The Last Queen: How Queen Elizabeth II Saved the Monarchy

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In 2020, the Queen finally appeared to be at ease in the modern world, helped by the new generation of Windsors. But then Harry and Meghan announced that they were leaving 'The Firm', and Prince Andrew was relieved of his duties following revelations of his involvement with disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein, inflamed by a car-crash TV interview. Suddenly, the Faustian bargain the royal family had struck with the media to ensure their survival had never seemed so close to breaking point.

Here, through Clive Irving's unique insight, we look behind the faade to find a fragile institution which owes its continued existence to one extraordinarily dutiful matriarch. Part biography, part meditation on a changing society, The Last Queen asks: how long can the House of Windsor survive beyond the reign of Elizabeth II

Picking up his tale in 1936, with the abdication of Edward VIII, Irving follows Elizabeth and her family's struggle to survive in the face of unprecedented changes in attitudes towards the monarchy a story honed by the critical eye of an investigative reporter who has been close to the action since the very beginning.

Reviews

"Clive Irving's immensely readable book brings real authority, context and personal insight to our understanding of the Queen. As a newspaperman in the center of the coverage for decades, he has a wonderful eye for the illuminating detail and a sense of history that pulls together the threads of social and political change, never losing sight of the remarkable woman at the center of his enquiring gaze. The Last Queen is as entertaining as it is essential, and I read it with gusto." - Tina Brown Irving puts his mark on a familiar story with his confident assessments and insider perspective on the British press. Royal watchers will delight in this richly detailed appraisal of the worlds oldest reigning monarch. - Publishers Weekly

Author Bio

Clive Irving is a columnist for the Daily Beast in New York. He has had a long and distinguished career on both sides of the Atlantic, with an unusually wide media experience: as a pioneer of investigative journalism at the Sunday Times; as a colleague of David Frost in transforming live television journalism; as a top magazine editor in London and New York; and as an early contributor to the Daily Beast. Coincidentally, his career in journalism and as a frequent critic of the monarchy has run in parallel with the Queen's entire reign. This gives him a unique insight into how the Queen has dealt with enormous social and cultural changes and, particularly, how the world's perception of the royal family is now, more than ever, decisively shaped by the media.