I rated it highly as I appreciate what the Queen has done for this country and her faith in God that has seen her through many difficult times. A prolific broadcaster (in programmes ranging from Just a Minute to Have I Got News for You), an acclaimed interviewer (principally for the Sunday Telegraph), a novelist, children’s author and biographer, his best-selling diary, Breaking the Code, was described as ‘By far the best political diary of recent years, far more perceptive and revealing than Alan Clark’s’ ( The Times) and ‘Searingly honest, wildly indiscreet, and incredibly funny’ ( Daily Mail). Gyles Brandreth quoted resources never used before, most interesting a true tribute to our beloved Queen. The basic structure is chronological, but the author moves both forward and backward in history to draw parallels with other royals and historical events. And for a person who had no interest in watching THE CROWN because I knew the story, keeping me glued to this book is saying something.

Drawing on a rich arsenal of anecdotes, a panoply of long-departed sources and recollections, Brandreth does justice to the character and zeal of a great woman and Queen. I hugely enjoyed Philip, his previously published book about the Royals, and found this to be a rehashed version of Philip with some hastily thrown in trivia tidbits about The Queen. Queen Camilla Celebrated Her Love of Books by Having Some Embroidered on Her Coronation Gown The Queen's coronation gown also featured tributes to her children, grandchildren and rescue dogs embroidered into it. We do learn some amusing little nuggets, but the prologue – written in the days around the Queen’s death – has an immediacy that makes a powerful beginning. Her master of the household, Sir Tony Johnstone-Burt, told Brandreth: “My principal duty with HM has been to keep her spirits up – so I’ve been watching Line of Duty with her – I’m ‘the Explainer’.The chief message in Gyles Brandreth’s best-selling biography, Elizabeth: An Intimate Portrait, is that Queen Elizabeth II did not dwell on her past or the constraints of duty; she just got on with the job.

The Bill Gates Summer Reading List Includes a Sci-Fi Novel On Gender Inequality Suggested by His Daughter Bill Gates' summer reading list includes fiction and non-fiction titles that cover gender equality, political polarization and climate change. It is a powerful and revealing portrait of a remarkable partnership, told with authority and insight, and illustrated with photographs from the couple's collections. This is a bit of a painful review for me as I am a huge fan of Brandreth and interested in the Royal Family. I also hate the slight digs at everyone who isn’t the queen, they just take away from the book and make me feel like I’m reading another tabloid article.LOOKING FORWARD TOO READING THIS THE AUTHOR WAS A FRIEND OF PRINCE PHLIP AND KNEW HIM WELL SHOULD BE A GOOD READ. Remembering the Life and Loves of Literary Bad Boy Martin Amis The legendary British author has died at 73.