Young Elizabeth: The Making of the Queen
Written by Kate Williams
Narrated by Kate Williams
3.5/5
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About this audiobook
Elizabeth's determination to share in the struggles of her people marked her out from a young age. Her father initially refused to let her volunteer as a nurse during the Blitz but relented when she was eighteen, allowing her to work as a mechanic and truck driver for the Women's Auxiliary Territorial Service. It was her forward-thinking approach that ensured that her coronation was televised, against the advice of politicians at the time.
In Young Elizabeth, Kate Williams reveals how the twenty-five-year-old young queen carved out a lasting role for herself amid the changes of the twentieth century. Her monarchy would be a very different one from that of her parents and grandparents, and its continuing popularity in the twenty-first century owes much to the intelligence and elusive personality of this remarkable woman.
Kate Williams
KATE WILLIAMS is the author of the novels The Storms of War, Dancing into Life and The Pleasures of Men, as well as five acclaimed non-fiction books, including Becoming Queen, about Queen Victoria’s youth, and England’s Mistress: The Infamous Life of Emma Hamilton. She is also a social historian and broadcaster who appears regularly on radio and television as a historical and royal expert, frequently appears on BBC Breakfast and has hosted historical documentaries on TV and radio. The New World is the concluding volume in the Storms of War trilogy, which tells the story of the de Witt family between 1914 and 1939. Web: kate-williams.com Twitter: @KateWilliamsme
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Reviews for Young Elizabeth
25 ratings3 reviews
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5If you like the show the crown, you'll like the book. It provides a lot of contexts surrounding Queen Elizabeth the 2nd’s life up until her first few years as Queen. It was more interesting than I expected it to be. The royal life is fascinating, but not something to envy- I learn this the more I educate myself on the British royal family.
2 people found this helpful
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5A nicely done book on the formative years of Queen Elizabeth. The twists and turns of the Royal Family saga is a tale that leads to the young Elizabeth being positioned for where she is today. I find the whole concept of royalty rather absurd especially the fanaticism with which is held in the U.K. But that is their thing and so be it. This queen showed the early traits of resolve and sense of duty that has definitely served her well as she will become the longest reigning sovereign. Many good insights on what she faced and how she handled it. Also good coverage of the abdication of Edward, Prince Phillip, and Princess Margaret. Mainly the facts without a lot of the dirt.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The story of the life of Queen Elizabeth II up to the time of her coronation shows that she has not changed much in her life. She was a dutiful child, a dutiful young woman and became a dutiful queen., This is not new information. What was new - at least in the way the author presented it - was how lackadaisical her parents were about her education, not really giving her any firm foundation in history or statecraft until the dowager Queen Mary took it into her own hands. Similarly, when the crisis of the relationship of Princes Margaret and Peter Townsend occurred right under the royal noses, everyone seemed to be too preoccupied with their own concerns to take notice of what was happening.. The whole family seemed to live in their own world, totally ignorant of what was going on outside the palace walls. Maybe the jolts of the 1990's were a good thing after all.