This post was originally written to honour Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee, celebrated in the UK in the beginning of June 2022. On 8 September 2022, The Queen died peacefully at Balmoral. With a 70 year reign and nearly 100 years of life, there is no shortage of books to read. I’ve got several different sections, by rough theme. Her childhood and adulthood are separated, though many books cover both, as well as her family. I have also included her style and her residences. And for anyone who prefers fiction, I’ve also included a selection of fiction books. Without any further adieu, here are 70 books about The Queen to mark her 70-year reign.
Young Elizabeth
As I said above, some books cover her entire life, so I tried to include books here that gave fairly extensive coverage of her childhood.
1.The Windsor Diaries: A Childhood with the Princesses, Alathea Fitzalan Howard
2. Royal Sisters: Queen Elizabeth II and Princess Margaret, Anne Edwards
3. Young Elizabeth: The Making of a Queen, Kate Williams
4. The Little Princesses, Marion Crawford
5. Elizabeth and Margaret: The Intimate World of the Windsor Sisters, Andrew Morton
Adult Elizabeth
These books cover many different aspects of her adult life and reign.
6. The Queen: 70 Glorious Years, Royal Collection Trust
7. Elizabeth the Queen: The Life of a Modern Monarch, Sally Bedell Smith
8. The Real Elizabeth: An Intimate Portrait of Queen Elizabeth II, Andrew Marr
9. A Year With The Queen, Robert Hardman
10. A Queen for All Seasons: A Celebration of Queen Elizabeth II on her Platinum Jubilee, Joanna Lumley
11. Elizabeth II: A Queen for Our Times, Chris Jackson
12. The Queen: an elegant new biography of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, Matthew Dennison
13. Queen of the World: Elizabeth II, Sovereign and Stateswoman, Robert Hardman
14. Queen Elizabeth II: Her Life in Our Times, Sarah Bradford
15. The Queen: A Life in Pictures, Victoria Murphy
16. Final Curtsey: A Royal Memoir by the Queen’s Cousin, Margaret Rhodes
17. On Duty With the Queen, Dickie Arbiter
18. Queen of Our Times: The Life of Queen Elizabeth II, Robert Hardman
19. Voices Out of the Air: The Royal Christmas Broadcasts, 1932 to 1981, Tom Fleming
20. The Wicked Wit of the Royal Family, Karen Dolby
Fashion and Jewellery
We cannot discuss Queen Elizabeth II without looking at her wardrobe and jewellery vaults.
21. The Other Side of the Coin: The Queen, the Dresser and the Wardrobe, Angela Kelly
22. Silver and Gold: The Autobiography of Norman Hartnell, Norman Hartnell
23. The Jewels of Queen Elizabeth II: Her Personal Collection, Leslie Field
24. Our Rainbow Queen, Sali Hughes
25. Dressing The Queen: The Jubilee Wardrobe, Angela Kelly
26. The Queen’s Diamonds, Hugh Roberts
27. The Crown Jewels, Anna Keah
Grandparents and Parents
In terms of family, we are starting with Elizabeth’s grandparents and parents, as they have all had very lasting impacts on Elizabeth’s life and reign.
28. George V: Never Dull Moment, Jane Ridley
29. Queen Mary, James Pope-Hennessy
30. The Reluctant King: The Life and Reign of George VI, 1895-1952, Sarah Bradford
31. George VI: The Dutiful King, Philip Ziegler
32. The Queen Mother: The Official Biography, William Shawcross
33. Counting One’s Blessings: The Selected Letters of Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother, William Shawcross
Prince Philip, The Duke of Edinburgh
And of course, we cannot look at Her Majesty without examining her stalwart consort.
34. Prince Philip: The Turbulent Early Life of the Man Who Married Queen Elizabeth II, Philip Eade
35. Prince Philip Revealed: A Man of His Century, Ingrid Seward
36. The Duke: 100 Chapters in the Life of Prince Philip, Ian Lloyd
37. My Husband and I: The Inside Story of 70 Years of the Royal Marriage, Ingrid Seward
38. The Mountbattens: Their Lives and Loves, Andrew Lownie
Princess Margaret/ Family
This section looks at The Queen’s sister and contemporaries in her generation!
39. Princess Margaret: A Life of Contrasts, Christopher Warwick
40. Princess Margaret: A Life Unravelled, Tim Heald
41. Ma’am Darling: 99 Glimpses of Princess Margaret, Craig Brown
42. A Royal Life, HRH The Duke of Kent and Hugo Vickers
43. Lady in Waiting: My Extraordinary Life in the Shadow of the Crown, Lady Anne Glenconnor
Children and Grandchildren
Here we have books on her children and grandchildren- unfortunately, there are relatively few books on Princes Andrew and Edward and Princess Anne.
44. Prince Charles: The Passions and Paradoxes of an Improbable Life, Sally Bedell Smith
45. The Duchess: Camilla Parker Bowles and the Affair That Rocked the Crown, Penny Juror
46. Diana: Her True Story in Her Own Words, Andrew Morton
47. William at 40: The Making of a Modern Monarch, Robert Jobson
48. Harry: A Biography of a Prince, Angela Levin
49. The Palace Papers: Inside the House of Windsor- the Truth and the Turmoil, Tina Brown
General History
These books provide a general historical context to Elizabeth’s reign and the monarchy in general.
50. The Crown: The Official Companion, Volume 1: Elizabeth II, Winston Churchill, and the Making of a Young Queen, Robert Lacey
51. The Crown: The Official Companion, Volume 2: Political Scandal, Personal Struggle, and the Years That Defined Elizabeth II, Robert Lacey
52. Innovation, Peter Ackroyd
53. Crown and Sceptre: A New History of the British Monarchy, from William the Conqueror to Elizabeth II, Tracy Borman
Royal Residences and Life
Wondering what life in the palace is like? These are the books for you!
54. The Queen’s Houses, Alan Titchsmarch
55. Buckingham Palace: The Interiors, Ashley Hicks
56. Royal Britain: Historic Palaces, Castles and Homes, Jane Struthers
57. Royal Homes and Gardens, Halima Sadat
58. Dinner at Buckingham Palace, Charles Oliver
59. Not in Front of the Corgis: Secrets of Life Behind the Royal Curtains, Brian Hoey
Fiction
And for those of you who prefer a fictional version, these fictional books focus on The Queen and her family!
60. Before the Crown, Flora Harding
61, The Royal Governess, Wendy Holden
62, The Gown, Jennifer Robson
63. The Other Windsor Girl: A Novel of Princess Margaret, Georgie Blalock
64. The Queen’s Secret: A Novel of England’s World War II Queen, Karen Harper
65. The Windsor Knot, SJ Bennett
66.The Uncommon Reader, Alan Bennett
67. Mrs. Queen Takes the Train, William Kuhn
68. In Royal Service to the Queen: A Novel of The Queen’s Governess, Tessa Arlen
69. The Queen and I, Sue Townsend
70. Death at Buckingham Palace, CC Benison
Interested in the Platinum Jubilee? Find more on 2022 Platinum Jubilee exhibitions here!
With these 70 books about The Queen, I hope that you are enjoying the Platinum Jubilee!
Cheers,
The Historian
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