeth?

Tina has some very good quotes showing Diana’s respect for Queen Elizabeth. But she also shows how, when Diana gave that famous interview saying how she wanted to be ‘queen of people’s hearts’ that, consciously or subconsciously, she was issuing a challenge to the Queen and had taken a step too far.

Despite Queen Elizabeth’s somewhat fraught relations with various people, such as Princess Diana and to some extent Prince Charles , one thing she truly excelled in was her role as a grandmother.

Yes, and this is a major theme of my book . In the speech she gave the day before Diana’s funeral she uttered that memorable phrase, “Speaking to you as your Queen and a grandmother”. There had been no plan until the day before for her to speak, and she did the two things which she hates most—broadcasting, and revealing her feelings. She reminded everybody that yes, she was the country’s queen, but she was also grandmother of these boys who had lost their mother in such tragic circumstances, and that her first priority that week was to look after the boys.

Which is why she had stayed up in Scotland with them rather than coming down to London—which the public were increasingly unhappy about.

The public wanted Queen Elizabeth to be their mummy or grandmother—while she felt that her first duty was to her grandsons. We can relate to that as a touching human family response, but of course it has turned out to be a major factor in the ongoing strength of the monarchy. Despite the difficulties that Queen Elizabeth had in her relationship with Prince Charles, she got on extremely well with her grandchildren. In this she is perhaps a bit like her grandfather, George V. She had a marvellous relationship with both William and Harry, and helped bring them up as model characters, in most people’s eyes, for the future of the monarchy. Whatever doubts people may have about Princes Charles, they feel that the long-term future of the monarchy is in very safe hands with William and Catherine, and Harry as a backup.

What kind of influence do you think Queen Elizabeth had on the rest of the world?

People in Britain, and indeed in America, forget that Elizabeth II was not just queen of Great Britain but also queen of many other realms, such as Australia, Canada and New Zealand—for whom she is, in fact, Elizabeth I. She is head of the Commonwealth, a family of 54 different countries which used to be just members of the British Empire. But now you get African countries like Angola, never in the British Empire, that want to join the Commonwealth—which is a great tribute to the Queen.

I often like to remind Americans that while Queen Elizabeth went to America three or four times officially in the course of her reign, in that same period she went to Canada over 20 times, because she was of course the Queen of Canada. I think one of the reasons why Canadians are so fond of the Queen and the monarchy is because it is what distinguishes them from America. Although, of course, she paid quite a few private visits to Kentucky to inspect the racehorses there, which were her great passion in life.

How would you sum up the importance of Queen Elizabeth II?

I think the Queen was Britain’s number one asset as a focus of British history and past glory, while also showing our ability to change and adapt to the modern world, in the same way as she was able to do.

———————————————–

Editor’s note: In 2022 the UK is celebrating the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee, marking her seven decades on the throne. The result has been a host of new books on her life and reign, including Robert Hardman’s Queen of Our Times: The Life of Elizabeth II , Andrew Morton’s The Queen  (apparently not available in the US), and Tina Brown’s The Palace Papers: Inside the House of Windsor .  For an older biography recommended by historian Diarmaid MacCulloch among others, it’s also worth considering The Queen: Elizabeth II and the Monarchy .

June 3, 2012

Five Books aims to keep its book recommendations and interviews up to date. If you are the interviewee and would like to update your choice of books (or even just what you say about them) please email us at [email protected]

Robert Lacey

Robert Lacey is a bestselling author who has been writing about the Queen for nearly 40 years. He is a historian and biographer whose research has taken him from the Middle East to America's Midwest. Majesty , his pioneering biography of Queen Elizabeth II, is the definitive study of British monarchy. He is also the author of The Queen: A Life in Brief

We ask experts to recommend the five best books in their subject and explain their selection in an interview.

This site has an archive of more than one thousand seven hundred interviews, or eight thousand book recommendations. We publish at least two new interviews per week.

Five Books participates in the Amazon Associate program and earns money from qualifying purchases.

© Five Books 2024

We earn a commission for products purchased through some links in this article.

Five of the best books about the Queen to read now

Offering fascinating insights into Her Majesty's life

As national mourning continues, extensive coverage of the Queen's life and legacy does too. For anyone interested in going deeper into the longstanding monarch's life, there are myriad biographies and history books offering fascinating insights: from seasoned royal journalists to some of the people closest to her.

Here are five of the best to read now.

Queen of our Times: The Life of Elizabeth II, Robert Hardman

This 2022 biography, by acclaimed royal historian Robert Hardman, is one of the most recent and comprehensive books about the late queen. Published in March this year, ahead of the Platinum Jubilee, what would be the last of her reign, it looks back on a lifetime of achievements and struggles, both personal and public. Hardman himself has made a career – as a journalist, broadcaster and author – from his expertise on the royal family, so expect an extensively researched and meticulously crafted poignant final portrait of Elizabeth II.

The Palace Papers, Tina Brown

The Queen, Matthew Dennison

Published in 2021, this balanced and brilliantly written biography is an extremely detailed depiction of the Queen's life. It paints a picture of her childhood – her at-times oddly spartan existence that was nonetheless filled with toys gifted to her from foreign states. In this way, it deftly handles the central contradictions of her life: a profoundly down-to-earth and humble woman who lived an extraordinary life in some of the grandest palaces in Britain.

The Queens Speech, Ingrid Seward

Ingrid Seward is editor-in-chief of Majesty magazine, making her one of the most prominent writers on the royals, and the most prolific. With over a dozen books on this subject to her name, The Queen's Speech is perhaps one of the most intriguing. Complied from nearly 70 years of her public speeches, it analyses the monarch's emotions, personality and motivation through each one. It is an impressive attempt to gauge a sense of an innately public yet curiously personal person, in her own words.

The Other Side of the Coin, Angela Kelly

While many royal biographers may claim grand insight into the Queen, there are perhaps few who know her in quite the same way as her longstanding and loyal dresser, Angela Kelly. Her 2019 book received royal approval and is a touching and warm tribute to the person behind the crown, taken from some of the monarch's funniest and most personal moments. The book makes even more poignant reading today.

Entertainment

Forget the tennis, 'Challengers' is a fashion film

Your TV watchlist for May is here

Is gossip good for you?

'Bridget Jones: Mad About The Boy': what we know

The best female-led sustainability podcasts

'And Just Like That...' S3: what you need to know

One on One with Gillian Anderson and Keeley Hawes

Harry and Meghan are launching reality show

'Fly Me To The Moon' is summer's must-watch film

Timothée Chalamet is becoming Bob Dylan

A 'Legally Blonde' TV series is in the works

RS Recommends: Sales of Queen Elizabeth II Books Soar Online Following the Monarch’s Death

By John Lonsdale

John Lonsdale

If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, Rolling Stone may receive an affiliate commission.

The day after Queen Elizabeth II’s death at 96, a collection of books about the long-reigning monarch have shot to the top of the charts on Amazon .

“The death of my beloved Mother, Her Majesty The Queen, is a moment of the greatest sadness for me and all members of my family,” her son, now King Charles III, shared in a message following her passing. “We mourn profoundly the passing of a cherished Sovereign and a much-loved Mother. I know her loss will be deeply felt throughout the country, the Realms and the Commonwealth, and by countless people around the world.”

Among the trending titles rounding out the top 10 spots on Amazon, Life’s Queen Elizabeth: 70th Jubilee has soared to the top of the Movers & Shakers book list at the time of this writing. The title is a 96-page special collector’s edition that celebrates the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee and her 70-year reign. The book, which has a sales rank of 230 on Amazon right now, shot up a massive 289,721 percent over the last day. You can buy it right now for $14.99, and it’s also available on Kindle.

Editor’s picks

Every awful thing trump has promised to do in a second term, the 250 greatest guitarists of all time, the 500 greatest albums of all time, the 50 worst decisions in movie history, 'word salad': andrew huberman's cannabis claims slammed by experts, brian wilson placed in conservatorship as daughters win consultation rights, hear the journey tune steve perry rerecorded with steve lukather's son, meet the voice behind randy travis's new song.

Of course, these top-selling titles barely scratch the surface of books about the Queen. Along with the special editions above, fans have also picked up a handful of other biographies about Her Majesty, including the new release Queen of Our Time , published in March 2022. It’s already become a bestseller in the History of Books category on Amazon, alongside illustrated children’s books, including Queen Elizabeth II: A Little Golden Book .

You can shop all of the top-selling Queen Elizabeth books right now on Amazon, and check out the complete list of the Amazon’s Movers & Shakers here .

The 20+ Best Gifts on Amazon for Any Occassion

• By Oscar Hartzog , Nishka Dhawan , and Sage Anderson

Our Ultimate Guide to the 9 Best Air Purifiers for Every Space

• BREATHE EASY
• By Brandt Ranj and Sage Anderson

Easy Relief: The Best Massage Guns On Amazon

• MASSAGE GUN DEALS
• By Jon Adams

How to Watch the 2024 GLAAD Media Awards Online

• By Sage Anderson

These Are the Best Mattresses to Shop on Amazon Right Now, From Hybrid to Memory Foam Options

• SLEEPER PICKS
• By Jon Adams and Nishka Dhawan

Most Popular

Emily blunt says she's 'absolutely' wanted to throw up after kissing certain actors during filming: 'i've definitely not enjoyed some of it.', peter jackson working on new 'lord of the rings' films for warner bros., targeting 2026 debut, serena williams' ethereal white swimsuit photoshoot shows the way she’s exercising after baby no. 2, near the giza pyramids, archaeologists identify a newly discovered ancient egyptian structure, you might also like, john leguizamo turned down ‘mr. & mrs smith’ because jolie and pitt were ‘getting $20 million and they were going to pay me scale. i felt dissed’; he regrets it now, cew honors beauty founders at inaugural visionary awards in los angeles, the best yoga mats for any practice, according to instructors, nicholas galitzine cut his teeth in roles he’d like to forget: ‘i find the result of them, admittedly, maybe not great’, financial services firm broadridge boosts us rowing with job pipeline.

Rolling Stone is a part of Penske Media Corporation. © 2024 Rolling Stone, LLC. All rights reserved.

Verify it's you

Please log in.

UK Edition Change

• UK Politics
• News Videos
• Paris 2024 Olympics
• Rugby Union
• Sport Videos
• John Rentoul
• Mary Dejevsky
• Andrew Grice
• Sean O’Grady
• Photography
• Theatre & Dance
• Culture Videos
• Fitness & Wellbeing
• Food & Drink
• Health & Families
• Royal Family
• Electric Vehicles
• Car Insurance Deals
• Lifestyle Videos
• UK Hotel Reviews
• News & Advice
• Simon Calder
• Australia & New Zealand
• South America
• C. America & Caribbean
• Middle East
• Politics Explained
• News Analysis
• Today’s Edition
• Home & Garden
• Broadband deals
• Fashion & Beauty
• Travel & Outdoors
• Sports & Fitness
• Sustainable Living
• Climate Videos
• Solar Panels
• Behind The Headlines
• On The Ground
• Decomplicated
• You Ask The Questions
• Binge Watch
• Travel Smart
• Watch on your TV
• Crosswords & Puzzles
• Most Commented
• Newsletters
• Ask Me Anything
• Virtual Events
• Betting Sites
• Online Casinos
• Wine Offers

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in Please refresh your browser to be logged in

The Independent's journalism is supported by our readers. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn commission. Why trust us?

The best books about Queen Elizabeth II’s life: From a young princess to her Diamond Jubilee

She reigned for seven decades, but few of us knew the real lilibet, article bookmarked.

Find your bookmarks in your Independent Premium section, under my profile

Sign up to our free weekly newsletter for insider tips and product reviews from our shopping experts

Sign up for our free indybest email, thanks for signing up to the indybest email.

For many of us, we felt as if we knew the Queen. A constant in our lives, on the money we use and on our TV screens each Christmas, it is easy to understand how people have been moved by her death on 8 September. She was a well-respected and popular figure, and a cohesive force for the nation, as testified to by the success of the platinum jubilee celebrations, and the comfort taken from her Vera Lynn quote at the height of the pandemic: “We will meet again”, that’s now become so poignant in so many ways.

“Inevitably a long life can pass by many milestones,” the Queen said as she, in her usual quiet fashion, became Britain’s longest-serving monarch in 2015. “My own is no exception.” And didn’t she see some milestones? Witnessing humankind land on the moon, the fall of the Berlin Wall, and the Brexit vote, her reign began with Christmas broadcasts shared on the radio, but her final few were available on smart speakers. Her reign shaped, documented and helped measure the world as we know it.

Elizabeth II was not just a bystander to historic events, she and her own family were at the heart of numerous memorable occasions: including the positive, such as her numerous jubilees, and the weddings of her grandchildren, from William to Beatrice. However, during this time the family – and the rest of the country – also saw the death of Diana in 1997, and the Susssexes deciding to step down as senior royals and move to the US. While 2019 saw Prince Andrew’s car-crash Newsnight interview, and sexual abuse allegations.

But did we truly know the real Lilibet? Famously, she never gave a true interview, and her inner circle was impenetrable. Discretion has always been, and remains, the watchword of the royal household. The closest we have got were her annual Christmas speeches, which she penned herself. Yet we have witnessed her sense of humour, exemplified by the James Bond sketch at the opening ceremony of the London Olympics. And we have been allowed to uncover some aspects of her true character, as the press clamoured to quote those who met and spent time with her, or former staff, who dared to write their own books, but this is just a small part of the real woman who wore the crown.

The next best things, then, are books, written by those who knew her, worked with her, or have a flare for research and storytelling. These books are recommended to offer a better glimpse into the Queen’s personal life – behind the baize doors of the palaces and the bright coats that made up her working ‘uniform’ – as well as offering a deeper understanding of her work as monarch, a role she performed for 70 years.

Related stories

Subscribe to independent premium to bookmark this article.

Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.

‘The Other Side of the Coin’ by Angela Kelly, published by HarperCollins

Penned by The Queen’s dresser and confidante, The Other Side of the Coin is a must-read to find out about the Queen from someone who knew her in a distinctly intimate way. While there is a large biographical element to the book, detailing Angela Kelly’s journey from Liverpool to the palace and her 25-year royal career, she shares her insights into how the royal wardrobe works and offers us a real look at the off-duty Queen: a funny, caring and simple woman.

Dubbed “the Queen’s Gatekeeper” thanks to her forthright manner and protective nature of the monarch, Kelly shares not only personal photos, but anecdotes that touch at the heart of the Queen’s personality. Such was their bond, the Queen not only authorised a three-book deal for her dresser, she ensured Kelly would retain her grace-and-favour apartment in Windsor, following Charles’ accession, which is a noticeable departure from convention.

‘Queen of the World’ by Robert Hardman, published by Random House

This account is well-researched by veteran royal writer Robert Hardman, who focuses on the quiet diplomatic career of the Queen and her international influence. What makes this so compelling is that we don’t often see or understand the sway the Queen had – a passing comment here, a well-timed invite there, and the impact such seemingly innocent actions could have.

But Hardman shows us the successes Elizabeth II achieved, in particular with the Commonwealth, which he suggests has only endured due to the Queen’s popularity. This book is a real eye-opener to the influence the soft power of the monarchy can wield and how Elizabeth II was accomplished in knowing how and when to dispense it. You’re left with a feeling that King Charles III really does have big shoes to fill.

‘The Queen’ by Matthew Dennison, published by Head of Zeus

Dennison’s biography is worth the effort of the sometimes-stilted language to get closer to the real Elizabeth. He deftly weaves together a wealth of sources, painting the late monarch as a dedicated and humble public servant, with a pragmatic approach to her work. She used the soft power she had skilfully, and never assumed the people’s affection or loyalty.

The author is willing to probe into family issues – such as the failure of three out of four children’s marriages – and, with this being a newer work, is able to hint at the connection between the decline in influence the Queen had over her family since 2017, following the retirement of Prince Philip and the departure of her private secretary Sir Christopher Geidt, with the likes of the Duke of York’s car-crash interview, and the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s abrupt departure.

‘The Little Princesses’ by Marion Crawford, published by Orion Publishing Co

Published in 1950, Marion Crawford, also known as Crawfie, was governess to Princess Elizabeth and Princess Margaret. This sympathetic, and almost sycophantic, assessment of their childhoods, through the eyes of someone who helped shape them, offers insightful tales of Elizabeth’s personality – generally an obedient, tidy, and well-behaved child, traits that have served her well.

Crawford saw Lilibet grow into a teenager who took on the royal duties given to her with “immense seriousness and zeal”, but Crawford was ostracised for putting pen to paper, and later attempted suicide. A must for those with an interest in the Queen and how she came to be the person she was.

‘The Queen: Elizabeth II and the Monarchy’ by Ben Pimlott, published by HarperPress

Ben Pimlott’s book is a hefty but absorbing one, covering the decades of the Queen’s reign until 2002, with a sharp focus on the political side of royal life.

Updated for the Diamond Jubilee celebrations, Pimlott assesses how the Queen was the link in the Commonwealth, arguably her greatest legacy, and highlights parts of the role we sometimes forget, such as the weight that comes with such responsibility and the sheer boredom that must accompany handshakes and small talk week in, week out. For those more interested in the official side of royal life, rather than the gossip and family drama, this should be on your bookshelf.

‘At Home with The Queen: Life Through the Keyhole of the Royal Household’ by Brian Hoey, published by HarperCollins

Little has changed in the royal world since Brian Hoey unpicked the intricacies of royal life and workings of the palace in the early millennium. Though not specifically about the Queen herself, gaining knowledge of the world she operated in helps to better understand the person she was.

We learn titbits such as the Queen had longer bedsheets than Prince Philip, as she preferred a “deeper turnback” to her bed (they had separate rooms to ease the burden of busy diaries), and that she looked forward to hearing the piper who woke her up each morning. The book enables us to see the quirks of royal personalities – the Queen’s devotion to her corgis, and Princess Anne’s forthright nature – as well as how the household functions with hundreds of members of staff and numerous departments, so alien to many of us.

The verdict: Books about Queen Elizabeth II

Every couple of years, biographers and historians try to approach the Queen’s life with a fresh viewpoint, so it’s a very crowded topic area. No doubt, following last week’s sad news, there are more in the pipeline, which can now span her life in its entirety.

Highly recommended titles go to The Little Princesses , as an intimate portrait of an aristocratic girl who knew not her future as Britain’s stalwart head of state, and to Robert Hardman’s assessment of the soft power Elizabeth II wielded, which we often think is very limited. Our favourite book of this selection, however, is Angela Kelly’s The Other Side of the Coin , thanks to her 25 years of personal access to the monarch and the details she gives about how the private side of royal life works. With biographical elements bringing Kelly – a rather unknown figure – herself to life, it makes for entertaining and now slightly sombre reading of the Queen’s life and schedule, from someone who would sit and watch TV with perhaps the world’s most famous woman.

New to The Independent?

Or if you would prefer:

Want an ad-free experience?

Hi {{indy.fullName}}

• My Independent Premium
• Account details
• Help centre

• Today's news
• Reviews and deals
• Climate change
• 2024 election
• Fall allergies
• Health news
• Mental health
• Sexual health
• Family health
• So mini ways
• Unapologetically
• Buying guides

Entertainment

• How to Watch
• My watchlist
• Stock market
• Biden economy
• Personal finance
• Stocks: most active
• Stocks: gainers
• Stocks: losers
• Trending tickers
• World indices
• US Treasury bonds
• Top mutual funds
• Highest open interest
• Highest implied volatility
• Currency converter
• Basic materials
• Communication services
• Consumer cyclical
• Consumer defensive
• Financial services
• Industrials
• Real estate
• Mutual funds
• Credit cards
• Balance transfer cards
• Cash back cards
• Rewards cards
• Travel cards
• Online checking
• High-yield savings
• Money market
• Home equity loan
• Personal loans
• Student loans
• Options pit
• Fantasy football
• Pro Pick 'Em
• College Pick 'Em
• Fantasy baseball
• Fantasy hockey
• Fantasy basketball
• Download the app
• Daily fantasy
• Scores and schedules
• GameChannel
• World Baseball Classic
• Premier League
• CONCACAF League
• Champions League
• Motorsports
• Horse racing
• Newsletters

New on Yahoo

• Privacy Dashboard

The 20 Best Books About Queen Elizabeth II

• Oops! Something went wrong. Please try again later. More content below

"Hearst Magazines and Yahoo may earn commission or revenue on some items through these links."

If you're watching the latest season of The Crown and finding yourself wanting to deepen your knowledge of the longest-running female monarch in world history, there's a wealth of books out there to delve into. From exhaustive biographies, to illustrated coffee table books, to dishy accounts from former palace staffers, here are 20 of the best books you can read about Queen Elizabeth II .

Elizabeth the Queen: The Life of a Modern Monarch

Sally Bedell Smith has written biographies of towering figures on both sides of the pond, including Princess Diana, John and Jacqueline Kennedy, Bill and Hillary Clinton, and most recently Prince Charles . Her take on the queen was praised as “an excellent, all-embracing new biography” by the New York Times .

More: The Best Books to Read About the Royal Family

The Other Side of the Coin: The Queen, the Dresser and the Wardrobe

To be fascinated by the Queen is to be fascinated by her wardrobe, and The Other Side of the Coin is a must-read for anyone wanting the inside scoop on those impeccably coordinated suits. Angela Kelley is the Queen’s personal dresser , and was given permission to share this exclusive glimpse into the royal costuming process, complete with never-before-seen images.

Town & Country: The Queen: A Life in Pictures

This carefully curated coffee table book from T&C was created by longtime royal reporter Victoria Murphy. The photographic tribute to Queen Elizabeth II features more than 300 photographs from the seven decades of her reign, spotlighting significant moments from both her public and private spheres, all accompanied by commentary and context from Murphy. The collection encompasses her coronation, her marriage to Prince Philip , her numerous royal tours around the world, her evolving wardrobe through the years, the births of her children and grandchildren, and much more.

Town & Country: The Queen: A Life in Pictures

My Husband and I: The Inside Story of the Royal Marriage

If you were gripped by season two of The Crown ’s deep dive into Elizabeth and Philip’s once-troubled marriage , you’ll want to prioritize this one. Seward delves into the couple’s 70-year long marriage with a lightness of touch, detailing their courtship and ups and downs as well as their formidable bond.

The Crown, The Official Companion

If while watching The Crown , you're simultaneously fact-checking each episode, this is the book for you. Written by the show's historical consultant, Robert Lacey, it offers an in-depth look at the true story behind the drama. While this volume only addresses seasons two and three, hopefully Lacey will offer a season four version soon.

Elizabeth and Philip: A Royal Love Story

Similar to Seward's text, this special edition of Town & Country centers on the Queen and Prince Philip's romance, and features the true story of their courtship and 70+ year marriage alongside rarely seen photos of the royal couple.

Our Rainbow Queen: A Tribute to Queen Elizabeth II and Her Colorful Wardrobe

This beautiful coffee table book by Welsh journalist Sali Hughes offers a photographic voyage through nine decades of the Queen’s wardrobe, and more importantly her color schemes .

Not in Front of the Corgis: Secrets of Life Behind the Royal Curtains

Admit it, this one had you at the title. Though this book isn’t exclusively about Queen Elizabeth’s famous collection of corgis (disappointing), it’s still a fun, deliberately lightweight collection of trivia and tidbits about royal life.

The Reluctant King: The Life and Reign of George VI, 1895-1952

In order to fully understand Queen Elizabeth, and the turbulent circumstances of her ascension to the throne, you need to understand her father, King George VI. Now most famous as the subject of 2010's The King's Speech , George was forced to become King after his brother abdicated the throne, a saga which Sarah Bradford chronicles in fascinating detail.

The Queen Mother : The Official Biography

As important as King George VI is to Queen Elizabeth's story, the Queen Mother played a far more central role in her daughter's reign, having lived to see its first five decades. William Shawcross’s official biography, published seven years after the Queen Mother's death in 2002, is a weighty tome packed with details and insight into her daily life.

The Queen Mother: The Official Biography

Jubilee Lines: 60 Poets for 60 Years

Though not technically a book about Queen Elizabeth at all, Jubilee Lines is nevertheless an evocative portrait of her reign. In this collection, published in 2012 for the Queen's Diamond Jubilee, 60 poets are each assigned one of the 60 Jubilee years, and write a poem related in some way to the events or reality of that year.

The Queen: A Biography of Elizabeth II

Originally published in 1996, this definitive and acclaimed biography of Queen Elizabeth was updated in 2002 to mark her Golden Jubilee. Written by the late, highly respected historian Ben Pimlott, The Queen was described by The Independent newspaper as “the standard work on its sovereign subject, while The New York Times Book Review called it a “superbly judicious biography of Elizabeth II.”

Queen of the World: Elizabeth II: Sovereign and Stateswoman

Veteran royal chronicler Robert Hardman focuses his 2019 biography on a specific aspect of Queen Elizabeth – her role as the head of Commonwealth of Nations—and thus avoids retreading familiar ground. Queen of the World was described by the BBC as “an intimate portrait of the Royal commitments at home and abroad.”

The Diamond Queen: Elizabeth II and Her People

Scottish journalist Andrew Marr has a unique perspective as royal biographer, having once been a diehard republican (i.e. opposed to the existence of monarchy). Now an admirer of the Queen, Marr argues in this biography that “Britain without her would have been a greyer, shriller, more meagre place."

Queen Elizabeth II: Her Life In Our Times

In this relatively recent biography of the Queen—published in 2012—Sarah Bradford places the Queen’s life in a broader historical context. Per The Telegraph , the book represents “a familiar story being sparked into new life by a skilled practitioner.”

The Little Princesses

For a truly one-of-a-kind perspective on the Queen’s formative years, look no further than this extraordinary biography by Marion Crawford, who was governess to the young Elizabeth and her sister Margaret for 17 years (they called her “Crawfie”). The 1950 publication of The Little Princesses caused a stir, and Crawford was reportedly shunned by the royal family for writing it.

Philip and Elizabeth: Portrait of a Royal Marriage

Another option for those fascinated by the Elizabeth/Philip dynamic, this biography by Gyles Brandreth is unusual for being focused primarily on Philip’s perspective.

The Queen: The Life and Times of Elizabeth II

This beautifully presented coffee table book takes a photo-centric approach to chronicling Queen Elizabeth’s life and reign.

On Duty With The Queen

In his part-autobiography and part-royal biography, former palace spokesman Dickie Arbiter recounts how he went from working in broadcast journalism to being appointed as press secretary to the Royal family in 1988. Given Arbiter’s unparalleled access to the Queen—not to mention Princess Diana—it’s no surprise that this is a compelling, if restrained, read.

Queen Elizabeth II: Portraits by Cecil Beaton

Society photographer Cecil Beaton was chosen to take the official photographs of the Queen’s Coronation in 1953, and his portraits became some of the most iconic images from her entire reign. Along with the pictures themselves, this book offers insight into Beaton’s long relationship with the royals, and the role his work played in their public image.

Recommended Stories

Former mlb infielder, little league world series star sean burroughs dies at 43.

The seven-year major leaguer collapsed while coaching his son's Little League game on Thursday.

Dolphins owner Stephen Ross reportedly declined $10 billion for team, stadium and F1 race

The value of the Dolphins and Formula One racing is enormous.

The best RBs for 2024 fantasy football, according to our experts

The Yahoo Fantasy football analysts reveal their first running back rankings for the 2024 NFL season.

Juan Soto’s unapologetic intensity and showmanship are captivating the Bronx and rubbing off on teammates: ‘Literally every pitch is theater’

The 2024 Yankees have rediscovered their bravado and hold the second-best record in the AL, thanks in large part to the superstar outfielder.

The FDIC change that leaves wealthy bank depositors with less protection

Affluent Americans may want to double-check how much of their bank deposits are protected by government-backed insurance. The rules governing trust accounts just changed.

Which pickup trucks get the best fuel economy? Here are the tops for gas mileage (or diesel)

Trucks aren't known for being fuel efficient, though times are changing. These are the trucks with the best gas mileage in various segments.

Timberwolves coach Chris Finch calls Jamal Murray's heat-pack toss on court 'inexcusable and dangerous'

Murray made a bad night on the court worse during a moment of frustration on the bench.

Former NBA guard Darius Morris dies at 33

Former NBA guard Darius Morris has died at the age of 33. He played for five teams during his four NBA seasons. Morris played college basketball at Michigan.

Golf’s moment of truth is here, and the sport is badly flailing

Nonexistent negotiations and missed opportunities for reconciliation between the PGA Tour and LIV Golf have the sport stuck in place.

2024 Fantasy Football Mock Draft, 1.0

The Yahoo Fantasy football crew got together for their very first mock draft of 2024. Andy Behrens recaps the results.

Former House Speaker Paul Ryan says he’s not voting for Trump : 'Character is too important'

Ryan says he would be writing in a Republican candidate instead of voting for Donald Trump.

Ranking the best situations for the rookie quarterbacks: Start with Michael Penix in Atlanta at No. 1

It’s key to note that we’re not saying the “best team” or “best roster.” Instead, we’re talking about the best confluence of factors that can outline a path for survival and then success.

Yahoo Fantasy staff's Mock Draft 1.0: Shocking picks are plentiful

Teams have made their big splashes in free agency and made their draft picks, it's time for you to do the same. It's fantasy football mock draft time. Some call this time of year best ball season, others know it's an opportunity to get a leg up on your competition for when you have to draft in August. The staff at Yahoo Fantasy did their first mock draft of the 2024 season to help you with the latter. Matt Harmon and Andy Behrens are here to break it all down by each round and crush some staff members in the process.

Post-draft NFL fantasy power rankings: Offenses we love, like and want to stay away from

With free agency and the draft behind us, what 32 teams look like today will likely be what they look like Week 1 and beyond for the 2024 season. Matt Harmon and Scott Pianowski reveal the post-draft fantasy power rankings. The duo break down the rankings in six tiers: Elite offensive ecosystems, teams on the cusp of being complete mixed bag ecosystems, offensive ecosystems with something to prove, offenses that could go either way, and offenses that are best to stay away from in fantasy.

Mortgage rates drop for the first time in five weeks with experts adjusting their forecasts

The average 30-year fixed mortgage rate edged back toward 7% this week but remains elevated, prompting housing experts to revise their forecasts for the rest of 2024.

Cardinals lose C Willson Contreras after left arm fractured by J.D. Martinez's swing

The Cardinals' nightmare season continues.

Cavaliers flip the script against the Celtics in Game 2, making this series a mystery

For one night, Cleveland's game plan worked to perfection. Do the Cavs have a shot to take down the Celtics?

Recession-proof stocks are leading the market's latest leg higher

The Utilities and Consumer Staples sectors have popped since mid-April as investors search for value.

Blockbuster May trade by Padres, MVP Ohtani has arrived, Willie Mays’ 93rd birthday & weekend recap

Jake Mintz & Jordan Shusterman discuss the Padres-Marlins trade that sent Luis Arraez to San Diego, as well as recap all the action from this weekend in baseball and send birthday wishes to hall-of-famer Willie Mays.

The best budgeting apps for 2024

Budgeting apps can help you keep track of your finances, stick to a spending plan and reach your money goals. These are the best budget-tracking apps available right now.

• Discussions
• Reading Challenge
• Kindle Notes & Highlights
• Favorite genres
• Friends’ recommendations
• Account settings

Books About Queen Elizabeth II

A book’s total score is based on multiple factors, including the number of people who have voted for it and how highly those voters ranked the book.

People Who Voted On This List (16)

Post a comment » Comments Showing 1-1 of 1 (1 new)

Related News

• Create New List
• Lists I Created
• Lists I've Voted On
• Lists I've Liked

Anyone can add books to this list.

Saving My Votes

Friends votes, how to vote.

To vote on existing books from the list, beside each book there is a link vote for this book clicking it will add that book to your votes.

To vote on books not in the list or books you couldn't find in the list, you can click on the tab add books to this list and then choose from your books, or simply search.

Welcome back. Just a moment while we sign you in to your Goodreads account.

• Icon Link Plus Icon

optional screen reader

8 best queen elizabeth ii biographies to get to know the woman behind the crown.

by Julia Teti

Entertainment Writer

• Share on Flipboard Plus Icon
• Share on Pinterest Plus Icon
• Share on Facebook Plus Icon
• Share on Twitter Plus Icon

If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, SheKnows may receive an affiliate commission.

For so many generations, there has been one constant public figure who has stood the test of time and weathered some of history’s most important moments. For 70 years, Queen Elizabeth II has been an icon, sovereign, and the matriarch of the House of Windsor , leading the monarchy through decades of change and the ebbs and flows of popularity. The queen has led such a rich life: full of triumph, heartache, and a resolute disposition at every turn. It’s no wonder there have been so many books written about her and the royal family , and we’ve rounded up some of the very best to mark Her Royal Majesty’s passing on September 8, 2022.

With unprecedented access to royal records, personnel of the palace, and so much more, the authors of these biographies offer unique perspectives on Queen Elizabeth II you won’t find anywhere else. Some follow the queen’s reign from the very beginning following the shocking death of her father, while others chart her overseas tours, family drama, and more. Still more look at the queen’s relationship with key members of her family, like Andrew Morton’s Elizabeth & Margaret: The Intimate World of the Windsor Sisters . Then there are long-spanning biographies like Queen of Our Times , which take readers from Queen Elizabeth’s life as a princess to the next chapter in the monarchy’s ever-evolving legacy.

There’s so much still to uncover about this global icon, and we hope that, for royal family fans old and new, these biographies will start to fill your bookshelf with everything you need to know about Queen Elizabeth II — long may she reign.

A version of this story was originally published in June 2022. 

‘Elizabeth the Queen: The Life of a Modern Monarch’ by Sally Bedell Smith

Sally Bedell Smith’s New York Times bestseller,  Elizabeth the Queen: The Life of a Modern Monarch , is an absolute essential for any longtime royal fan and novice royal House of Windsor historian. Bedell Smith’s biography of the long-reigning monarch takes readers all the way back to when a young Elizabeth learned she was the “heiress presumptive,” through her coronation, milestones in her reign, and so much more. From daily routines to the relationships in Queen Elizabeth II’s inner circle, this book offers the highlights of the sovereign’s decades on the throne and more. 

‘Queen of Our Times: The Life of Queen Elizabeth II’ by Robert Hardman

Noted royal biographer Robert Hardman chronicles the entirety of Queen Elizabeth II’s reign and beyond in his 2022 biography Queen of Our Times: The Life of Queen Elizabeth II . Everything from overseas tours to royal dinners, family struggles , and more comes under Hardman’s critical, well-researched eye. With access to records, palace personnel, and more, Hardman paints a full picture of Queen Elizabeth II’s reign — and where the monarchy goes from here. 

‘The Queen: The Life and Times of Elizabeth II’ by Catherine Ryan

In our lifetime, we’ll likely never see another monarch quite like Queen Elizabeth II, and that’s the exact sentiment Catherine Ryan focuses on in  The Queen: The Life and Times of Elizabeth II . From her uncle’s abdication of the throne to her foray into the spotlight and more, Ryan’s biography chronicles the highs and lows of Queen Elizabeth II’s life — both public and private. The biography includes chapters on her time as a girl, navigating royal life, and the difficult time immediately following the death of Princess Diana . 

‘The Last Queen: Elizabeth II’s Seventy Year Battle to Save the House of Windsor’ by Clive Irving

Clive Irving’s  The Last Queen: Elizabeth II’s Seventy Year Battle to Save the House of Windsor  takes an incredibly unique approach to the royal biography form. Using the lens of an investigative journalist, Irving unpacks the highs and lows of Queen Elizabeth II’s reign, and how the queen has led the House of Windsor through decades of change.

‘The Faith of Queen Elizabeth: The Poise, Grace, and Quiet Strength Behind the Crown’ by Dudley Delffs

Dudley Delffs’  The Faith of Queen Elizabeth: The Poise, Grace, and Quiet Strength Behind the Crown takes readers behind the veil of the long-reigning monarch. Delffs’ biography explores Queen Elizabeth II’s faith, and how the monarch has led the United Kingdom for 70 years. It’s an intimate portrait of the sovereign. 

‘Queen of the World: Elizabeth II: Sovereign and Stateswoman’ by Robert Hardman

Another biography by Robert Hardman,  Queen of the World: Elizabeth II: Sovereign and Stateswoman , takes a step back and looks at the reign of Queen Elizabeth II on a global level. Hardman’s unprecedented access to royal archives gives readers a full picture of how the monarch has ruled the United Kingdom for so many decades, and the icon’s impact on the world. 

‘Elizabeth & Margaret: The Intimate World of the Windsor Sisters’ by Andrew Morton

Famed royal biographer Andrew Morton gives us a wholly different chapter of Queen Elizabeth II’s life in  Elizabeth & Margaret: The Intimate World of the Windsor Sisters . Morton’s book chronicles the sisters’ relationship through the years, from their time as little princesses to Elizabeth’s ascension to the throne and the moments that defined their bond. This biography gives readers a completely different side of Queen Elizabeth — that of a sister. 

‘Queen Elizabeth II: A Glorious 70 Years’ by Alison James

Alison James’  Queen Elizabeth II: A Glorious 70 Years takes readers on a visual journey through the life of the long-reigning monarch. Photographs and portraits detail specific moments from the queen’s life and highlight special occasions that left an indelible impact on thenation. It’s the perfect new biography to add to you bookshelf to celebrate her Platinum Jubilee. 

Leave a Comment

More stories from entertainment, meghan markle & prince harry’s latest co-ordinated style moment shows just how in-sync they are, shakira is probably breathing a sigh of relief after judge gave final ruling in tax fraud case, an a-list guest just spilled a new detail about tom cruise & katie holmes’ 2006 wedding, meghan markle’s sweet message shows why her trip to nigeria has a special place in her heart, deborra lee furness reveals her main focus following hugh jackman split.

SheKnows is a part of Penske Media Corporation. © 2024 SheMedia, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

Show your gratitude to a nurse this National Nurses Week by nominating them for a DAISY Award.

AARP daily Crossword Puzzle

Hotels with AARP discounts

Life Insurance

AARP Dental Insurance Plans

AARP MEMBERSHIP — $12 FOR YOUR FIRST YEAR WHEN YOU SIGN UP FOR AUTOMATIC RENEWAL

Get instant access to members-only products and hundreds of discounts, a free second membership, and a subscription to AARP the Magazine.

• right_container

Work & Jobs

Social Security

AARP en Español

• Membership & Benefits
• AARP Rewards
• AARP Rewards %{points}%

Conditions & Treatments

Drugs & Supplements

Health Care & Coverage

Health Benefits

Staying Fit

Your Personalized Guide to Fitness

AARP Hearing Center

Ways To Improve Your Hearing

Brain Health Resources

Tools and Explainers on Brain Health

A Retreat For Those Struggling

Scams & Fraud

Personal Finance

Money Benefits

View and Report Scams in Your Area

AARP Foundation Tax-Aide

Free Tax Preparation Assistance

AARP Money Map

Get Your Finances Back on Track

How to Protect What You Collect

Small Business

Age Discrimination

Flexible Work

Freelance Jobs You Can Do From Home

AARP Skills Builder

Online Courses to Boost Your Career

31 Great Ways to Boost Your Career

ON-DEMAND WEBINARS

Tips to Enhance Your Job Search

Get More out of Your Benefits

When to Start Taking Social Security

10 Top Social Security FAQs

Social Security Benefits Calculator

Medicare Made Easy

Original vs. Medicare Advantage

Enrollment Guide

Step-by-Step Tool for First-Timers

Prescription Drugs

9 Biggest Changes Under New Rx Law

Medicare FAQs

Quick Answers to Your Top Questions

Care at Home

Financial & Legal

Life Balance

LONG-TERM CARE

​Understanding Basics of LTC Insurance​

State Guides

Assistance and Services in Your Area

Prepare to Care Guides

How to Develop a Caregiving Plan

End of Life

How to Cope With Grief, Loss

Recently Played

Word & Trivia

Atari® & Retro

Members Only

Staying Sharp

Mobile Apps

More About Games

Right Again! Trivia

Right Again! Trivia – Sports

Atari® Video Games

Throwback Thursday Crossword

Travel Tips

Vacation Ideas

Destinations

Travel Benefits

Outdoor Vacation Ideas

Camping Vacations

Plan Ahead for Summer Travel

AARP National Park Guide

Discover Canyonlands National Park

25 Ways to Save on Your Vacation

Entertainment & Style

Family & Relationships

Personal Tech

Home & Living

Celebrities

Beauty & Style

TV for Grownups

Best Reality TV Shows for Grownups

Robert De Niro Reflects on His Life

Looking Back

50 World Changers Turning 50

Sex & Dating

Spice Up Your Love Life

Navigate All Kinds of Connections

Life & Home

Couple Creates Their Forever Home

Home Technology

Caregiver’s Guide to Smart Home Tech

AI Technology

The Possibilities, Perils of AI

Virtual Community Center

Join Free Tech Help Events

Create a Hygge Haven

Soups to Comfort Your Soul

Your Ultimate Guide to Mulching

Driver Safety

Maintenance & Safety

Trends & Technology

AARP Smart Guide

How to Keep Your Car Running

We Need To Talk

Assess Your Loved One's Driving Skills

AARP Smart Driver Course

Building Resilience in Difficult Times

Tips for Finding Your Calm

Weight Loss After 50 Challenge

Cautionary Tales of Today's Biggest Scams

7 Top Podcasts for Armchair Travelers

Jean Chatzky: ‘Closing the Savings Gap’

Quick Digest of Today's Top News

AARP Top Tips for Navigating Life

Get Moving With Our Workout Series

You are now leaving AARP.org and going to a website that is not operated by AARP. A different privacy policy and terms of service will apply.

4 Fascinating Books About Queen Elizabeth II

Go beyond ‘the crown’ for in-depth stories about her life and reign.

Christina Ianzito,

The  queen’s passing  may have piqued your interest in her life and the remarkable story of a quiet young woman crowned at age 25 and reigning for 70 years as Britain and the world were transformed. These four books explore their subject in different ways: Two are more traditional biographies, another describes the relationship between the queen and her sister Margaret, and the fourth considers her among Britain’s 1,000 years of monarchs and puts her reign in perspective.

Queen of Our Times: The Life of Queen Elizabeth II  by Robert Hardman (2022)

British journalist Hardman offers a weighty in-depth look – 630 pages worth, plus 22 pages of photos — at the queen’s life and often challenging reign. The young queen, he writes, was handed “a unique task” when she succeeded to the throne, “one which no new monarch had ever been expected to deal with before: manage decline.” The author knows his stuff. He also penned 2019’s well-reviewed  Queen of the World: Elizabeth II: Sovereign and Stateswoman  and  Her Majesty: Queen Elizabeth and her Court , which was timed to her diamond jubilee in 2012, but his latest, which begins with her birth and ends just shy of her recent passing (the book came out in April), is billed as “a definitive portrait.”   

AARP Membership — $12 for your first year when you sign up for Automatic Renewal

Elizabeth & Margaret: The Intimate World of the Windsor Sisters  by Andrew Morton (2021)

The prolific Morton — author of books on Prince Andrew, Meghan Markle and many others — focuses here on the queen and her sister Margaret, whom viewers of  The Crown  know as a slightly wild, rather embittered character forever and inevitably in her more reserved sibling’s shadow. This book adds detail to the portrait of two very different girls, then women, and the growing tension between them. While they were the best of friends as children, when Elizabeth was crowned at age 25, Margaret suddenly was in a position where she “would have to curtsey to the sister she called ‘Lillibet.’ And bow to her wishes,” he writes. If this book leaves you wanting more, there’s more coming: Morton’s publisher has just pushed up the release date for his next book about the queen, called, yes,  The Queen , out on Nov. 15

AARP NEWSLETTERS

%{ newsLetterPromoText  }%

%{ description }%

Privacy Policy

ARTICLE CONTINUES AFTER ADVERTISEMENT

Elizabeth the Queen: The Life of a Modern Monarch  by Sally Bedell Smith (2012) 

This bestseller, marking the queen’s 60 years on the throne, goes deep into her romance and marriage with Prince Philip, motherhood, royal tasks, political crises and personal hardships. It’s familiar territory, but like other writers on this list, Bedell Smith has steeped herself in the monarchy, authoring books on Prince Charles and  Princess Diana , among many other notables. She’s also a skilled writer who offers colorful anecdotes that together paint a vivid picture of the queen. For example, she writes, young Elizabeth “showed an early ability to compartmentalize-a trait that would later help her cope with the demands of her position. Recalled Lady Mary Clayton, a cousin eight years her senior: “She liked to imagine herself as a pony or a horse. When she was doing that and someone called her and she didn’t answer right away, she would then say, ‘I couldn’t answer you as a pony.’ ”

$20 off a Walmart+ annual membership

Crown & Sceptre: A New History of the British Monarchy, from William the Conqueror to Elizabeth II  by Tracy Borman (2022) 

A bit different than the other three biographies included here, this book looks at Queen Elizabeth II in the context of almost 1,000 years of the  British monarchy , “one of the most iconic and enduring institutions in the world,” writes Borman, England’s joint chief curator of historic royal palaces and chief executive of the Heritage Education Trust. The author includes all the drama and blood-spilling you’d expect from a British royal history book, but also explores how the relationship between the monarchy and its subjects evolved, particularly as the power of the Parliament grew. “By the time Victoria ascended the throne in 1837, the sovereign no longer ruled; they reigned,” she notes. And Elizabeth II carried the weight of all that history, even as the legitimacy of her position was questioned as never before.  

MORE FROM AARP

Queen Elizabeth’s Remarkable Life In Photos

Stunning images capture the Queen in all facets of her life

45 of Fall’s Best New Books

Paul Newman’s memoir, Stephen King’s ‘Fairy Tale’ and more great reads out this season

The Weekly Read: What’s New in Books

Hot releases, literary happenings and the latest from the publishing world

​Christina Ianzito covers scams and fraud, and is the books editor for aarp.org and AARP The Magazine . Also a longtime travel writer and editor, she received a 2020 Lowell Thomas Award for travel writing from the Society of American Travel Writers Foundation.​

Discover AARP Members Only Access

Already a Member? Login

AARP VALUE &

MEMBER BENEFITS

Calm Sleep, Meditation & Relaxation App

30% off a Calm Premium annual subscription

AARP Fitness Center

Workout videos, tips and tricks to help you on your fitness journey

Hollywood.com

5% off all movie tickets

AARP® Staying Sharp®

Activities, recipes, challenges and more with full access to AARP Staying Sharp®

SAVE MONEY WITH THESE LIMITED-TIME OFFERS

12 essential Queen books: Explore the world of the UK’s best-loved rock champions

Looking to expand your knowledge on all things Queen? You’ve come to the right place as we’ve picked out 12 essential Queen books that celebrate the world's most regal band

Having sold more than 300 million albums around the world, not only are Queen one of the most successful bands of all time, they’re also one of the most loved. As a result, their legendary career has been documented in a number of books throughout the years. But which should you choose if you’re looking to expand your Queen knowledge? Here, we've created a list of 12 of the essential Queen books for you to explore.

• The  best Freddie Mercury books : Explore the Queen icon's life and music
• The best books about music ever written
• The best books by Neil Peart : A guide to the late Rush drummer’s best writing
• The  best eReaders : Kindles and Kobos for music book bingeing

Best Queen books: Our picks

You can trust Louder Our experienced team has worked for some of the biggest brands in music. From testing headphones to reviewing albums, our experts aim to create reviews you can trust. Find out more about how we review.

1. Queen In 3D by Brian May

Our expert review:

Specifications

Reasons to buy, reasons to avoid.

Queen In 3D by the band's guitarist Brian May is as close to a proper autobiography as you're going to get, with the musician applying his lifelong love of the art of stereography to the contents to give a unique and deeply personal insight into both his life and the workings of his colossal band.

Full of intimate photographs (many taken by May himself) that span the band’s entire career, most can be viewed in glorious 3D with the packed in Lite Owl stereoscope – and you can spend hours completely immersed in the heartfelt prose and those mesmerising images. If you liked those chunky red View-Master devices back in the 80s, then we're pretty sure you'll love Queen In 3D .

2. Queen: The Neal Preston Photographs

Neal Preston was Queen’s official tour photographer from the mid-70s until 1986 and this lavish publication, produced with the full blessing of the band, covers every facet of their touring life during that busy period.

Although the text is a little sparse, the beautiful images of a band at the top of their game are simply stunning and for every picture fans will have seen umpteen times before, there are numerous others that have – until this publication – remained in Preston’s archive. Contributions from both Brian May and Roger Taylor add authenticity and, if you’re especially keen, feel free to drop £10,000 on one of just 10 editions of the signed Super Deluxe edition.

3. Queen, Revised & Updated: The Ultimate Illustrated History of the Crown Kings of Rock

An entertaining tome with a jaunty narrative that reads like a lengthy magazine feature. And, with the likes of Reinhold Mack and Mick Rock, not to mention Slash , Rob Halford and Billy Squier adding weight to rock writer Sutcliffe’s musings, there’s something to grab the attention on every page.

Adorned with images of passes, ticket stubs and the sleeves of obscure singles alongside a raft of live, group and candid shots, the feelings of both exhilaration as the band finally takes off and despair as Mercury’s health begins to fail are palpable. The passages concerning 1981’s rambunctious South American tour are unmissable and even the discography merits numerous re-reads. 

4. Queen: The Complete Illustrated Lyrics

This exhaustive collection has been put together by the Queen Productions team and includes lyrics for every song from each album up to and including their final album – 1995’s Made In Heaven . Some are augmented by the band members’ original scribblings and there’s a complete, albeit rather bare, discography too.

The list even includes the little-known likes of Mad The Swine which was originally penned for the band’s debut but not actually committed to tape until 1991. Although the copy is illustrated with a disappointingly perfunctory choice of images, it’s engaging to see the hand-written words of the likes of mega-singles Hammer To Fall , I Want to Break Free and Fat Bottomed Girls up close.

5. Is This The Real Life? by Mark Blake

Offering an impressive level of detail, this is arguably the definitive Queen bio. Blake fills gaps in the band’s timeline with contributions from both school friends and former bandmates such as Smile keyboardist Chris Smith, the latter confiding that "Freddie had a lot to do with dressing Brian” as Queen fine-tuned their early image. Riveting stuff.

The descriptions of the four members’ formative years and the random events that caused their paths to ultimately come together ensure the book’s page-turning appeal, and although later chapters touch on the hedonism as the band hit the big time, it’s the early years that demand the most attention. This comes highly recommended.

6. Queen Unseen: My Life With The Greatest Rock Band Of The 20th Century by Peter Hince

Peter Hince, also affectionately known as Ratty, headed Queen’s road crew during their heyday and, as such, was ideally placed to relate some highly revealing stories from the those lauded times.

Written in a pleasantly laid-back style, we can report that we read the entire thing in a single weekend and it’s to Hince’s credit that he refrains from dishing any unnecessary dirt while spilling the beans. The reader is placed at the very centre of Queen's touring maelstrom. One of the many highlights is an involved description of what it took to cajole Freddie Mercury, in full diva mode, to get up on stage. A highly enjoyable Queen book.

7. Life On Two Legs by Norman Sheffield

As co-owner of Trident Studios, Norman Sheffield found himself in the company of legends. David Bowie recorded Space Oddity at the facility, while the Beatles laid down Hey Jude there, and it is, of course, where Queen recorded the lion’s share of their debut album.

Other artists are assigned dedicated chapters, but much of this thought-provoking book is dedicated to Sheffield's managerial tenure with Queen. Freddie Mercury’s poisonous lyrics to Death On Two Legs leave us in no doubt as to how the band felt about the relationship, but you certainly feel pangs of empathy for Sheffield as his side of the tale unfolds. The book also includes the original 1972 Queen contracts plus a smattering of rare images. 

8. Queen All The Songs: The Story Behind Every Track by Benoît Clerc

This meticulously researched Queen book does exactly what it says on the tin. The stories behind every song the band released are enriched with well-written profiles of not only all four members, but also the likes of Mary Austin and the aforementioned Norman Sheffield.

Addressing each album in turn, a hefty introduction to each gives way to a deep analysis of the tracklist that includes creative and technical details, snippets of info, credits and more. Who knew that it was co-producer John Anthony who was responsible for the shout of ‘Look out!’ as Modern Times Rock ‘N Roll from the band’s debut comes to a climax? A truly first-class read.

9. Queen Live: A Concert Documentary by Greg Brooks

Queen performed more than 700 concerts during their career and not only is each listed in chronological order here, the vast majority of entries also include specific setlists, assorted trivia, facts, reviews from local press, fan recollections and more. Indeed, an alternative title could well have been From Truro to Knebworth and it’s fun to look up specific gigs and reminisce.

In addition to a useful live discography is a lengthy listing of bootlegs, which, again, makes for fascinating reading. And as if all this content wasn’t enough, there’s even a chronicling of improvised workouts that were only ever played on stage; Shag Out or Tokyo Blues , anyone?

10. Classic Queen by Mick Rock

Just about any officially-licensed photograph from Queen’s formative years can be attributed to Mick Rock’s mighty lens, and this collection – which is interwoven with his first-hand accounts – is fascinating.

The centrepiece is an account of the sessions that produced the iconic image for the cover of 1974's Queen II , with Rock’s recollections made all the more intimate by the inclusion of the contact sheets from which the album’s cover shot was chosen. Whether partying with Freddie Mercury backstage at the Rainbow or hanging out in the control room during the recording of Sheer Heart Attack , Rock always had his camera to hand and the results, as this cracking Queen book demonstrates, were often spectacular.

Classic Queen can be a bit on the pricey side depending where you are, but it's definitely worth searching for.

11. 40 Years Of Queen by Harry Doherty

There may be an occasional lack of depth here, but any perceived shortcomings in the narrative are more than balanced by the veritable treasure trove of recreations of rare Queen paraphernalia that have been enclosed.

Each example is housed in its own envelope affixed to pages scattered throughout the book and include items such as the invite to 1982’s Hot Space end-of-tour knees-up and an industry-only press kit for News Of The World . Our favourite is a Kempton Park race card from October 1976 that included the running of the Day At The Races Hurdle , and this is an ingenious take on the biography concept. 

Here’s to a 50 years update.

12. Queen: All The Songs Colouring Book by Zaker Tomas

One thing that the slew of Covid-related restrictions has taught us is that we shouldn’t take our mental health for granted and many of us have been looking for something to help with cerebral decompression during the past year.

Strange though it might sound, adult colouring books genuinely help to alleviate stress and this writer can vouch for the effectiveness of the exercise. There’s a whole host of them to try and although the subject matter is almost secondary to the benefits they can offer, Queen fans can chill while giving Freddie a green moustache or John Deacon blue hair here. Seriously, it’s well worth giving it a go.

Classic Rock Newsletter

Sign up below to get the latest from Classic Rock, plus exclusive special offers, direct to your inbox!

Ozzy Osbourne names the best guitarist he’s ever played with: “Others do the notes, but it’s not the same”

Jon Anderson announces he will release a new album in August

“I’m at work in the petrol station and I read the album is at No. 23. I’d last heard it at a playback in George Martin’s studio”: Stackridge’s Monty Python-like experience with The Man In The Bowler Hat

Most Popular

Beyond the Bookends

A Book Blog for Women and Moms who Love to Read

14 Delightful Books About Queen Elizabeth II to Remember Her Reign

Jackie and I are heartbroken over the loss of Her Majesty, The Queen. We wanted to book together a list of books about Queen Elizabeth II to commemorate the life of Britain’s longest-reigning monarch.

I’ve been a longtime fan of royal history and an avid reader of royal books. Jackie is a citizen of The Commonwealth having been born and raised in Canada.

Between the two of us, our love for royal books goes deep. We are processing the loss of The Queen by putting together this post and reading more books about QEII.

*The books about Queen Elizabeth II post contains affiliate links. Purchases made through links result in a small commission to us at no cost to you.

Table of Contents

Non-Fiction Books about Queen Elizabeth II

HRH: So Many Thoughts on Royal Style by Elizabeth Holmes

I’m an avid follower of  Elizabeth Holmes’ account  (you should be too) where she explains the significance of the Royal Family’s wardrobe. The nuance and attention to detail the Royals use when dressing is fascinating to me. I knew I needed to read this book about royals and fashion! This is such a feel-good nonfiction book.

Elizabeth breaks it down in an accessible and understandable way. ⁣ I’m thrilled that her book delivers everything I’ve come to expect from her and more. This in-depth look at The Queen, Diana, Catherine, and Meghan is informative and beautiful. This is the perfect coffee table book for any fashion lover and is a must for books about Queen Elizabeth II!

The Other Side of the Coin by Angela Kelly

I had royal fever this month while working on our Royal Reads post, so it’s no surprise that when my library hold for this autobiographical audiobook came through, I dove right into it and absolutely loved this non-fiction pick from books about QEII.

Angela Kelly is the Queen’s head dresser and long-time companion. She details her process for dressing the queen, talks about some iconic looks, and even reveals a few personal stories about her time with Her Majesty.

Add this fashion story to your list of books to read if you like The Crown. This would be such a great book for book clubs to start a discussion of what it would be like working for the queen. This is one of my favorite feel-good nonfiction books.

Elizabeth the Queen by Sally Bedell Smith

After reading Prince Harry’s memoir, I was keen to read a book about Queen Elizabeth II. Sally Bedell Smith examines not just the events of the Queen’s life but the people she was surrounded by as a way to explain how Elizabeth was shaped into a beloved monarch.

While the book was originally published in 2012, I found the background knowledge within the pages to be helpful in framing the events Harry explores in his own book about the royal family.

Long Live the Queen by Bryan Kozlowski

I absolutely adore this non-fiction book about Queen Elizabeth II’s life. Told in 23 chapters each about a rule the Queen lives by, it’s one of the most unique looks into the Queen’s life I’ve ever read. Instead of a boring biography, we are treated to moments and stories of the Queen’s life relevant to the “rule” being discussed.

When looking at why one’s life needs order, we see the various influences which created a structure for the Queen throughout her life. Or on the section about defending the honor of the crown, appropriately called Off With Their Heads, we read about tidbits of the Queen’s tough love philosophy. This is a lighter book about the royal family for sure.

The Palace Papers by Tina Brown

This was like reading a JUMBO issue of People magazine. All gossip in the best way! It’s perfect for our beach reads 2023 list! Tina Brown goes deep into the scandals of the British Royal Family over the past 40 or so years.

I didn’t learn anything new, but I loved hearing the hot gossip laid out in book form. This is perfect for our list of books like The Crown and our Royal Reads roundup. This is definitely one of our favorite books about the royal family to take on vacation.

Historical Fiction Books about Queen Elizabeth II

Before the Crown by Flora Harding

After all the royal reads I’ve read over the years, I can’t believe this is my first story about The Queen’s romance with Prince Philip. With the Jubilee coming up now in England, this was a perfect fictionalized biography to read!

I was wondering about how Philip won the heart of then Princess Elizabeth, and this fictional story filled in some fun details. Think of it as a prequel to the first episode of The Crown in the best way!

Every royal-obsessed person needs to add this pick from Books about Queen Elizabeth II to their TBR list and check out our list of books like the crown !

The Royal Governess by Wendy Holden

Well, this was a juicy bit of royal historical fiction!!! I had no idea that Crawfie, Queen Elizabeth II’s governess wrote a book about their time together later in her life, essentially banning her from the royal fold.

This work of historical fiction is based on the information gleaned from that book as well as Mary Crawford’s own history. It was so interesting to see the lives of the Queen and her sister through the eyes of their governess. This is perfect for royal lovers!

The Royal Correspondent by Alexandra Joel

I found this story about an Australian journalist’s rise in an all-male industry to be quite informative. I love historical fiction novels that look at groundbreaking women.

This novel had mystery, romance, and fierce female leads set against the backdrop of the 60s. The royal in the title is a little misleading as the royals come up as only minor characters.

Instead, we get to learn about the newspaper industry and just how hard it was for females to be accepted in journalism at the time.

Contemporary Fiction Books about Queen Elizabeth II

Mrs. Queen Takes the Train by William Kuhn

Not a romance fan? This one is for you then. Imagine what would happen if Queen Elizabeth decided to just stroll out of the palace and hop on the train. This is a hilarious pick from our list of books about Queen Elizabeth II.

Queen Elizabeth is feeling particularly stressed out and wishes to visit her old pleasure yacht for the day. Watching her try to navigate the world on her own was quite amusing.

This novel was right on the mark and I adored it! For our Ultimate List of Feel Good Books, click HERE!

The Windsor Knot by S. J. Bennett

This cozy murder mystery was an absolute treat. I loved the Queen Elizabeth is the investigator in this mystery book (the first in a series) along with her assistant, Rosie.

Together they figure out who was behind the murder at Windsor Castle during one of the Queen’s Dine-and-Stays. This pick from books about Queen Elizabeth II is perfect for fans of Maggie Hope, Maise Dobbs, and the Royal Family.

More Books About Queen Elizabeth II as a Secondary Character

The Coronation Year by Jennifer Robson

The coronation is happening at just the right time for Edie Howard to save her beloved hotel. But things start going awry with threats to the hotel and the Queen herself that have Edie and her long-term residents in the middle of the danger.

With interesting facts about the coronation, a romance sub-plot, and the thrilling race to ward off danger, this is the perfect royal read for fans of QEII!

The Gown by Jennifer Robson

I thought this was going to be a wedding book about Princess Elizabeth and Prince Philip based on the cover, but I was wrong. Instead, it was about a couple of seamstresses who worked on the now-Queen’s wedding dress.

Part historical fiction, part romance, part mystery – this pick from books about Queen Elizabeth II reminded me a bit of The Lost Vintage. This story is definitely not a royal romance but instead offers brief glimpses into the wedding dress-making process.

The Other Windsor Girl by Georgie Blalock

I knew a little about Princess Margaret from what I gleaned from The C rown, but it was nice to focus on her as the main character. I can’t imagine what it would have been like had she been the Queen of England.

She actually reminded me a lot of Wallace Simpson. She was most definitely a royal rebel. She’s still not my favorite royal but this historical fiction biography helped me understand her life, personality, and pressures. This book about QEII will give you a different perspective on being a royal.

We included this pick as one of our favorite books about the royal family for book clubs ! So it obviously needed to be in our list of books for book clubs as well.

Princess Elizabeth’s Spy (A Maggie Hope Mystery) by Susan Elia McNeal

I adored this story which takes place in Windsor Castle during the war when the Queen, then a princess, was a young girl. I loved the look at her as a young princess navigating WWII.

The second in the series is also a stand-alone but I recommend reading book 1 first.

Have you read any of these books about Queen Elizabeth II?

Co-Founder and Creative Director

As a mother of two boys, Kirsten rediscovered her life-long love for reading while choosing appropriate books for her children. She started this website with Jackie to share their passion for literacy with other moms and kids. She uses her years of experience in marketing and public relations to create quarterly magazines, implement social media strategy, and ensure the website content is relevant and beautiful.

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed .

• Pingback: Royal Reads: The Ultimate List of 39 Books about Royalty
• Pingback: 40+ Books to Read if You Love The Crown - Beyond the Bookends
• Pingback: Litt&Histoire #6 : Elisabeth II dans la littérature fictionnelle – Les histoires de Pâquerette

• International edition
• Australia edition
• Europe edition

Victoria: A Life by AN Wilson – review

T owards the end of this subtle, thoughtful biography of Queen Victoria AN Wilson presents his defining argument. Victoria, he suggests, was an artist. He isn't talking here about her rather good watercolours, but something more profound. The queen, he claims, lived an entirely inward life, filled with characters and narratives of her own making: saintly Albert, bad Bertie, twinkly Disraeli and the wicked, wicked Boers. Just like that other epic storyteller Marcel Proust , Victoria stayed home (although, unlike the Frenchman, she never allowed herself to lie in bed) and conjured up a world that unfurled over the decades as larger-than-life characters bloomed, hovered and faded, leaving behind their own particular perfume.

It is the queen's inwardness, Wilson says, which makes her such an excellent subject for a biographer. There's no requirement to go puffing after her on endless banal state visits, bridge openings, or troopings the colour – because she didn't do them, or at least not much. Anyway, Wilson covered all that in The Victorians , his bestseller of 10 years ago that dealt with the 19th-century's outerworld of iron, brick and cotton bales. In this new book he prefers to stay indoors with Victoria in one of her freezing residences as she pours out millions of words into her daily journal and letters, sifting external events through what Wilson calls "the rich comedy" of her consciousness.

Like any artist whose vision was both protean – she was perfectly capable of believing six contradictory things before breakfast – and particular, Victoria has been a magnet for biographical rereadings in the 11 decades since her death. The best include Lytton Strachey 's surprisingly tender Queen Victoria of 1921 and Elizabeth Longford 's still highly readable Victoria RI of 1964. Then, in the 1990s, academic scholars got hold of the queen and the result was a poststructuralist Victoria – all fragments, gaps and jagged edges. Now, 20 years since that last serious flurry of biographical interest, Wilson picks up the pieces and puts the jigsaw back together again, creating in the process a Victoria for our own times.

And what those times require, it turns out, is a passionate pan-Europeanist. It has long been a given of Victorian scholarship that Prince Albert spent his short, strenuous life trying to graft German liberalism on to the British constitution to create a template of moderate monarchism that could withstand the challenge of revolution and nationalism alike. His grand idea was to export this model back to Protestant Europe as a gift-with-purchase whenever someone married one of his and Victoria's nine-strong nursery tribe. By this means every Duchy, Palatinate and hyphenated micro-kingdom would be given the tools it needed to stay safe in an uncertain world. They would also, in time, join up to form a central European hub that was rock-solid liberal.

The assumption has always been that by the time of Albert's early death in 1861 this project had stalled under pressures of working class democracy at home and Prussian militarism abroad. Wilson, though, has been back to the archives in Coburg and reconnected with the tap-root of Victoria and Albert's plan for a united, moderate Germany. He shows convincingly that, despite being poleaxed by grief at losing her "Angel", Victoria remained passionately engaged in what might be described as "the Coburg project". When the Schleswig-Holstein crisis blew up in the early 1860s she understood, in a way that her prime minister, Palmerston, did not, that buried in this parochial squabble between Prussia and Denmark were the first signs of the Bismarckian aggression that would eventually rip Europe apart. It was only thanks to the wise queen, suggests Wilson, that Britain did not blunder into a war with Germany at this point, 50 years before it was capable of winning.

Wilson pays proper attention to the Hanoverian side of Victoria's inheritance too. She was the granddaughter of King George III, which meant that whenever she behaved oddly courtiers began to wonder if she might be mad. Wilson believes that there were times, especially in the late 1860s, when Victoria was properly "out of her mind". Her letters to Gladstone, sometimes scrawled in blue crayon and barely stretching to two lines, read like dispatches from an interior world to which the drawbridge has been pulled temporarily shut.

In the end, though, Wilson doesn't put the queen's strange episodes down to porphyria , the heritable disease that is assumed to have caused her grandfather to clatter off into his own imaginary kingdom. Instead, he blames grief, the menopause and too much whisky: Victoria picked up the tippling habit from John Brown and never shook it off. And as to whether or not she actually slept with the man in the tartan skirt, Wilson thinks it doesn't really matter, although it's pretty clear he thinks she did. What interests him, rather, is the way that "Mrs Brown's" spectacular bad behaviour makes her the obvious, if unlikely, role model for her scoundrel heir, the hapless Bertie. Mother and son both did exactly as they damn well pleased, embarrassing their families and imperilling the monarchy as they acted on the prompts of their own emotional and erotic inner worlds.

This makes Victoria's constant criticism of Bertie as well as his siblings – arrogant Affie, wild Louise, selfish Leopold – seem hypocritical. But, Wilson insists, for Victoria, the political always remained intensely personal. She was critiquing her children not so much as real people but as characters in an imaginary dynastic drama, as vivid to her as the Guermantes were to Proust. As Prussia began to dominate Germany, the ageing queen continued to fret over the marriages of her grandchildren – all those oyster-eyed Victorias, Alices, Arthurs and Alfreds – who were to be sent out in a second wave to the four corners of Europe, carrying their fateful cargo of haemophilia, porphyria and sound constitutional principles.

Of course, anyone who gathered in the streets in 1897 to wave a flag as the queen passed by on her way to celebrate her diamond jubilee with a Te Deum on the steps of St Paul's was probably not thinking much about the Coburg project. Decades earlier she had thrown in her lot with Disraeli , that other great storymaker, who had turned her into the Empress of India, a suitably gaudy figurehead for the new age of popular, jingoistic Toryism. All the same, Wilson suggests in this shimmering and rather wonderful biography, as the elderly queen smiled and inclined her head to the ecstatic crowd, it was still possible to discern in that dumpling form traces of all the earlier versions of herself still buried deep inside. She had become nothing less than a symbol of Time itself, a reminder of the good intentions of the past and a warning about what might happen once she was gone and, with her, the dream of a united Europe.

• Biography books
• History books

Comments (…)

Most viewed.

A Kind of Magic: 9 Great Books About Queen

Liberty Hardy

Liberty Hardy is an unrepentant velocireader, writer, bitey mad lady, and tattoo canvas. Turn-ons include books, books and books. Her favorite exclamation is “Holy cats!” Liberty reads more than should be legal, sleeps very little, frequently writes on her belly with Sharpie markers, and when she dies, she’s leaving her body to library science. Until then, she lives with her three cats, Millay, Farrokh, and Zevon, in Maine. She is also right behind you. Just kidding! She’s too busy reading. Twitter: @MissLiberty

View All posts by Liberty Hardy

Queen was a larger-than-life musical act with an unbelievable stage presence and a frontman with a vocal range that blew other singers out of the water. The recent biopic Bohemian Rhapsody introduced a new generation to the band, which is great, but altered and condensed a lot of their story to fit it all into one film. These books are a chance for fans and newbies to learn about Queen as things actually happened. This list is a combination of stories about the band, deep dives into their music, excellent collections of photographs, and even some books for kids! And I’m not just the writer of this post — I’m also a big fan. I have a cat named Farrokh, named after Mercury, whose real name was Farrokh Bulsara. (We also call him Freddie Purrcury, and like his namesake, he has quite a vocal range.)

Note: The list of authors who have written well-known books about Queen is not very diverse at all. If you know of any great books about the band by authors of color, please let us know!

Queen All the Songs: The Story Behind Every Track by Benoît Clerc

This is a serious deep dive into every Queen album and track imaginable. The band has some of the most imaginative and unusual lyrics for such monster hits. Read this if only to learn about Bohemian Rhapsody, that epic bestselling song of a poor boy (from a poor family) that climbed the charts a second time after its appearance in Wayne’s World .

Mercury: An Intimate Biography of Freddie Mercury by Lesley-Ann Jones

Like many famous bands, the lead singer is often the most famous (or infamous) member of the group. Such was the case for the dazzling and charismatic Freddie Mercury. Told with the use of interviews with over 100 people who knew him, Jones paints a portrait of an incredibly talented man. It follows Mercury from his humble beginnings as Farrokh Bulsara and the bullying and teasing he endured as a child to his life as a rock legend.

Queen in 3-D: Bohemian Rhapsody Edition by Brian May

You may not know this, but not only is Queen guitarist Brian May a genius musician, he’s an astrophysicist. He’s actually Dr. May now. This book is a collection of over 300 3D photographs of the band over the decades — plus bonus images from the making of the Bohemian Rhapsody biopic, including of Adam Lambert, who performs with the band as its singer from time to time these days. And you can view them all with a special 3D viewer designed by May himself!

Queen: Album by Album by Martin Popoff

Popoff is one of the foremost music writers working today, with over 80 books on music and musicians under his belt, including works about Motörhead, Judas Priest, Rush, The Cure, and Black Sabbath. This is an up-close and detailed examination of Queen’s 15 studio albums, as told by experts and fans, along with rare images of the band onstage and off. It’s a must-have for Queen fans.

Queen: The Neal Preston Photographs by Neal Preston, et al.

This is a gorgeous coffee table book of photographs of the band. Preston was Queen’s tour photographer from the mid-1970s through their last tour with Freddie Mercury in 1986. His photos, many of which are seen here publicly for the first time, are accompanied by memories of each image captured from Preston, and includes an introduction from band members Brian May and Roger Taylor.

Somebody to Love: The Life, Death and Legacy of Freddie Mercury by Matt Richards and Mark Langthorne

Mercury was a beloved, larger-than-life public figure, and his private life and tragic early death in 1991 at the age of 45 has made him a subject of fascination for millions over the last few decades. This is a recent in-depth examination of Mercury and his final years as told by many of the people closest to him.

Queen: A Rock and Roll Biography for Kids by Soledad Romero Mariño and Laura Castelló

It’s never too early to introduce your kids to Queen! This lively, illustrated picture biography will start readers young and old on Queen’s journey from their early lives to the Rock and Roll Hall of Famers and world-famous musicians they became. (There are also great books about Metallica, Depeche Mode, and The Ramones in this series.)

Freddie Mercury by Maria Isabel Sanchez Vegara and Ruby Taylor

This is from the Little People, BIG DREAMS series, which examines the lives of the famous throughout history and how they became notable people. You can learn here about Mercury’s life, from a baby in Zanzibar to boarding school in India to his life in London, where his childhood dreams of being a singer became a reality.

Queen As It Began: The Authorised Biography by Jacky Smith and Jim Jenkins

And last, but not least, this is an authorised (or authorized, if you’re in the States) biography of the band. (Authorized usually means authors were given permission and/or cooperation and access from the subjects.) Recently revised due to the renewed interest in Queen after the biopic, this is a close examination of the band from its beginning as Smile to the end of its years with Freddie Mercury. Smith has considerable knowledge of the band, having run the Official International Queen Fan Club for over four decades now!

I’m also looking forward to the upcoming book Queen in the 1970s: Decades by James Griffiths. For more fun things to read about the famous and musical, check out 8 Outstanding Nonfiction Books About Music and 20 Must Read Books About Musicians .

You Might Also Like

• Biographies & Memoirs

Enjoy fast, free delivery, exclusive deals, and award-winning movies & TV shows with Prime Try Prime and start saving today with fast, free delivery

Amazon Prime includes:

Fast, FREE Delivery is available to Prime members. To join, select "Try Amazon Prime and start saving today with Fast, FREE Delivery" below the Add to Cart button.

• Cardmembers earn 5% Back at Amazon.com with a Prime Credit Card.
• Unlimited Free Two-Day Delivery
• Streaming of thousands of movies and TV shows with limited ads on Prime Video.
• A Kindle book to borrow for free each month - with no due dates
• Listen to over 2 million songs and hundreds of playlists
• Unlimited photo storage with anywhere access

Important:  Your credit card will NOT be charged when you start your free trial or if you cancel during the trial period. If you're happy with Amazon Prime, do nothing. At the end of the free trial, your membership will automatically upgrade to a monthly membership.

Buy new: .savingPriceOverride { color:#CC0C39!important; font-weight: 300!important; } .reinventMobileHeaderPrice { font-weight: 400; } #apex_offerDisplay_mobile_feature_div .reinventPriceSavingsPercentageMargin, #apex_offerDisplay_mobile_feature_div .reinventPricePriceToPayMargin { margin-right: 4px; } -36% $12.82 $ 12 . 82 FREE delivery Thursday, May 16 on orders shipped by Amazon over $35 Ships from: Amazon.com Sold by: Amazon.com

Return this item for free.

Free returns are available for the shipping address you chose. You can return the item for any reason in new and unused condition: no shipping charges

• Go to your orders and start the return
• Select the return method

Save with Used - Good .savingPriceOverride { color:#CC0C39!important; font-weight: 300!important; } .reinventMobileHeaderPrice { font-weight: 400; } #apex_offerDisplay_mobile_feature_div .reinventPriceSavingsPercentageMargin, #apex_offerDisplay_mobile_feature_div .reinventPricePriceToPayMargin { margin-right: 4px; } $7.51 $ 7 . 51 FREE delivery Tuesday, May 21 on orders shipped by Amazon over $35 Ships from: Amazon Sold by: 2nd Life Books

Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required .

Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.

Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.

Follow the author

Image Unavailable

• To view this video download Flash Player

The Life of Elizabeth I Paperback – Print, October 1, 1999

Purchase options and add-ons

• Print length 560 pages
• Language English
• Publisher Ballantine Books
• Publication date October 1, 1999
• Dimensions 5.49 x 1.21 x 8.16 inches
• ISBN-10 0345425502
• ISBN-13 978-0345425508
• See all details

Frequently bought together

Similar items that may deliver to you quickly

From the Publisher

Editorial reviews, from the inside flap, from the back cover.

Against a lavish backdrop of pageantry and passion, intrigue and war, Weir dispels the myths surrounding Elizabeth I and examines the contradictions of her character. Elizabeth I loved the Earl of Leicester, but did she conspire to murder his wife? She called herself the Virgin Queen, but how chaste was she through dozens of liaisons? She never married, but was her choice to remain single tied to the chilling fate of her mother, Anne Boleyn? An enthralling epic that is also an amazingly intimate portrait, The Life of Elizabeth I is a mesmerizing, stunning reading experience.

About the Author

Excerpt. © reprinted by permission. all rights reserved., product details.

• Publisher ‏ : ‎ Ballantine Books; Reissue edition (October 1, 1999)
• Language ‏ : ‎ English
• Paperback ‏ : ‎ 560 pages
• ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0345425502
• ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0345425508
• Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 14.8 ounces
• Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.49 x 1.21 x 8.16 inches
• #97 in England History
• #178 in Royalty Biographies
• #1,258 in Women's Biographies

About the author

Alison weir.

Alison Weir lives and works in Surrey. Her books include Britain's Royal Families, The Six Wives of Henry VIII, Children of England, Eleanor of Aquitaine, Henry VIII: King and Court, Mary, Queen of Scots and Isabella: She-Wolf of France.

Customer reviews

Customer Reviews, including Product Star Ratings help customers to learn more about the product and decide whether it is the right product for them.

To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. Instead, our system considers things like how recent a review is and if the reviewer bought the item on Amazon. It also analyzed reviews to verify trustworthiness.

Reviews with images

• Sort reviews by Top reviews Most recent Top reviews

Top reviews from the United States

There was a problem filtering reviews right now. please try again later..

Top reviews from other countries

• Amazon Newsletter
• About Amazon
• Accessibility
• Sustainability
• Press Center
• Investor Relations
• Amazon Devices
• Amazon Science
• Sell on Amazon
• Sell apps on Amazon
• Supply to Amazon
• Protect & Build Your Brand
• Become an Affiliate
• Become a Delivery Driver
• Start a Package Delivery Business
• Advertise Your Products
• Self-Publish with Us
• Become an Amazon Hub Partner
• › See More Ways to Make Money
• Amazon Visa
• Amazon Store Card
• Amazon Secured Card
• Amazon Business Card
• Shop with Points
• Credit Card Marketplace
• Reload Your Balance
• Amazon Currency Converter
• Your Account
• Your Orders
• Shipping Rates & Policies
• Amazon Prime
• Returns & Replacements
• Manage Your Content and Devices
• Recalls and Product Safety Alerts
• Conditions of Use
• Privacy Notice
• Consumer Health Data Privacy Disclosure
• Your Ads Privacy Choices