THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER ¿THE TIMES and SUNDAY TIMES BEST MEMOIR OF 2024 ... 'GENIUS' A BOOK
OF THE YEAR for the SPECTATOR MAIL ON SUNDAY NEW STATESMAN FINANCIAL TIMES INDEPENDENT
TELEGRAPH SUNDAY EXPRESS and THE TABLET . From one of the funniest writers of our time the
award-winning author of One Two Three Four and Ma'am Darling turns his attention to Queen
Elizabeth II in an unforgettable and fascinating biography. 'A crown jewel among royal
biographies' OBSERVER 'Extraordinarily original enlightening and fresh' SPECTATOR 'Absolutely
fascinating' Ruth Langsford LOOSE WOMEN 'A very unusual masterpiece' SUNDAY TELEGRAPH
'Brilliantly funny and well-researched' FINANCIAL TIMES Virginia Woolf compared her to a
caterpillar Anne Frank kept pictures of her on the wall of her annex Jimi Hendrix played her
tune Haile Selassie gave her a gold tiara Dirk Bogarde watched Death in Venice with her Andy
Warhol envied her fame Donald Trump offended her E.M. Forster confessed he would have married
her if only she had been a boy. Queen Elizabeth II was famous for longer than anyone who has
ever lived. When people spoke of her they spoke of themselves when they dreamed of her they
dreamed of themselves. She mirrored their hopes and anxieties. To the optimist she seemed an
optimist to the pessimist a pessimist to the awestruck charismatic and to the cynical
humdrum. Though by nature reserved and unassuming her presence could fill presidents and rock
gods with terror. For close to a century she inhabited the psyche of a nation. Combining
biography essays cultural history dream diaries travelogue and satire the bestselling and
award-winning author of Ma'am Darling and One Two Three Four: The Beatles in Time presents a
kaleidoscopic portrait of this most public yet private of sovereigns. - 'An unconventional
tribute that offers a snapshot of almost a century of social history with a mix of royal
insanity and superior anecdotes from farts and corgis to Paul McCartney and poets laureate'
THE TIMES and SUNDAY TIMES BOOKS OF THE YEAR 2024 'An enthralling reverie on memory identity
coincidence and meaning - testing teasing charming moving and deceptively wise' RORY STEWART
'An entertaining and revealing digest ... fascinating ... Craig Brown has captured something
essential about Britain's curious relationship with royalty' TLS 'Completely and utterly
brilliant and exquisitely funny and fascinating. This book is dare I say majestic. Craig
Brown has no peers - I would curtsey to him if I met him' MARINA HYDE 'Wonderfully readable ...
At once sympathetic but clear-eyed kind but sharp' NEW STATESMAN 'Brown is as sharp and dryly
funny as his subject' EVENING STANDARD 'You wouldn't think the world needed another book about
Queen Elizabeth - but how wrong you'd be. Craig Brown's wholly original and enthralling
biography is absolute heaven from start to finish' INDIA KNIGHT 'Craig Brown continues to
reinvent the art of biography... utterly fascinating' JASON COWLEY Craig Brown's book One Two
Three Four won the Baillie Gifford Prize for Non-Fiction in 2020.
