Queen of the World: Elizabeth II: Sovereign and Stateswoman by Robert Hardman
My Rating of “Queen of the World: Elizabeth II: Sovereign and Stateswoman” by Robert Hardman: 9 / 10
Let me put this straight out there that I’m a royalist. I blame my Mum for this. My brother and I grew up watching the royal weddings and tuning into the yearly Christmas message from the Queen. I’ve even had the opportunity to sing for the Queen when I was a young choirboy; however that is another story.
When one wants to learn about the Queen, the Royal Family and all the behind the scenes stories you go no further than Robert Hardman. He has been a columnist and royal correspondent for the Daily Telegraph and since 2001 has written for the Daily Mail. He authors a relatively large book chronicling the Queens life and journey since being a young woman. From the development of the Commonwealth, setting sail on Britannia, developing special relationships with heads of states around the world, this book covers most of the bases you’d expect. What I liked about this book is the focuses on the facts with minimal conjecture. For example, Hardman makes multiple references to The Crown (i.e. Netflix series) and its dramatisation of the royal family.
This book was only published back in 2019. Therefore it provides a relatively up to date biography on the British Monarchy and the Queen in particular. What it doesn’t cover in detail is the Suxxexes drama and the recent passing of the Prince of Edinburgh. With that said, there is plenty you will learn from the intriguing stories and our steadfast Queen.
Three key takeaways from the book:
- The Queen typically will wear a standout colour when walking the crowds. This is so that everybody can catch a glimpse of her, whether or not they see her face.
- The Queen speaks fluent French. Not sure how I missed that fact!
- Who has lived through the administrations of sixteen USA presidents—more than one-third of the total. You guessed it, the Queen!
