The Diamond Queen: Elizabeth II and Her People - Softcover

'Andrew Marr's absorbing new book leaves no doubt about the pivotal role played by the Queen herself . . . As a leading broadcaster, Marr has been able to watch the Queen at first hand, and the more he has seen of her the more impressed he has become. As you would expect, he is particularly acute on the political aspects of constitutional monarchy, but he also writes perceptively about individual members of the Royal Family, notably Prince Philip' --Mail on Sunday - 4 star review

'Next year's Diamond Jubilee will be marked by a clutch of royal biographies. Marr's line as a former political journalist guarantees that his own offering does not simply sink in the sea of sugary platitudes.' --Express

'Both Andrew Marr and Robert Hardman are serious students of their subject. Both write well and thoughtfully . . . both books contain a lot of information which will be new . . . Marr is particularly interesting on the relationship between the Queen and the BBC . . . So which to read? If you want what is primarily a biography, go for Marr. If it is the institution that interests you, go for Hardman. If you are an enthusiastic monarchy-watcher, read both.'
--Philip Ziegler, the Spectator

`Books of quality are appearing in advance of next year's Diamond Jubilee...Andrew Marr approached the subject as a former (youthful) republican won over in The Diamond Queen.' --Hugo Vickers, The Lady

With the flair for narrative and the meticulous research that readers have come to expect, Andrew Marr turns his attention to the monarch – and to the monarchy, chronicling the Queen’s pivotal role at the centre of the state, which is largely hidden from the public gaze, and making a strong case for the institution itself. Arranged thematically, rather than chronologically, Marr dissects the Queen’s political relationships, crucially those with her Prime Ministers; he examines her role as Head of the Commonwealth, and her deep commitment to that Commonwealth of nations; he looks at the drastic changes in the media since her accession in 1952 and how the monarchy – and the monarch – have had to change and adapt as a result. Indeed he argues that under her watchful eye, the monarchy has been thoroughly modernized and made as fit for purpose in the twenty-first century as it was when she came to the throne and a ‘new Elizabethan age’ was ushered in.