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The Queen

By: Andrew Morton
Narrated by: Andrew Morton, Judy Bennett
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Publisher's Summary

In this entertaining and insightful biography, award-winning writer Andrew Morton, author of Diana, Her True Story and Elizabeth & Margaret: The Intimate World of the Windsor Sisters, takes you behind the scenes to uncover the woman and her world.

For years she prayed for her mother to give birth to a son. She longed to be spared her destiny as Britain's future Queen. Her dream was to live in the country surrounded by children, dogs and horses.

But Elizabeth did her duty, the young princess pledging before her people that she would dedicate her whole life to the service of Britain and the Commonwealth. She hoped that that day would be a long way off. It was not to be. Only 25 when she became Queen after the premature death of her father, King George Vl, Elizabeth has become the stuff of superlatives: the longest reigning, most travelled and, for a shy woman, the Queen who has shaken more hands and made more small talk than any other monarch in history. She has been seen and believed by millions, either in person, on television or film.

Elizabeth was set firmly on the road to becoming sovereign because of the D word—divorce. In 1936, her uncle David, King Edward VIII, wanted to marry a twice-divorced American, Wallis Simpson. When he couldn't he abdicated. Since that national trauma, divorce and the fall-out from divorce has shaped her reign. She has witnessed her sister Margaret, three of her children and several grandchildren divorce. And she has lived long enough to see the wheel turn full circle, watching as another American divorcee, Meghan Markle, walked down the aisle with her grandson Prince Harry.

While her reign has been defined by divorce, her private life has been moulded by an irascible husband, an extravagant mother and a querulous eldest son. In the winter of her reign she refereed a war between two of her grandsons, brothers William and Harry who were once inseparable friends. As she celebrates her platinum anniversary, the first monarch to reign for 70 years, she has, during a once in a lifetime pandemic, become the reassuring face of hope and optimism, the grandmother to the nation.

©2022 Andrew Morton (P)2022 Audible, Ltd

What listeners say about The Queen

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Lilibet

Loved this book . So much detail of a life well lived . Inspiring . Much better than I expected

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Easy listening, great narrator

This was entertaining and gave insight into the queens reign.
So glad the author has a professional narrator, Judy Bennett .
He performance was excellent and made the story come to life.

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Excellent

Well written, easy to listen to. I felt very unbiased.
Giving great respect for the work, thinking and the dedication of Queen Elizabeth 2.

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I was unexpectedly impressed

I've often found biographies a little on the boring side, however I enjoyed this narration very much. I have never been one to follow the royal family and was always a little confused as to who people were talking about and how they fit into the family tree. This put everything in perspective, and was narrated incredibly well for a biography. It covers all aspects of her life - childhood, meeting Philip, struggles in her early reign, family issues (from a seemingly very objective standpoint) including Charles and Diana, marriages of Harry and William - everything up until right before her death. I would recommend this for anyone who's even slightly interested in learning more about the British Royal Family.

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Loved it

Andrew Morton is so professional and such a good Royalist storyteller. Love his work. Listen to this, such a good history lesson as well!

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Fabulous!!

This is a wonderful listen. Every minute is to be savoured with a narrator who has a simply beautiful voice.
Thank goodness Andrew Morton, the author, did not narrate it himself……the preface with him narrating was more than enough to listen to! Lol!
Do yourself a favour and buy this book - you won’t regret it!

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Honest and informative

I loved it ! Ive listened to a few Royal biographies and this was really good. But I did love our queen. Great book. Sad to finish it really.

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What an eye opener, what a Queen!

loved it.
How someone writes such a HUGE life in so few hours is beyond me.
I learnt so much about her personality and it was a delight.
My already high esteem of a woman leading across such a plethora of historical moments, with grounded, wise and faithful leadership, was heightened by this honoring read.

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Amazing life. Timely release. Well performed.

I appreciated reading this story so close to Her Majesty's death(noting it was released at the time of her 70th Jubilee). Hearing it has helped me to contextualise many parts of her life and my own sadness that she has gone. It feels like a treat to hear personal snippets that could only have come from someone in her circle and related respectfully. Wonderful performance. Despite living an imperfect life, throughout she commanded a level of respect that few other leaders in my lifetime have achieved. I agree with the author that she may go down in history as Britain's greatest ever Queen (and one of its greatest ever monarchs).

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The Wueen

Was truly a good read. Great insight into life as a Royal. Well written and good narrative. I would recommend this to any royal fans to read.

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