Drawing on numerous interviews and never-before-revealed documents, acclaimed biographer Sally Bedell Smith pulls back the curtain to show in intimate detail the public and private lives of Queen Elizabeth II, who has led her country and Commonwealth through the wars and upheavals of the last sixty years with unparalleled composure, intelligence, and grace.

"Throughout history, the British monarchy has relied on its courtiers--the trusted advisers in the King or Queen's inner circle--to ensure its survival as a family and a pillar of the country. Today, as ever, a carefully selected team of people hidden from view steers the royal family's path between public duty and private life. Queen Elizabeth II, after a remarkable 70 years of service, saw the final seasons of her reign without her husband Philip...

"Vanity Fair Royals correspondent Katie Nicholl explores the remarkable life and reign of Queen Elizabeth II and the legacy she is handing down to the next generation"--Dustjacket flap. Queen Elizabeth has been constant in her desire to provide a steady presence and to be a trustworthy steward of the British people and Commonwealth. Recent years have brought grief and turmoil to the House of Windsor. Nicholl looks at Elizabeth's remarkable and unrivalled...