Posted by JACC
on 9/11/2009, 0:19:02, in reply to "Re: NY Times reviews Queen Mother biography"
216.8.159.162
Well, I finished it! Skimmed most of the last half.
Some observations:
Until middle age Elizabeth was frequently ill with colds and influenza at inconvenient times, such as during royal tours - maybe this built up her immunity, and allowed her to live to such a ripe old age?
During the Duke & Duchess of York's visit to Australia she was much more popular with the crowds and the press than he was - sound familiar?
She wanted more than two children but it didn't work out.
The Royal Family are great letter writers. My mother or siblings never write bread and butter letters when they stay with me over the holidays, but Princess Margaret and Queen Elizabeth wrote thank you notes to the Queen all the time. I guess when you're sleeping in a castle.....
One of the sources frequently cited is "Lady in Waiting Diary". Not a specific Lady, but perhaps a running narrative of Queen Elizabeth's engagements, who was there, the weather, etc.?
Favorite bit - royal staff described as being like well-trained collies who bring forward the people Queen Elizabeth wants to meet and head off the rest. 
--Previous Message--
: I'm on page 530 and I regret to say that I
: agree with this review. It is a must-read
: for those of us with a strong interest in
: the British monarchy, workmanlike and
: informative, but it is none of the literary
: merit of, say, James Pope_Hennessy's
: biography of Queen Mary. I would not
: recommend it to someone with a general
: interest in history or biography, rather
: than a specific interest in royalty, as it
: reads a bit too much like the Court
: Circular. I was really expecting more flare
: because I loved the author's book about the
: fall of the Shah, but this is a book with a
: lot of great information but not a lot of
: style.
:
: --Previous Message--
:
:
: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/08/books/review/Queenan-t.html?_r=1&ref=world
:
:
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