I was quite literally awakened this morning not by my alarm but instead by the incessant buzzing of constant news notifications. As I grabbed my phone, I expected news of a nuclear disaster from Ukraine. It saddened me deeply to see that the reason was the death of the only monarch of my lifetime, Queen Elizabeth II. In this post, I would like to share my two favorite books about her for children and teens and also my favorites for adults: two single volumes and a trilogy. As might be expected of a woman who ruled for seven decades and was an active presence in British society – especially during World War II – before ascending the throne of England at twenty-seven, there are a bonanza of books out there. I feel these are the best of the bunch. I absolutely despise gossipy biographies, so you will not find those here.
Queen Elizabeth: A Platinum Jubilee Celebration
By: DK Childrens
Pages: 96
Subject: Queen Elizabeth II
For: Grammar stage
During Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee this lovely book was produced for children ages roughly Kindergarden through fourth grade, or the Grammar stage. The book is lively in both text and illustration and, at 96 pages, is detailed enough to appeal even to those on the upper end of the suggested age range. The book is especially valuable from a homeschool perspective because it touches on not only the life of Elizabeth but also on the many changes that have occurred in the United Kingdom and globally in the the past seven decades. It also includes several timelines – always a plus.
The Queen: The Life and Times of Elizabeth II
By: Catherine Ryan
Publisher: Chartwell Books (2022)
Pages: 192
For: Dialectic, Rhetoric, and adults
This is another offering that came out during the Platinum Jubilee. Although it is aimed at an adult audience, its length, abundance off photos, and accessible text make it perfect not only for Rhetoric age students but also for most Dialectic age ones. If you are looking for a short book that hits the highlights, this is a very good book to turn to, either for yourself or for a slightly older student.
The Queen: A Biography of Elizabeth II (original title)
The Queen: Elizabeth II and the Monarchy (Diamond Jubilee edition)
By: Ben Pimlott
Publisher: Wiley (1997 – original) and Harper Collins (2012 – Diamond Jubilee edition)
Pages: 696 (original edition) and 816 (Diamond Jubilee edition)
For: Adults or very interest Rhetoric students
This is the absolute best biography of Elizabeth II in a single volume. It is extremely well written: organized, captivating, and factual. Ben Pimlott is one of England’s best political biographers and the Royal Family – along with many friends and members of government – gave him unfettered access to both their lives and to papers that had never before been entrusted to anyone outside the Palace. This was quite revolutionary at the time because nobody had ever been trusted with such total access to not only their lives as working royals but also their lives behind closed doors. Yes, it is lengthy (but you ain’t seen nothing yet!), but Elizabeth had ruled for forty-five years at the time of the original publication and sixty years at the time of the second edition.
Our Queen (original title - UK publication)
Her Majesty: Queen Elizabeth II and Her Court (U.S. title)
By: Robert Hardman
Publisher: Hutchinson (U.K. – 2011) and Pegasus (U.S. – 2012)
Pages: 368 (U.K.) and 384 (U.S.)
For: Adults and upper-level Rhetoric students
This is a bit different than many biographies of Queen Elizabeth in that it focuses mainly on her role as England’s monarch through twenty-five turbulent post-war years, a period of great political upheaval and reform both in England and abroad. As with Ben Pimlott, the Royal Family gave total access to Robert Hardman. This is the first installment of the trilogy I mentioned, each taking a slightly different approach and covering slightly different years. Although the book is shorter than Ben Pimlott’s, it is far denser and aimed more at the reader who is interested in weighty, detailed political history (although, as Pimlott is a renowned political biographer, his book offers plenty in that arena as well). Unless your student has a serious interest in the subject, no matter their feelings about the Queen, they will likely be nodding off at their desk.
If you read this one and would like to finish the trilogy, the second volume was published in the U.S. under the title Queen of the World: Sovereign and Stateswoman by Pegasus books in 2019. I found this one to be a far more engaging read, but at 578 pages it is more of a commitment. Queen Elizabeth visited more than 130 countries during her reign and took to heart her role as a global ambassador and stateswoman, both when abroad and when hosting foreign dignitaries at home. This installment focuses on that aspect of her years as monarch.
The final installment in the trilogy, Queen of Our Times: The Life of Elizabeth II, is due to be released by Pegasus in the U.S. in February of 2023, weighing in at 690 pages. It is being described as the most intimate of the trilogy, a book that gets to the heart of who Elizabeth herself really was and how she and the monarchy shaped each other. As with the previous two volumes, Elizabeth, her family, and those who know them best share stories about the Elizabeth most people would never know.
Almost from the beginning of her reign, Elizabeth II realized that the world was in an era of epic change. She knew that the monarchy would have to move with it in order to remain relevant in an increasingly open world. Part of that for her meant choosing biographers she trusted to allow inside the Palace walls. All of the adult books above are unvarnished tellings – warts and all, as the saying goes – of the life of this remarkable woman who ascended the throne and stepped into the world of the modern woman at the same moment in time.
Elizabeth the Queen: The Life of a Modern Monarch
By: Sally Bedell Smith
Publisher: Random House (2012)
Pages: 720
For: Adults or very interested Rhetoric students
Elizabeth wanted her subjects and the world to know that the Royal Family had struggles, too, and that being royal did not make you perfect. As the years have gone by, she has allowed control of the narrative to slip more and more out of the hands of the Palace. That said, as might be expected, many of the books out there are absolute rubbish. If you would like to read an unauthorized book, I understand; often, unauthorized books print the terribly ugly things that still do have some truth to them but which authorized biographers choose to leave out in deference to their privileged access to their subject and those closest to them. It is a trade off. If you prefer unauthorized biographies, I think Sally Bedell Smith is one of the better ones writing about the modern Royal Family. She still does some mud slinging, but I kept reading because her sources are generally quite sound and her writing never feels malicious to me.
Today, the United Kingdom and Ireland enter into a new era, that of King Charles III (putting that final “I” on there just felt weird). He is a very different person from his mother, and those causes that are close to his heart diverge from those that were closest to hers. While the idea of a world without the only monarch of England of my lifetime feels surreal, I look forward to seeing how Charles takes on the mantle of king that he has waited so long to don.