Queen of Our Times (2022) By Robert Hardman

 

It can be and has been argued that Robert Hardman’s biography of Queen Elizabeth II is a rebuttal to the Netflix series The Crown. I have never watched an entire episode of the series but know from the clips of it I’ve seen its emphasis was on the more dramatic aspects of her reign, surrounding her and the often times dysfunctional Royal Family as a whole. Hardman, with access to the official record, was determined to set the record straight, or at least clear.

As a work of history Queen of Our Times is mammoth in scale. She ascended to the throne in 1952 the year before I was born and reigned for over 70 years. To a great many people, she really was the Queen of “Our Times.”

Born in 1926, her life coincided with nearly a century of events, including the Great Depression, both World Wars, the fairy-story abdication of her uncle King Edward, the death of her father King George V who ruled during World War II familiar to today’s cultural audience from the movie The King’s Speech, the assassination of Lord Mountbatten, the disastrous Suez Canal incident, and numerous other highlights, too many to list.  She died peacefully in 2022, having outlived the likes of Winston Churchill  and multiple other Prime Ministers. She reigned during the ascent and then restructuring of the Commonwealth. Then there are the inner workings of the Royal Family, her marriage to Philip, her four children, including Charles, the current King, his divorce from Princess Diana and remarriage to Camilla, and of course the heir apparent, Prince William and the “spare” Prince Harry.

There is a reason the book is nearly 1,000 pages in length.

All of her history has been front page material. I have learned much from the book, linking together multiple phases of her life and “our times.” My guess is that she has had more media coverage than anyone in world history. Yet, this coverage has not always been favorable, everyone loves her, but nearly all hate her family. Though this coverage has not always been fair, or even true, it sells newspapers. And that is why Hardman’s book is important, it tells another version of everything, trying to put it all in perspective.

Recommendation: Yes, and do not let the length of the book dissuade you, it reads like a good novel.