Queen Elizabeth II: A Personal History

by Hugo Vickers

Queen Elizabeth II occupies a unique place in the hearts of her people. She was elegant, self-contained, and enigmatic. After a supremely happy childhood, gravitas descended with the death of her beloved grandfather and after the Abdication she accepted her destiny. When she was 21 in 1947, she made a promise to serve and kept it for a remarkable 75 years. She was steadfast and conciliatory and presided calmly over decades of change, political upheaval and family tragedy. Tommy Lascelles described her as 'the most remarkable woman' he had ever met.
Hugo Vickers has been described by the Financial Times as 'the most knowledgeable royal biographer on the planet.' This major new biography is based on sixty years of close observation and research, and uses never-before-seen sources and personal recollections to illuminate her life as never before.

Genres: Biography

384 pages, Hardcover

First published April 16, 2026

About the author

Hugo Vickers is a writer and broadcaster, who has written biographies of many twentieth century figures, including the Queen Mother, Gladys, Duchess of Marlborough, Cecil Beaton, Vivien Leigh, a study of Greta Garbo, Alice, Princess Andrew of Greece, and his book, The Private World of The Duke and Duchess of Windsor was illustrated with pictures from their own collection. Mr Vickers’s book, The Kiss: The Story of an Obsession won the 1996 Stern Silver Pen Award for Non-Fiction.

Reviews

[Stephen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Detailed biography of the late monarch

[KT · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent.
I love that at 5yrs old she thought horses should have a day off.
Great Britain is great because of her.
What an excellent account of her amazing life
Ten ⭐

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a detailed and personal biography of Queen Elizabeth II by an author who is a journalist and biographer of many members of the Royal family, including one he co wrote with the Duke of Kent which I enjoyed a lot. The book is filled with little known facts and also contains information debunking misstatements about the Royal Family that have appeared elsewhere. Hugo Vickers was acquainted with the Queen and friends with many of her family and friends so this is a personal and well sourced biography. The author does have his opinions- he is sympathetic but realistic about the Duke of Windsor and not a huge fan of Meghan Markle, for example, but it’s all good information. This book was not available in the US when I bought it from Blackwell’s in the UK- it is now for sale in the US but not available until February 2027. I have no idea why publishers delay publication in other countries - it is quite annoying

[Jake Freedman · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was such a good book. Hugo covered The Queen so well. I am so glad I had the book shipped from the UK. Cannot recommend it enough.