The Real Elizabeth: An Intimate Portrait of Queen Elizabeth II

According to Marr (Making of Modern Britain), Britain’s Elizabeth II is a complex woman: shy, humble, and a devout Christian who believes her reign is a religious calling. Hardworking and shrewdly intelligent, she is cautious, but also a wicked mimic who enjoys political gossip. The queen has been involved in controversy not only surrounding Diana’s death but also over political matters such as Britain’s role in the 1950s Suez conflict. Elizabeth “act[ed] as queen first and sister second” in crushing Princess Margaret’s romance with a divorced man; she outsmarted a postmaster general determined to remove her head from commemorative stamps. Cheekier and making use of more insider palace sources than Sally Bedell Smith’s Elizabeth the Queen, British television journalist Marr’s effort is likewise engrossing and perceptive, and similarly leaves the queen a remote, unknowable figure. He also devotes much space to George V and Edward VIII, while he practically ignores Charles’s siblings. 8 pages of color photos and 16 pages of b&w photos. Agent: Ed Victor (U.K.). (Jan.)