Her Majesty

Queen Elizabeth II's Diamond Jubilee, coming in June, has unloosed a new supply of biographies. Hardman (columnist, Daily Mail) offers an authoritative contribution. Readers will find here the first interview granted by Prince William to an author, as well as interviews with Prince Andrew, John Major, Tony Blair, David Cameron, and former members of the royal household. Insider anecdotes alone make this well worth the purchase, such as one about a row in 1954 between the queen and Prince Philip in front of an Australian camera crew who meekly gave the film to the queen's press secretary. But what really sets this work apart is its concentration on the working life of the monarch. Hardman describes the extraordinary amount of work Queen Elizabeth does and reveals small, virtually unnoticeable changes in her schedule (e.g., removing the soup course from state banquets saves 20 minutes) designed to slightly ease her burden at age 85. He also includes an in-depth look at the queen's relationship with prime ministers, from Winston Churchill to David Cameron (who is younger than her youngest child).