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Elizabeth the Queen
- The Life of a Modern Monarch
- Narrated by: Rosalyn Landor
- Length: 21 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged Audiobook
- Categories: History, Europe
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Like her father and grandfather before her, Elizabeth II was not born to be monarch. Yet she has reigned through more change than any sovereign since 1066. From her accession as a young mother of two in 1952 to the age of COVID-19, she has become a global phenomenon commanding unrivalled respect and affection. Queen of Our Times follows the astonishing journey of the quietly determined young woman who has gone on to lead her family and her people through good times and bad for longer than most people have been alive.
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Starring Claire Foy as Queen Elizabeth II and John Lithgow as Winston Churchill, Netflix's original series The Crown, created by Peter Morgan and growing out of his Oscar-winning movie The Queen starring Helen Mirren, paints a unique and intimate portrait of Britain's longest-reigning monarch. This official companion to the show's first season is an in-depth exploration of the early years of Elizabeth II's time as queen, complete with extensive research and additional material.
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From best-selling author and historical consultant to the award-winning Netflix series The Crown, an unparalleled insider account of tumult, secrecy, and schism in the royal family.
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Battle of Brothers
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The life of Princess May of Teck is one of the great Cinderella stories in history. From a family of impoverished nobility, she was chosen by Queen Victoria as the bride for her eldest grandson, the scandalous Duke of Clarence, heir to the throne, who died mysteriously before their marriage. Despite this setback, she became queen, mother of two kings, grandmother of the current queen, and a lasting symbol of the majesty of the British throne.
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Diana
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Liked the story but not the readers
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Like her father and grandfather before her, Elizabeth II was not born to be monarch. Yet she has reigned through more change than any sovereign since 1066. From her accession as a young mother of two in 1952 to the age of COVID-19, she has become a global phenomenon commanding unrivalled respect and affection. Queen of Our Times follows the astonishing journey of the quietly determined young woman who has gone on to lead her family and her people through good times and bad for longer than most people have been alive.
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Starring Claire Foy as Queen Elizabeth II and John Lithgow as Winston Churchill, Netflix's original series The Crown, created by Peter Morgan and growing out of his Oscar-winning movie The Queen starring Helen Mirren, paints a unique and intimate portrait of Britain's longest-reigning monarch. This official companion to the show's first season is an in-depth exploration of the early years of Elizabeth II's time as queen, complete with extensive research and additional material.
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From best-selling author and historical consultant to the award-winning Netflix series The Crown, an unparalleled insider account of tumult, secrecy, and schism in the royal family.
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Battle of Brothers
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The Royal Governess
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In 1933, 22-year-old Marion Crawford accepts the role of a lifetime, tutoring the little Princesses Elizabeth and Margaret Rose. Her one stipulation to their parents the Duke and Duchess of York is that she bring some doses of normalcy into their sheltered and privileged lives. At Buckingham Palace, Windsor Castle and Balmoral, Marion defies stuffy protocol to take the princesses on tube trains, swimming at public baths, and on joyful Christmas shopping trips at Woolworth’s.
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The life of Princess May of Teck is one of the great Cinderella stories in history. From a family of impoverished nobility, she was chosen by Queen Victoria as the bride for her eldest grandson, the scandalous Duke of Clarence, heir to the throne, who died mysteriously before their marriage. Despite this setback, she became queen, mother of two kings, grandmother of the current queen, and a lasting symbol of the majesty of the British throne.
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Liked the story but not the readers
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Anne Glenconner has been at the center of the royal circle from childhood, when she met and befriended the future Queen Elizabeth II and her sister, the Princess Margaret. Though the firstborn child of the fifth Earl of Leicester, who controlled one of the largest estates in England, as a daughter she was deemed "the greatest disappointment" and unable to inherit. Since then she has needed all her resilience to survive court life with her sense of humor intact.
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Fascinating story but the sound editing...
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As war rages across the world, Princess Elizabeth comes face to face with the dashing naval officer she first met in London nine years before. One of the youngest first lieutenants in the Royal Navy, Philip represents everything she has always been taught to avoid. Instability. Audacity. Adventure. But when the king learns of their relationship, the suitability of the foreign prince is questioned by all at court. He is the risk she has never been allowed to take. The risk not even the shadow of the crown will stop her from taking.
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In this eye-opening companion to seasons 2 and 3 of Netflix’s acclaimed series The Crown, renowned biographer - and the show’s historical consultant - Robert Lacey takes us through the real history that inspired the drama. Covering two tumultuous decades in the reign of Queen Elizabeth II, Lacey looks at the key social, political, and personal moments and their effects - not only on the royal family but also on the world around them.
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In this riveting novel of royal secrets and intrigue, Karen Harper lifts the veil on one of the world’s most fascinating families and how its “secret weapon” of a matriarch maneuvered her way through one of the most dangerous chapters of the century.
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The Diana Chronicles
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In The Diana Chronicles, you will meet a formidable female cast and understand as never before the society that shaped them: among them, Diana's sexually charged mother, her bad-girl sister-in-law, Fergie, and, most formidable of them all, her mother-in-law, the Queen. Add Camilla Parker-Bowles, the ultimate "other woman" into this combustible mix, and it's no wonder that Diana broke out of her royal cage into celebrity culture, where she found her own power and used it to devastating effect.
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very well written and performed.
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- Length: 12 hrs and 2 mins
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Now, Ingrid Seward, the editor-in-chief of Majesty magazine, brings her decades of experience covering the royal family to this “authoritative and thorough” (Kirkus Reviews) biography of Queen Elizabeth II’s husband, and father, grandfather, and great-grandfather of the next three kings of England. From his early childhood in Paris among aristocrats and his mother’s battle with schizophrenia to his military service during World War II and marriage to Elizabeth in 1947, Seward chronicles Philip’s life and reveals his many faces.
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Publisher's Summary
New York Times best-seller.
Perfect for fans of The Crown, 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.
From the moment of her ascension to the throne in 1952 at the age of twenty-five, Queen Elizabeth II has been the object of unparalleled scrutiny. But through the fog of glamour and gossip, how well do we really know the world’s most famous monarch? Drawing on numerous interviews and never-before-revealed documents, acclaimed biographer Sally Bedell Smith pulls back the curtain to show in intimate detail the public and private lives of Queen Elizabeth II, who has led her country and Commonwealth through the wars and upheavals of the last sixty years with unparalleled composure, intelligence, and grace.
In Elizabeth the Queen, we meet the young girl who suddenly becomes “heiress presumptive” when her uncle abdicates the throne. We meet the thirteen-year-old Lilibet as she falls in love with a young navy cadet named Philip and becomes determined to marry him, even though her parents prefer wealthier English aristocrats. We see the teenage Lilibet repairing army trucks during World War II and standing with Winston Churchill on the balcony of Buckingham Palace on V-E Day. We see the young Queen struggling to balance the demands of her job with her role as the mother of two young children. Sally Bedell Smith brings us inside the palace doors and into the Queen’s daily routines - the “red boxes” of documents she reviews each day, the weekly meetings she has had with twelve prime ministers, her physically demanding tours abroad, and the constant scrutiny of the press - as well as her personal relationships: with Prince Philip, her husband of sixty-four years and the love of her life; her children and their often-disastrous marriages; her grandchildren and friends.
Praise for Elizabeth the Queen:
“An excellent, all-embracing new biography.” (The New York Times)
“[An] imposing, yet nimbly written, biography [that] dwarfs the field...a most satisfying and enjoyable read, one to be savored at length.” (Minneapolis Star Tribune)
“Fascinating.... After sixty years on the throne, the monarch of Britain is better known for her poker face than for sly wit or easy charm. Yet in biographer Sally Bedell Smith’s Elizabeth the Queen, Her Majesty sparkles with both.” (More)
“[A] smart and satisfying book.” (Los Angeles Times)
What the critics say
“An excellent, all-embracing new biography.” (The New York Times)
“[An] imposing, yet nimbly written, biography [that] dwarfs the field...a most satisfying and enjoyable read, one to be savored at length.” (Minneapolis Star Tribune)
“Smith breaks new ground, [with the cooperation of] more than two hundred people, [including] the Queen’s relatives and friends.... [A] smart and satisfying book.” (Los Angeles Times)
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What listeners say about Elizabeth the Queen
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Ashleesgirl21
- 2012-09-14
A Personal Look at a Great Queen
Would you listen to Elizabeth the Queen again? Why?
I would absolutely listen to this book again. I felt like I came to know her as much more than a figure-head for the British people. I was continually intrigued by the story and I found myself admiring the queen for much more than just her role as a queen.
Who was your favorite character and why?
I have adored Queen Elizabeth II since I was 3 1/2. She continued to be my favorite queen as I listened to this book.
Any additional comments?
Overall, this book is both amazingly crafted and wonderfully narrated. The narrator did voices both consistently and believably. Sally Bedell Smith did her research for real and although it could have been easy to be biased, I felt the presentation was very fair. I would highly recommend this book to anyone wanting a closer look at Her Majesty, the Queen.
12 people found this helpful
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- Brian
- 2012-07-10
An Enchanted Life of a Queen and Duty
If you could sum up Elizabeth the Queen in three words, what would they be?
Duty, Motherhood, and Love of Country
Who was your favorite character and why?
Elizabeth the Queen of course!
What does Rosalyn Landor bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?
She brought compassion, reality and an incredible sense of personal knowlwedge and intimacy of a woman who will be remembered for generations.
Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?
The description of Elizabeth's relationship with her Father and losing him so young and being thrust into a role she may not have been quite ready for.
Any additional comments?
I would definately and likely be reading this again.
9 people found this helpful
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- D
- 2013-05-13
Fascinating!
I am a fan of British history going back centuries, and was not sure if I would enjoy this more contemporary biography. But, it did not disappoint. It was well written; seemed to follow history accurately, and the author did not take sides on the issues, just recorded them.
7 people found this helpful
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- TravisD
- 2013-01-10
A Fascinating Life, Well Lived
How tough is it to narrate a life that is lived so privately in public? Very tough. But that's what keeps us curious. Those who criticize William and Kate for guarding their privacy so jealously would do well to remember that they have opened themselves up in ways that the Queen never has and never will-- interviews, for example. And the appetite is more insatiable than ever. Her Majesty is something to behold, and I wonder what it would be like to have some sense of national pride that was timeless. Politicians come and go, but it would be lovely to have some traditions that were a point of pride in the US. A good, solid read on the hardest subject imaginable.
7 people found this helpful
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- Andrea
- 2012-05-15
A role model for all women to emulate
Where does Elizabeth the Queen rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?
Queen Elizabeth is the only woman who many of us have watched for decades. She has hit her stride and more. A true leader, able to change and to be sensitive to the world around her. This book opened my eyes to this truly remarkable woman.
I highly recommend it to woman professionals.
Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?
no
7 people found this helpful
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- shanti
- 2018-01-01
Decent biography, not particularly revealing
Would you try another book from Sally Bedell Smith and/or Rosalyn Landor?
Rosalyn Landor's narration is first rate. The book itself is interesting for it's details about the queen's official public life, but lacking in behind the scenes details. It almost seems to respectful of the royal family's privacy.
Would you recommend Elizabeth the Queen to your friends? Why or why not?
Yes, but only for the most ardent Anglophiles and royalty fans.
What does Rosalyn Landor bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?
Great reader, easy to understand and very proper English accent. She does other voices just well enough to make a distinction without being distracting or overwrought.
If this book were a movie would you go see it?
It makes an interesting companion read to the Netflix series The Crown.
5 people found this helpful
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- Claudette
- 2013-03-23
New perspective on the Queen
Where does Elizabeth the Queen rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?
Near the top
What was one of the most memorable moments of Elizabeth the Queen?
Her sense of laughter
Which character – as performed by Rosalyn Landor – was your favorite?
Queen Elizabeth
Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?
Couldn't wait to get back to hearing more about the Queen
Any additional comments?
I never imagined that I would enjoy this book as much as I did. The Queen was young when she became the Queen. Her love for Phillip began early in her life. She has alot of responsibilites. She always tries to be optimistic and not critical. I highly recommend this book.
5 people found this helpful
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- David
- 2012-11-08
Interesting story of QE2
Overall, I liked this, although for me, the British narration was a little hard to take, but I am American and don't talk that way. The story begins with Queen Elizabeth's birth and does a great job of presenting the background which played into the kind of Queen Elizabeth became. My only complaint is that the book tries overly hard to paint a better than deserved picture of various members of the Royal Family and less than favorable of others, but I think that is to be expected. I liked the book and would recommend to others.
5 people found this helpful
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- Lauren
- 2012-03-22
3.5 stars- fascinating
What made the experience of listening to Elizabeth the Queen the most enjoyable?
I'm around a 3.5 on this one. The audio version was great, Rosalyn Landor has such a soothing and wonderful voice. I really enjoyed learning more about Elizabeth II as a person, and particularly liked the earlier stories about her childhood and first years of her marriage and reign. I felt that the middle sort of all ran together with different official engagements and traveling, and that it got too much into Prince Charles, Prince William and the Duchess of Cambridge toward the end, rather than end by summarizing the impact and important of Elizabeth II, though much of the book had taken the time to explain her role in the governing of England and the larger Commonwealth. I do wonder whether the royal family had any real part in this biography, whether some of the more endearing stories are accurate, but all in all I thought that the author did a good job of trying to portray Elizabeth as a woman, a husband, mother and friend.
10 people found this helpful
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- SPM
- 2012-07-13
Very interesting read
Although this is clearly a totally rosy picture of Queen Elizabeth II, I found it very informative and interesting. The narrator did a good job too. Well worth a credit.
4 people found this helpful