The Diamond Queen: Elizabeth II and Her People by Andrew Marr

A general introduction to changing monarchy which will frustrate readers searching for detail on Elizabeth II.

Andrew Marr is a British political commentator and journalist, and he begins his book on Queen Elizabeth II by explaining he was once a republican. But as he’s got older Marr has changed into a committed fan of royalty, and any republicans who pick this up wanting to know about the Queen will likely be offended by Marr dismissing them as juvenile or wilfully different. In fact The Diamond Queen opens with a chapter in which Marr argues openly for the British monarchy while explaining what the Queen does. If you want a neutral history, then this isn’t it, and while Marr is pointed in some sections, I felt he could have been more critical. However, Marr’s narrative is – treatment of republicanism aside – engaging, witty and easy to read.

Although the book does provide a brief history of Queen Elizabeth’s life, the book is actually equally useful as a history of the modern monarchy. By giving context on the role Elizabeth inherited through an opening section on her Windsor relatives - grandfather, father and uncle - the reader can trace the development of the modern British monarchy and are then in a position to see how her own reign has seen things change. The book ends with rumination on how Princes Charles and William might approach the throne. It’s also worth mentioning that the ‘Her People’ part of the title is a little misleading: the focus is the queen and her family; this is no broader social history. The result is a work that occasionally feels off topic for a more traditionally focused book on Elizabeth II, but one that’s richer for it. The book may feel slight to many, but this lack of depth is probably due to the Queen’s own public persona which prevents us really knowing her feelings on many events in her reign, such as the Suez Crisis.