Our Queen

Inside the world of Elizabeth II.

Throughout history, there has been no Monarch like her. She is not merely the oldest Sovereign England has ever known. She is the most worldly. She has travelled further than all her predecessors put together. She has met more historic figures than anyone alive -- from Churchill to Mandela, de Gaulle, Reagan and Obama. And today, Queen Elizabeth II is no more contemplating retirement than she was when she came to the throne in 1952. She sits at the head of a hereditary institution so often associated with rigid tradition. And yet, it is more dynamic now than ever.

Having inherited a quasi-Edwardian insitution nearly 600 years ago, the Queen presides over a Monarchy which has managed to remain, simultaneously, popular, regal, inclusive and relevant in a 21st Century world. She has done this so effectively that she is, beyond doubt, the most respected and popular figure in British public life.

As she reaches a defining moment of her reign -- her Diamond Jubliee -- Robert Hardman explores the secrets of the Queen's success to produce a fascinating new portrait of a Sovereign who has witnessed more change than any since the creation of Great Britain.

ROBERT HARDMAN has been writing about the Monarchy for more than 15 years, first as royal correspondent for The Daily Telegraph and now as the author of the "How I See It" column in the Daily Mail. During a distinguished Fleet Street
career, he has also been, among other things, a political sketchwriter, a diarist, a sports columnist and a restaurant critic. His royal interviews have included Prince Philip, the Emperor and Empress of Japan, the King and Queen of Norway, the Queen of Denmark and the ex-King of Afghanistan. He is the writer and associate producer of the BBC1 series A Year with the Queen, which accompanies this book. He did the same for BBC1's acclaimed 2005 series, The Queen's Castle. Educated at Wellington and Cambridge, he lives in London.