Indeed, Brandreth is as much a character in this book as the Queen herself. There is a lot of “as X put it to me”, and “as X told me”. This is Brandreth’s magical mystery tour, and he is a fine guide if you like your guides fully involved. Nobody, other than the Queen’s family, knew her intimately. Therefore, there are bound to be limitations when it comes to any books written about her. What Brandreth does in this book is discuss how other people’s descriptions of the Queen and their experiences spent in her company tally with his own. That is interesting, I only wish there was more of it. But, as I say, she was immensely private - who could blame her - and so there isn’t a whole heap to go on. He kept a record of all those encounters, and his conversations with the Queen over the years, his meetings with her family and friends, and his observations of her at close quarters are what make this very personal account of her extraordinary life uniquely fascinating.

This is a well-meaning book about people loved by the author. I enjoyed it for what it is, but as Brandreth himself writes, “sustaining the mystique of the monarchy was essential to its authority – and survival”. He might reflect on that. Delighted to welcome Meghan into the family, “the only concern the Queen let slip in the early days of the Sussexes’ marriage was to wonder to a friend if Harry wasn’t ‘perhaps a little over in love’”, according to Brandreth. She liked Meghan and told her: “You can carry on being an actress if you like – that’s your profession, after all.” She was more concerned about Harry’s wellbeing than “this television nonsense”, as she referred to the Oprah Winfrey interview and the Sussexes’ Netflix deal, he claimed. When Andrew “was harrumphing about Harry and Meghan’s interview with Oprah Winfrey on American television in 2020, the Queen chipped in gently: ‘Didn’t Sarah [Andrew’s ex-wife] do something similar?’” he wrote. On the Duke of York Watching television dramas such as Line of Duty helped to “keep her spirits up”. But she sometimes struggled to keep up with the plot and disliked the constant “mumbling” on it and other programmes. Her master of the household, Sir Tony Johnstone-Burt, told Brandreth: “My principal duty with HM has been to keep her spirits up – so I’ve been watching Line of Duty with her – I’m ‘the Explainer’. It’s very funny.” She told Brandreth she sometimes struggled to understand the plots and dialogue of the police drama. “It keeps me in touch – when I can understand what’s being said. There’s an awful lot of mumbling on television now. It’s not my hearing,” she told him. Her humourThis book does exactly what it says on the cover it truly is an intimate portrait of Queen Elizabeth. Gyles Brandreth is one of Britain’s busiest after-dinner speakers and award ceremony hosts. He has won awards himself, and been nominated for awards, as a public speaker, novelist, children’s writer, broadcaster (Sony), political diarist (Channel Four), journalist (British Press Awards), theatre producer (Olivier), and businessman (British Tourist Authority Come to Britain Trophy). Enjoy this s pecial edition now featuring an exclusive postscript about King Charles III's Coronation with photographs. Beautifully written book. I have read many other books about Philip but this is the best' DAILY EXPRESS

As a performer, Gyles Brandreth has been seen most recently in ZIPP! ONE HUNDRED MUSICALS FOR LESS THAN THE PRICE OF ONE at the Duchess Theatre and on tour throughout the UK, and as Malvolio and the Sea Captain in TWELFTH NIGHT THE MUSICAL at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. Gyles Brandreth has written the Queen's tale candidly with grace and sensitivity from the view of someone who knew her, her late husband Philip and the wider Royal family. It is a book he has been working on for many years. This book was a fantastic insight into our late Queen. I listened to this on Audible and I think because it was narrated by Gyles himself, it added that extra "specialness" to the book. It's simply a wonderful portrait into the extraordinary life of Queen Elizabeth! Brilliant . . . There is so much in this book you won't find anywhere else' LORRAINE Read more Look Inside Details Paints a unique picture of the remarkable woman who reigned for seven decades. Fascinating insights' HELLO!He is married to writer and publisher Michèle Brown, with whom he co-curated the exhibition of twentieth century children’s authors at the National Portrait Gallery and founded the award-winning Teddy Bear Museum now based at the Polka Theatre in Wimbledon. He is a trustee of the British Forces Foundation, and a former chairman and now vice-president of the National Playing Fields Association. She found the Duke of York’s account of his friendship with Jeffrey Epstein “intriguing”, worried that the Duke of Sussex might be a little “over in love” with Meghan, and found some solace in the gritty police drama Line of Duty after the death of the Duke of Edinburgh. This intimate, personal biography of Queen Elizabeth II tells the story of her remarkable life, reign and times, from a perspective unlike any other. Gyles Brandreth writes the Queen's tale candidly with grace and sensitivity from the view of someone who met her, talked with her and kept a record of those conversations. Brandreth knew the Queen's husband well and knows the new King and Queen Consort.

This being an “intimate portrait”, most readers will enjoy that the author has impeccable access, as he recounts (mostly trivial) conversations he had with the Queen. He is admiring of his subject, even when remembering a discussion with the monarch at a drinks party in 1990, in which his small talk led her to comment that being a vegetarian, like his wife, “must be very dull”.

I listened to the book on Audible as I love to hear Gyles speak and I knew it would enhance the experience and I was not disappointed. I liked it better than the Katie Nicholl book I read last year; it’s more gentle, less tabloid-y. Brandreth makes little mention of the modern Meghan & Harry controversy; he’s actually quite kind about them because he says that’s what the Queen was, kind. She found the whole tabloid culture wearisome, as did Prince Philip. Andrew told his mother the whole story of his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein. “The first time he gave her the full account of the whole sorry saga, she listened carefully. Then the Queen, who never said more than was necessary, responded with just one word: ‘Intriguing,’” Brandreth wrote. She retained her “confidence” in Andrew, yet had no hesitation in stripping him of his role after the disastrous Newsnight interview in 2019. She allowed herself to be photographed riding with Andrew in Windsor Great Park the day after she relieved him of his royal duties to show her personal support, and was in favour of his appearance at her side at Philip’s memorial service. Grieving Philip Over the next fifty years he met her many times, both at public and private events. Through his friendship with the Duke of Edinburgh, he was given privileged access to Elizabeth II. Elizabeth: An Intimate Portrait" is a biography of the late queen from the perspective of someone who interacted with her and her family frequently.