The Monarchy: An Oral Biography of Elizabeth II [Hardcover]

Deborah Strober (Author), Gerald Strober (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 2, 2002

Her public and private worlds, the life and times of Elizabeth II and her family.

Fifty years ago in February 1952, while in Kenya on the beginning of a world tour, Princess Elizabeth ascended to the British Throne on the death of her father, King George VI, who the day before had stood on the tarmac at London’s Heathrow airport waving her farewell. She returned to London as Queen to be met at the foot of the aircraft steps by Prime Minister Winston Churchill.
The Monarchy is the brilliantly constructed oral biography of the life of Elizabeth II and her fifty-year rule as the second-longest-reigning British sovereign in history. This candid look at the enduring monarch has been compiled from interviews that paint a rich picture of the private and the public life of the Queen. With access to over one hundred friends and associates of the Royal Family, the authors have woven their in-depth conversations into a fascinating, comprehensive personal profile that brings vividly to life the various strands of Queen Elizabeth’s life.
We follow the story from her birth in an elegant townhouse in London’s Piccadilly, through the trauma of the abdication of her uncle, Edward VIII, and her realization that she was the heir to the Throne. During the London blitz the Royal Family stayed in London, an action that was loved by Britons, and after the war her almost fairytale marriage to Prince Philip followed by her Coronation in 1953 in Westminster Abbey. This early life is brought vividly to life by insiders like Lady Pamela Hicks, Lady Elizabeth Longford, Michael Parker, Earl of Harewood, Philip Ziegler, and others.
The years of her reign, beset by political turmoil in her beloved Commonwealth of Nations and problems nearer to home in her family, are treated sensitively. A portrait emerges of a woman whose understanding of political reality and foreign and domestic policy is wide and deep. She has been served by nine Prime Ministers from Winston Churchill to Tony Blair (who, it is certain, has both given her advice and received it in return). The Monarchy also sheds light new light on Queen Elizabeth’s often strained and fractious relationships with her children and their spouses, including, of course, the Prince Charles/Princess Diana/Camilla Parker Bowles drama that riveted the world.
Drawing on the knowledge and observations of a wide range of people, courtiers, journalists, heads of state, politicians, and close friends, this book is an intimate and meaningful tour of a remarkable life. It is also a forthright portrait of an amazing woman: the Sovereign Lady, Queen Elizabeth II, a figure who has captured the hearts and imagination of millions.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Most accounts of the British royals fall into one of two extremes: hostile expos‚s that "tell all" and fawning hagiographies that tell nothing. Falling neatly between these literary absolutes, this multifaceted "oral biography" presents a complex and intriguing portrait of the woman who has been Great Britain's head of state for nearly half a century. The Strobers whose popular, critically noted oral biographies of Reagan and Nixon are landmarks of the genre have shepherded quotes from more than 150 interviews into a balanced and critical (if sympathetic) study; their questions serve as section headings and are followed by responses from their interviewees. The book is filled with remarkable details such as Elizabeth's emergence from an airplane clad in mourning attire after being on safari when King George died (the royal family and attendants always packed black clothes in case of such emergencies), and good dirt like Prince Philip's fury at the constant insinuation that he was manipulated into marriage (which is partially true). More than that, the Strobers have accumulated a wealth of personal opinion and detail from a wide variety of sources, including Archdeacon George Austin on the queen's political and ecclesiastic relationships to her bishops, and Lord Archer speculating on the sexuality of Prince Edward ("the most sensitive of the three" sons). As interested in the troubles in Northern Ireland as in what happened between Charles and Di, the Strobers achieve a rare blend of the gossipy and the political. Deliciously informative and always entertaining, this is a royals book for thinking people. (On-sale Jan. 2)Forecast: Although books on the royal family are perennially popular, this one's timing may stunt its growth, since most history and political buffs are scrambling to learn about the Middle East and Central Asia. A tie-in to the 50th anniversary of Queen Elizabeth's accession to the throne in 2002 could help draw attention, though.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

The authors of numerous successful oral biographies of former presidents Kennedy, Nixon, and Reagan, the Strobers here turn their sights abroad. This oral biography of Queen Elizabeth II is published as she celebrates her 50th year on England's throne. The couple's impressive list of contacts includes insiders of the royal circle, such as Lord Harewood and Lady Longford; friends, such as the late musician Larry Adler; as well as other royal biographers. Also interviewed are those Elizabeth II would not deign to smile upon, such as Mohamed Al Fayed. It is a truly eclectic, formidable list. The Strobers highlight events such as the abdication of King Edward VIII, Elizabeth's wedding, her marriage, her parents' marriage, her coronation, and the many travails of recent years. Some of the words of those interviewed are moving, others wickedly funny, and others just plain caustic. The result is an entirely engaging read. One small cavil: the Strobers, though they are sure to be as successful with this book as with earlier collaborations, could cut down on the mawkish, all-inclusive acknowledgments. Recommended for all public libraries. Gail Benjafield, St. Catharine's P.L., Ont.
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 592 pages
• Publisher: Broadway; 1st edition (January 2, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0767906381
• ISBN-13: 978-0767906388
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.6 x 2.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #645,785 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the very best, March 15, 2002

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A Customer - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Monarchy: An Oral Biography of Elizabeth II (Hardcover)

This is one of the very best biographies I've read on the Queen - a very fair and unbiased book with wonderful insights from people who really know the Royal Family. The people who are quoted are well known and not afraid to tell the truth even when it isn't complimentary. I'd highly recommend this book - it is like sitting down in your living room and talking to people about the Royal Family. I thoroughly enjoyed it and found it hard to put down once I started.

12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Her Royal Highness According to Her Entourage, April 17, 2002

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A reader (Sarnia, Ontario, Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Monarchy: An Oral Biography of Elizabeth II (Hardcover)

When it comes to the spate of books produced to mark the Golden Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II's accession to the Throne, this is perhaps the best and most relevant, especially within the context of the Queen Mother's recent passing, since it looks at the British monarchy in its entirety; past, present and future.

The authors interviewed some 100 Royal Family friends, acquaintances, and members of their retinue, in an attempt to compose a portrait of their personal and public lives.

It makes for fascinating reading - authentic accounts from those who were there to witness history in the making, such as the day Queen Elizabeth II learned of her father, King George VI's passing. She cried upon hearing the news, "And then," according to her equerry-in-waiting at the time, Mike Parker, "she straightened up and she went in, to the desk she had been working at, and started to send all these telegrams off...."

The majority of the interviewees are British and there's a good deal of conjecture about different happenings, accounts that sometimes disagree; but it is this very conflict that makes it seem like you're there as events unfold through the various dispatches which provide enough detail to allow a clear picture to emerge.

We become privy to the inner workings of the monarchy. For instance, the King's many secretaries had a code for a multitude of contingencies, including his death. Sir Edward Ford, the King's assistant private secretary, reveals, "I got a telephone call from [Private Secretary, Sir Alan] Lascelles at Sandringham [House, one of the Royal Family's private residences], saying 'Hyde Park Corner,' because that was the code. He simply said: 'Hyde Park Corner. Go and tell [Prime Minister] Churchill, and the Queen Mary,' and he rang off."

The book includes a brief history of the monarchy, dating back to its establishment in 1066, with stops at notable milestones and interesting tidbits along the way. Queen Mary, for example, according to the Seventeenth Earl of Perth, John David Drummond, was "a very forceful character.... When she was visiting a grand house, she would like to see various things. And there was always a risk if she said: 'Oh, I like that; that's really something very nice.' It had almost reached the point that the host...felt impelled to send it on to her later."

Also covered is King Edward VIII's abdication of the Throne in 1936. The royal biographer Lady Langford divulges that the words "the woman I love," used in his abdication speech, referring to the twice-divorced Wallis Simpson, who would become the Duchess of Windsor, were suggested by then-Prime Minister Winston Churchill.

Lady Longford also shares a story about how, when George VI became King, Princess Margaret asked her elder sister, "'Does that mean you'll be Queen?' And [Princess Elizabeth] said: 'Yes, some day.' And Princess Margaret said: 'Poor you.'"

We hear accounts of the difficulty involved in securing enough white horses for the service lords to ride on during Queen Elizabeth II's coronation in 1952; and memories of how the intense heat on the day of her father's coronation caused the boots of the bobbies, who lined the procession route, to stick to the tarmac. Reportedly, Winston Churchill opposed televising Queen Elizabeth II's coronation on the grounds that "people might watch the service while drinking beer!"

When the new Queen, in one of her first dictates, overrode the decision not to televise the celebration, sales of television sets soared in Britain.

It's possible that Sir Michael Oswald best sums up the awesome responsibility inherent in the monarchy when he says, "In a political job you can give it up. The Queen sees it that it's something she's consecrated to do, and to do for the rest of her life to the best of her ability."

As the Head of the Commonwealth, she commands a total of 1.7 billion subjects.

We witness salient points in the monarchy's chronicle, from the birth of Prince Charles, to his much-publicized marriage and eventual divorce from Princess Diana, to her imposing death.

Former Foreign Office official Ian Adams explains that the late Queen Mother exerted great influence when it came to the pairing of Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer.

Many of Queen Elizabeth II's courtiers are interviewed and we get a sense of what it's like to live inside Buckingham Palace, with its 600 rooms; the "world's largest inhabited castle" - Windsor Castle; and the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Scotland; in addition to the Queen's two private residences, the aforementioned Sandringham House, and Balmoral Castle.

Remembering simpler times, when the beautiful young Princess Elizabeth became Queen, Admiral Sir Henry Leach suggests, "There was very much less scurrilous stuff floating round the media of the day...."

But starting in the late-1950s, the monarchy started to become the subject of criticism, and the authors don't turn a blind eye to this. There's talk of the struggle to find a suitable role for Prince Charles while he waits to succeed the Queen, with British Lord McNally saying, "I might be totally unfair to Prince Charles, but my impression was that beyond a kind of general look-around, there wasn't very much enthusiasm [on his part] for doing a specific job." A chapter in the book entitled, "The Heir Apparent: Who Is He?" examines in detail the issues that seem to surround Prince Charles, with part of it dedicated to debate about whether Camilla Parker Bowles will one day be Queen.

Lastly, there is a further examination of Prince Charles, with an eye toward assessing the future of the monarchy, centering on whether he will step aside and let Prince William succeed the Queen.

Regardless of your position on such matters, the authors present us with a captivating read and an inside look at Royal life.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Splendid!, October 27, 2009

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P. B. Sharp (NM) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Monarchy: An Oral Biography of Elizabeth II (Hardcover)

"The Monarchy" is a vast panorama of the long rule of Elizabeth II from the time she ascends a tree in Africa as a princess and comes down a queen. to the imminent marriage of Charles and Camilla.

Seen through the eyes of people of all walks of life- a limousine driver, politicians, musicians, members of the aristocracy, clergymen, military personnel, some 100 in all- their observations are seamlessly integrated into the plot so you are presented with a colorful tapestry woven with authenticity. The speakers are insiders, the horse's mouth, and while they often disagree with each other, you as reader see the evolution of Elizabeth's reign through many eyes and the result is a balanced picture.

You'll catch startling glimpses of Edward VIII, George VI and the Queen Mum, "Dickie" Mountbatten, Charles and Diana and Camilla, Philip, the two princes and other members of the royal stable.

Serene and dignified, even in the midst of trying circumstances, even in the midst of tragedy, Queen Elizabeth sails on toward the future. She is the Ship of State and the monarchy will surely endure far into the future if not forever, because she is Queen.

Highly recommended!