Queen of our Times by Robert Hardman is, at over 600 pages, the most informative and delightful read about the Queen that I have come across. Published before her death, I wonder if the author will add an update after her sad passing.
Some see the Queen as simply a British figurehead but she was so much more than that. Her family was thrown into a direct line of the throne after King Edward VIII abdicated (some say he was persuaded by the British government to abdicate after he and Mrs. Simpson were shown to be Nazi sympathizers). After the early death of her father, Queen Elizabeth ascended to the throne as a young wife and mother in her twenties. She had spent her early married life in Malta where her husband, the Duke of Edinburgh, was stationed as a Royal Naval officer. She surmounted many problems early on, one of which was the weight of the silk robes at her coronation which did not glide smoothly over the high piled carpet placed in the church and after a bumpy ride in the Gold State Coach. It was a world event and even the Soviet Union ceased jamming the airwaves in order for Eastern Europe to hear the events via radio. Despite a lengthy daily schedule she made time for bath time and evening play with her children each day (which was also scheduled in her diary).
Until recently the Queen chose replacement Prime Ministers when one, such as Winston Churchill, resigned. Now the party in power choses the replacement.
Shown throughout was Queen Elizabeth's eye to detail in every event she was involved in and her memory for names and incidents often surprised those around her even in her latter years.
Throughout the book is time after time where the Queen stepped in to smooth international feathers when a political presence may have done more harm than good. One friend she was always happy to see was Nelson Mandela who stopped by for tea whenever he was in Europe. And her friendship with Ronald Reagan who both shared a love of horses. She was still riding her fell pony, Emma shortly before her death.
Despite many monarchs leaving their thrones: Holland, Belgium, Spain, Emir of Qatar, the Queen had taken her Coronation Oath seriously and refused to step down even when ill health prevented her from touring the Commonwealth.
She has a lasting legacy of kindness, diplomacy and caring for her people and will be remembered fondly throughout the world.
