I just finished watching the second season of Netflix’s The Crown and I just can’t get enough of this show. If you are like me and need your royal fix until Season 3 is released, here are 10 fascinating reads that will keep you satisfied:
Elizabeth the Queen: The Life of a Modern Monarch by Sally Bedell Smith
“This magisterial biography of Queen Elizabeth II is a close-up view of the woman we’ve known only from a distance—and a captivating window into the last great monarchy.”
The Queen Mother: The Official Biography by William Shawcross
“The official and definitive biography of Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother: consort of King George VI, mother of Queen Elizabeth II, grandmother of Prince Charles—and the most beloved British monarch of the twentieth century.”
The Uncommon Reader by Alan Bennett
“When her corgis stray into a mobile library parked near Buckingham Palace, the Queen feels duty-bound to borrow a book. Discovering the joy of reading widely (from J. R. Ackerley, Jean Genet, and Ivy Compton-Burnett to the classics) and intelligently, she finds that her view of the world changes dramatically. Abetted in her newfound obsession by Norman, a young man from the royal kitchens, the Queen comes to question the prescribed order of the world and loses patience with the routines of her role as monarch. Her new passion for reading initially alarms the palace staff and soon leads to surprising and very funny consequences for the country at large.” (I read this one. It was really funny and well-written)
Mrs Queen Takes the Train: A Novel by William Kuhn
“An absolute delight of a debut novel by William Kuhn—author of Reading Jackie: Her Autobiography in Books—Mrs Queen Takes the Train wittily imagines the kerfuffle that transpires when a bored Queen Elizabeth strolls out of the palace in search of a little fun, leaving behind a desperate team of courtiers who must find the missing Windsor before a national scandal erupts.”
Churchill: A Life by Martin Gilbert
“This lengthy biography is a single-volume abridgment of a massive, eight-volume work that took a quarter-century to write. It covers Churchill’s entire life, highlighting not only his exploits during the Second World War, but also his early belief in technology and how it would revolutionize warfare in the 20th century.”
Prince Philip: The Turbulent Early Life of the Man Who Married Queen Elizabeth II by Philip Eade
“In this authoritative and wonderfully compelling book, acclaimed biographer Philip Eade brings to vivid life the storm-tossed early years of one of the most fascinating and mysterious members of the royal family.”
Her Majesty: The Court of Queen Elizabeth II by Robert Hardman
“Queen Elizabeth II sits at the head of an ancient institution that remains simultaneously popular, regal, inclusive, and relevant in a twenty-first-century world. It is down to neither luck nor longevity: it is down to the shrewd judgment of a thoroughly modern monarchy—with no small assistance from the longest-serving consort in history. Here is the inside story.”
The Decline and Fall of the British Aristocracy by David Cannadine
“Deftly orchestrating an enormous array of documents and letters, facts, and statistics, David Cannadine shows how this shift came about–and how it was reinforced in the aftermath of the Second World War. Astonishingly learned, lucidly written, and sparkling with wit, The Decline and Fall of the British Aristocracy is a landmark study that dramatically changes our understanding of British social history.”
The King’s Speech: How One Man Saved the British Monarchy by Mark Logue and Peter Conradi
“This is the previously untold story of the remarkable relationship between Logue and the haunted future King George VI, written with Logue’s grandson and drawing exclusively from his grandfather Lionel’s diaries and archive. It throws an extraordinary light on the intimacy of the two men, and the vital role the King’s wife, the late Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother, played in bringing them together to save her husband’s reputation and reign.”
Royal Sisters: Queen Elizabeth II and Princess Margaret by Anne Edwards
“Brought vividly to life through the many personal interviews of close royal associates, filled with new facts, previously unpublished anecdotes and photographs, Royal Sisters is a never-before-glimpsed look at the relationship of the Queen and Princess Margaret.”
That’s such an interesting list you’ve put together! I haven’t watched The Crown, yet, but royal story lines are my guilty pleasures so why not? 😀
I have heard so much about The Uncommon Reader from my cousin who read it and won’t stop saying how cool a book it is. Will have to pick that up soon! I’m not a huge fan of biographies but recently read Churchill, when the movie was released and I wanted prior info before diving into it, lol. I liked it a lot, though so I might give a try to the other biographies you have listed.