In this intimate and revealing portrait we celebrate the life of Britain’s longest serving Monarch. HRH Elizabeth II reigned during a period of enormous social, economic and political change and she redefined the role of Monarch.
Elizabeth was not brought up or educated to be Queen as it was never imagined that she would inherit the throne which makes her achievements all the more remarkable. She became Queen at the age of 25 after the unexpected death of her Father King George V1 in 1952. She was a young woman in position of power but in a society dominated by men. We explore how difficult those early years were for her and how she carved out her authority and earned respect in a patriarchal world.
We examine how her role as Monarch, wife and mother presented her with many challenges. She was a high-powered working woman at a time when this was incredibly unusual. For her husband Prince Philip this role reversal proved to be a difficult transition. He had been a successful Naval commander but was forced to abandon his job and live a life walking two steps behind his royal wife. She was often required to put duty before family and this meant she was frequently away from her young family for long periods of time and we look at the impact that this had on her children.
And looking at her role as a grandmother and great-grandmother we see how Elizabeth has continued to steer a true course between the demands of the crown and the lives of her growing family.
Featuring contributions from an all-female cast of historians, journalists, biographers and close friends we examine the Queen as a Monarch and how she successfully modernised and adapted the monarchy to keep it a relevant in an ever-changing world and also as a woman who was an inspiration and role model to other women throughout the world.