When I was reading and enjoying this book in the summer of 2022, I did not think that before autumn I would be watching Queen Elizabeth II’s coffin processing through the United Kingdom. It is a surreal and poignant feeling to look back through this book now. However, I think that It is a wonderful tribute to Her Majesty. The Queen: 70 Glorious Years reflects upon an historic reign and a life well-lived in a beautiful presentation.
The Queen: 70 Glorious Years, Royal Collection Trust
In February 2022, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II will mark seventy years as monarch with a celebration known as the Platinum Jubilee. This official publication honors the Queen’s reign with a special selection of photographs captured by professional and amateur photographers alike. These photographs document Her Majesty’s early life before she acceded to the throne in 1952, her official role as monarch, her travel at home and abroad in support of the Commonwealth, and her fondness for animals and family life. These pictures also demonstrate the Queen’s continued efforts to give thanks to those who have served the monarchy and their communities, from official garden parties to the Order of the Garter.
These photographs are accompanied by resonant quotations from speeches given by the Queen over the years, including her wartime Children’s Hour radio broadcast given at the age of fourteen, her first televised Christmas Speech in 1957, and her speech welcoming President Obama and the First Lady during their State Visit in 2011. With a varied selection of photographs from Her Majesty’s reign, The Queen takes readers on a photographic journey of a remarkable life of duty and service.
Why You Should Read This…
I can never decide how I feel about “coffee table” books, but I think it is because there is a huge variety. Some are essentially non-fiction books that have a different layout, and others are all photos. The Queen: 70 Glorious Years is definitely a succinct book, but I think it balances quotes/stories/anecdotes with photos perfectly. And as they are all approved photos, they are of fantastic quality.
The Royal Collection Trust is behind this book; rightfully so as it is an official Platinum Jubilee item. I appreciated that the book not only spanned her historic reign, but also her entire life. And as I’ve been looking through the book again since her passing, it strikes me how difficult it would have been to choose only 70 photographs to cover her life. I think that if you are at all interested in Queen Elizabeth II or the current British Royal Family, this is a perfect book.
Have you read The Queen: 70 Glorious Years?
Cheers,
The Historian
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