The Queen Mother: The Official Biography

This extraordinary book is the ultimate book of all times about the Queen Mother Elizabeth AND ENGLAND as well. The events are well presented, never dragging on and on. The HISTORY she experienced and lived through successfully captures the reader. Once I started reading it, I had trouble putting it down. In truth, it is a large, HEAVY book, but DO NOT let that keep you from buying and reading it!! The background/history of her times and country as related to world events are all drawn together for the reader to experience and glimpse as her life unfolds. Of all the recent and past books focused on the history of the Royals of England, it is the ultimate one that ties together many of the backgrounds of King Charles III. and others we read about today. I would rate this book SIX+ Stars.

I purchased this as a gift for my mother who is originally from England. She absolutely loves the book, but does have a hard time holding it up to read because it is a huge and heavy tome.

Eventhough with the majority of biographies you always know the ending, I still cried a little at William Shawcross's description of the Queen Mother's funeral in the final pages of his fascinating book on her life. I am British and have lived in the US for 10 years. When the Queen Mother died in 2002 I was already here and paid little attention to what was going on back home at the time, only now realizing that both she and her younger daughter died within weeks of each other. What I had also never realized (given that she was already in her late 60's when I was born) was how much she did during the first and especially the second world wars to motivate, inspire and generally cheer up the people around her. Mr. Shawcross's description of the King and Queen during WWII gave me a far better understanding of that time than any lessons I took at school. This account also explained the relationship between Britain and the USA, the friendships between the King & Queen and the Roosevelts and the impetus that caused the USA to at last ally with Britain during WWII. Also during this time, and until the King's death in 1952, the love story that was their marriage was a very rare thing to read about. His letters to her and hers to him, his wooing of her, her refusal of him and then the undying love, devotion and support that glued them together. This in itself gripped me and the description of the King's death again bought tears because you knew that she would not be able to cope without him. But she did (albeit with a deeply hidden sadness for her husband whom she remembered with a private mass every year on the anniversary of his death until she was too frail to go to chapel at the age of 101). For the next fifty years as the Queen Mother she remained a steadfast figure in British life fulfilling many national and international engagements supporting her regiments and charities along with official government and Royal duties. Her duty to her country and its people was paramount. Her dislike of change equally so but never expressed with unkindness. In some of her letters on life and religion she may have even been one of the very first "new agers" with her theories on what love really is, the use of homoeopathic medicine and life after death. She was a fascinating woman, filled with love, kindness, an unfailing sense of duty, stamina by the ton and an enjoyment of life, always remaining positive and willing to see the funny side of things which was to take her through almost 102 years. William Shawcross's use of personal letters and interviews with those who knew and loved her and whom she loved in return gives the reader of this book a profound sense of who Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon really was, who she became and the legacy she leaves behind. It is a beautifully written tribute to a truly remarkable lady.

I always thought of the Queen Mother as a sweet old lady (because that was all she was during my lifetime) but after reading her "official" biography, I have much more respect for her. What a wondrous life she led.

Its important to understand that William Shawcross has written an authorized or official biography of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother. That means, as Shawcross states in his Introduction, that he was invited by Queen Elizabeth II to write her mother's life. Shawcross was given access to the Royal Archives and other private collections as well as tape recorded reminiscences made by the Queen Mother herself in her final years. He also interviewed hundreds of former servants and friends. In the Introduction, Shawcross emphasizes that he was given "absolute freedom to write as I wished." There is no doubt in my mind that The Queen and Royal Family did indeed allow him to write freely, knowing that he would craft a truthful but respectful chronicle. This is by way of saying that one should not read this work expecting sensational gossip or shocking "revelations". Others have written about such things, and no doubt many more will be written in coming years. This book portrays the Queen Mother much as she herself would wish to be portrayed. Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon was born in August, 1900, the daughter of a wealthy family of Scots and English nobility. The ninth of ten children, she had a happy childhood unburdened by too much education, did nursing in World War I, and eventually made her debut with the prospect of making a brilliant match. She attracted one of the most brilliant names available, Prince Albert Duke of York, second son of King George V. After refusing him several times she agreed to marry him in 1923. She became an early royal superstar, beloved by the British for her charm and good humor. Her awkward, stammering husband gained new confidence with her help, and when his older brother abdicated in 1936, he was able, with the support of his wife, to ascend the throne and perform admirably as King George VI through World War II. After the King's death in 1952 the Queen Mother lived another fifty years, becoming an ever more greatly beloved matriarch with her bright smile, sparkling jewels, and elegant and befeathered wardrobe. Shawcross does an admirable job detailing the Queen Mother's life, producing a detailed, almost day to day chronicle. In so doing he also provides a fairly good political history of Britain during the twentieth century albeit through the eyes of a woman whose upper class antecedents and milieu hardly made her sympathetic to many of the social reforms enacted during her lifetime. Her personal relationships with her husband, daughters, and grandchildren are also well but respectfully covered. This is a well written biography with impeccable scholarship. If it does not satisfy the appetites of those who wish only to read scandal, it nevertheless will please those who remember the Queen Mother as a strong personality who helped guide her country and her family through some of their greatest and darkest hours.

Seldom is a book so well written and holding interest from page 1. This one is. The 100 years she lived is a life filled with happiness. Her family raised her with warmth and love and it permeates the life she lived. Great history of the times witten in such a readable manner.