The Queen Mother's Century - Hardcover

the photographs are charming and the story is compelling. (IRISH INDEPENDENT)

It will become a classic for the royal reference book shelf but it is also a riveting good read. (WOLVERHAMPTON, WALSALL, KIDDERMINSTER, DUDLEY, SANDWELL, STAFFORD EXPRESS AND STAR)

Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother's life has spanned the entire 20th century and through that century she has witnessed decades of dramatic change, not least within her own family. Following her carefree and untroubled childhood she stepped into the public domain as the wife of a king, where she triumphed with her stoic support of the monarchy and her country and, after her husband's death, with her oldest daughter crowned Queen Elizabeth II, she remained a key player in the unfolding drama of the Royal Family and to this day stands proudly as a symbol of Britain. Robert Lacey, the internationally renowned historian responsible for writing the groundbreaking royal biography Majesty, here pinpoints not only the personal dramas and events that have shaped this much-loved royal, but also the events and changes that have occurred in the world as a whole since her birth. By using historic newspaper front pages to chart the changing history of the world, from the death of Queen Victoria to the death of Diana, Princess of Wales, Lacey has neatly pulled the life and times of The Queen Mother into sharp perspective, adding a poignancy to the history of her life that may otherwise have been missed. (Exclusive interviews with those close to her help add a depth and affection to her story and a fine, comprehensive collection of photographs illustrate beautifully the triumphs and tragedies of a woman who is still as popular with her public as she ever w)

Susan Harrison, AMAZON.CO.UK (and he writes a better book, with no obvious sign of sycophantic gratitude and at a rattling pace')

Elizabeth Bowes Lyon's celebrated life began on August 4th 1900 and has reflected ten dramatic decades of spectacle and change. Royal biographer Robert Lacey traces the Queen Mother's story through the milestones of our time - starting with her carefree childhood and using pictures to match her own history with that of the century. The future Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother became a public figure in 1923 with her engagement and marriage to 'Bertie', the shy and stammering Prince Albert, Duke of York, and it was her triumph to help transform her bashful husband into the brave and inspiring figure of King George VI. Through historic newspaper and magazine front pages (which record and recall the landmarks of our era), the epoch-making events of the century in which The Queen Motherp played a part are chronicled, and her role as mother, grandmother and great-grandmother in a rapidly changing world is also traced. She is a symbol of the best and bravest in Britain's recent past, but she is also a reminder of the enduring values to take in the next millennium - courage, civility, duty and grace.