A Brief Life of the Queen

A Brief Life of the Queen

A Brief Life of the Queen is a succinct, personal and beautifully illustrated biography of Elizabeth II, who has managed to remain an enigma, despite being the most recognised woman in the world.

For more than thirty years Robert Lacey has been gathering material from the members of the Queen's inner circle - her friends, relatives, private secretaries and prime ministers - and the results are distilled in this elegant hardback which marks the Queen's Diamond Jubilee.

Tracing her life through its major stages, and uncovering her greatest personal loves and trials, A Brief Life of the Queen offers the freshness of the first-hand insights and compelling story-telling for which Robert Lacey's best-selling biographies are renowned.

Robert Lacey is a British Historian noted for his in-depth research and page-turning narrative style. He is the author of several international bestsellers including Majesty: Elizabeth II and the House of Windsor, The Kingdom: Arabia and the House of Saud and Great Tales from English History.

A Brief Life of the Queen
Bloomsbury
Author: Robert Lacey
Price: $22.99

Interview with Robert Lacey

Question: You've been collating material for this biography for thirty years, what originally inspired you to begin gathering the first-hand information and insights?

Robert Lacey: I am always attracted to subjects that, on the face of it, do not make sense -- like the fact that millions of people around the world feel such affection and curiosity about a woman, Elizabeth II, whom they have never met. So my Brief Life of the Queen tries to unravel the mystery - like, for example, what the Queen really thought about Diana. I discovered that actually the Queen was very supportive and encouraging towards the princess. Certainly at the beginning.


Question: What intrigues you most about Queen Elizabeth II?

Robert Lacey: I am fascinating by how the Queen and the monarchy have changed so much in the last sixty years, while always appearing, in some way, to stay the same.


Question: Was it difficult collating the information for the biography when Queen Elizabeth II does not allow interviews?

Robert Lacey: I started my career writing books about Queen Elizabeth I - and she never granted me an interview. When it comes to Elizabeth II, the secret is to win the confidence of those who are close to her, from prime ministers and politicians to her friends and advisers - and even some members of the family. The account in my new book about what happened after the death of Diana in September 1997 is based on talking to four people who were actually up in Scotland with her - and six people who were handling the crisis down in London at Downing Street and Buckingham Palace.


Question: Have you been privileged with the opportunity to speak with the Queen, at some point?

Robert Lacey: I have now met the Queen and talked to her half a dozen times - and, yes, that is a very great privilege.


Question: What's one thing about the Queen, that most of us would not know?

Robert Lacey: I don't think most people know that the Queen keeps her Corn Flakes in Tupperware containers when she breakfasts privately at Buckingham Palace - and that Prince Philip's pet name for her is 'Cabbage'.


Question: How difficult was it to choose appropriate images and quotes for the biography?

Robert Lacey: Thanks to her iconic image appearing for so many years on so many coins, banknotes and postage stamps all round the world, the Queen has the most familiar set of features in the world. So I have tried in my book to look for the photos that are not so familiar - including some cheeky cartoons. One of the most important functions of the monarchy is that it gives us something to laugh about.