When it comes to the spate of books produced to mark the Golden Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II's accession to the Throne, this is perhaps the best and most relevant, especially within the context of the Queen Mother's recent passing, since it looks at the British monarchy in its entirety; past, present and future.

The authors interviewed some 100 Royal Family friends, acquaintances, and members of their retinue, in an attempt to compose a portrait of their personal and public lives.

It makes for fascinating reading - authentic accounts from those who were there to witness history in the making, such as the day Queen Elizabeth II learned of her father, King George VI's passing. She cried upon hearing the news, "And then," according to her equerry-in-waiting at the time, Mike Parker, "she straightened up and she went in, to the desk she had been working at, and started to send all these telegrams off...."

The majority of the interviewees are British and there's a good deal of conjecture about different happenings, accounts that sometimes disagree; but it is this very conflict that makes it seem like you're there as events unfold through the various dispatches which provide enough detail to allow a clear picture to emerge.

We become privy to the inner workings of the monarchy. For instance, the King's many secretaries had a code for a multitude of contingencies, including his death. Sir Edward Ford, the King's assistant private secretary, reveals, "I got a telephone call from [Private Secretary, Sir Alan] Lascelles at Sandringham [House, one of the Royal Family's private residences], saying 'Hyde Park Corner,' because that was the code. He simply said: 'Hyde Park Corner. Go and tell [Prime Minister] Churchill, and the Queen Mary,' and he rang off."

The book includes a brief history of the monarchy, dating back to its establishment in 1066, with stops at notable milestones and interesting tidbits along the way. Queen Mary, for example, according to the Seventeenth Earl of Perth, John David Drummond, was "a very forceful character.... When she was visiting a grand house, she would like to see various things. And there was always a risk if she said: 'Oh, I like that; that's really something very nice.' It had almost reached the point that the host...felt impelled to send it on to her later."

Also covered is King Edward VIII's abdication of the Throne in 1936. The royal biographer Lady Langford divulges that the words "the woman I love," used in his abdication speech, referring to the twice-divorced Wallis Simpson, who would become the Duchess of Windsor, were suggested by then-Prime Minister Winston Churchill.

Lady Longford also shares a story about how, when George VI became King, Princess Margaret asked her elder sister, "'Does that mean you'll be Queen?' And [Princess Elizabeth] said: 'Yes, some day.' And Princess Margaret said: 'Poor you.'"

We hear accounts of the difficulty involved in securing enough white horses for the service lords to ride on during Queen Elizabeth II's coronation in 1952; and memories of how the intense heat on the day of her father's coronation caused the boots of the bobbies, who lined the procession route, to stick to the tarmac. Reportedly, Winston Churchill opposed televising Queen Elizabeth II's coronation on the grounds that "people might watch the service while drinking beer!"

When the new Queen, in one of her first dictates, overrode the decision not to televise the celebration, sales of television sets soared in Britain.

It's possible that Sir Michael Oswald best sums up the awesome responsibility inherent in the monarchy when he says, "In a political job you can give it up. The Queen sees it that it's something she's consecrated to do, and to do for the rest of her life to the best of her ability."

As the Head of the Commonwealth, she commands a total of 1.7 billion subjects.

We witness salient points in the monarchy's chronicle, from the birth of Prince Charles, to his much-publicized marriage and eventual divorce from Princess Diana, to her imposing death.

Former Foreign Office official Ian Adams explains that the late Queen Mother exerted great influence when it came to the pairing of Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer.

Many of Queen Elizabeth II's courtiers are interviewed and we get a sense of what it's like to live inside Buckingham Palace, with its 600 rooms; the "world's largest inhabited castle" - Windsor Castle; and the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Scotland; in addition to the Queen's two private residences, the aforementioned Sandringham House, and Balmoral Castle.

Remembering simpler times, when the beautiful young Princess Elizabeth became Queen, Admiral Sir Henry Leach suggests, "There was very much less scurrilous stuff floating round the media of the day...."

But starting in the late-1950s, the monarchy started to become the subject of criticism, and the authors don't turn a blind eye to this. There's talk of the struggle to find a suitable role for Prince Charles while he waits to succeed the Queen, with British Lord McNally saying, "I might be totally unfair to Prince Charles, but my impression was that beyond a kind of general look-around, there wasn't very much enthusiasm [on his part] for doing a specific job." A chapter in the book entitled, "The Heir Apparent: Who Is He?" examines in detail the issues that seem to surround Prince Charles, with part of it dedicated to debate about whether Camilla Parker Bowles will one day be Queen.

Lastly, there is a further examination of Prince Charles, with an eye toward assessing the future of the monarchy, centering on whether he will step aside and let Prince William succeed the Queen.

Regardless of your position on such matters, the authors present us with a captivating read and an inside look at Royal life.

Excellent, original and interesting - dare I say even entertaining. If you are interested in a bio of a woman deserving of respect, that is not of the tabloid sort on people best described as a dilettante,(can anyone say "Diana",)then take a look at this one. It is very, very good. Elizabeth may have had her role thrust upon her by an accident of birth, but she has handled it far better than most have in the past, and probably will in the future.

This is one of the very best biographies I've read on the Queen - a very fair and unbiased book with wonderful insights from people who really know the Royal Family. The people who are quoted are well known and not afraid to tell the truth even when it isn't complimentary. I'd highly recommend this book - it is like sitting down in your living room and talking to people about the Royal Family. I thoroughly enjoyed it and found it hard to put down once I started.

i guess I am slightly biased as i am Joanna Hart sister to Victoria and younger daughter to elizabeth and Alan Hart.

I was only able to bring myself to read my mum's book 4yrs ago as it was and still is a very painful subject to me.

I felt that my mother described perfectly our childhood through this traumatic time and am very proud of her achievement. I know how difficult it was for her to write about a subject that is so close to all our hearts.

My sister was a real fighter and she never gave up hope, she had a tireless spirit and such an enthusiasm for life that she made us all realise how little time we all have to live.

I certainly would recommend reading this book as it makes you appreciate life and not take anything for granted.

I miss my sister desperatley but her spirit lives on in my heart and in this book.

Thank you for your time

joanna Hart

This book was cool. It certainly lists a lot of songs...but if you have the knack for it, you could make up a lot that are better than some listed. But all in all it really helped my campaign, I wouldn't say it is a must buy but it does help.