Queen Elizabeth II occupies a unique place in the British imagination. Elegant, self-contained, enigmatic: her respect for the role thrust upon her was evident even in childhood. For over seventy years, she shepherded her country through war, political upheaval and family tragedy, guarding her personal opinions and feelings and appearing implacable and yet resolutely empathetic. In this major new portrait, renowned biographer Hugo Vickers uses never-before-seen sources and personal recollections to illuminate her life as never before. From her childhood growing up in the shadow of the Blitz to her many years as the figurehead for our country: this is a royal history like no other, published to coincide with what would have been her centenary.

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Hugo Vickers is a writer, lecturer and broadcaster, and an acknowledged expert on the British Royal Family. He has written biographies of the Queen Mother, Cecil Beaton, Vivien Leigh, Princess Andrew of Greece and the Duchess of Windsor. His book The Kiss won the
1996 Stern Silver Pen Award for Non-Fiction. His recent bestsellers have included Malice in Wonderland and The Sphinx - the life of Gladys, Duchess of Marlborough. He collaborated with HRH The Duke of Kent on A Royal Life. He is a Deputy Lieutenant for Berkshire.

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THE MAJOR NEW BIOGRAPHY OF THE LATE QUEEN: AN INSTANT SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER.

'Impeccably researched . . . Hugo Vickers offers us his piercing insights into the innermost workings of the Royal family' *- DAILY MAIL
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'His knowledge of royalty and aristocracy is encyclopaedic . . . and his deep emotional connection with Elizabeth II and certain members of her family is given full throttle. The detail about a very public woman who, at the same time, was very private, is so remarkable' *- TELEGRAPH 5-STAR REVIEW
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'The closest thing to an authorised life one is likely to read. Intelligent, intuitive and scrupulously researched' *- QUADRANT MAGAZINE
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'A perfect match between subject and writer . . . The level of detail in Queen Elizabeth II: A Personal History is unequalled' - *THE TIMES

*'Vickers is the Tolstoy of royal biography, creating a vast and detailed panorama, the eccentric footnotes a glorious satire of scholarship.' - SPECTATOR

Queen Elizabeth II occupies a unique place in the hearts of her people, and in this major biography marking the Centenary of her birth, acclaimed royal historian Hugo Vickers sheds new light on the woman behind the greatest reign in British history. Based on six decades of close research into her life and reign, this master work contains not only archival research and close personal observation but many hours of conversation with those who knew and worked with The Queen.

After a supremely happy decade of early childhood, a certain gravitas descended with the death of her beloved grandfather, George V, and the Abdication of her uncle Edward VIII. As Vickers reveals in impeccable prose, she accepted her destiny and worked steadfastly to prepare for what was to come, dedicating her life to the service of the Commonwealth. On her twenty-first birthday in 1947, she made a promise to serve and kept it for a remarkable seventy-five years. She was steadfast and conciliatory and presided calmly over decades of change, political upheaval and family tragedy.

Described by the Financial Times as 'the most knowledgeable royal biographer on the planet', Vickers is completely at home in the world of Queen Elizabeth II. He has worked with members of her family on various projects and also met with members of her Household. He first met The Queen in 1968 and had his last conversation with her in June 2022. This is his most incisive book yet, decoding hidden patterns in our most iconic monarch's behaviour to illuminate her as never before.

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Queen Elizabeth II was an instant Top 10 Sunday Times bestseller in the w/c 13.04.2026.