VOYAGE AROUND THE QUEEN

From one of the funniest writers of our time, the award-winning biographer turned his attention to Queen Elizabeth II in an unforgettable and fascinating jewel-in-the-crown among royal biographies. The London Gazette 21st April 1926. 'Her Royal Highness the Duchess of York was safety delivered of a princess at 17, Bruton Street, Mayfair... The happy event was made known by the firing of the Park and Tower guns.' The television was also invented in 1926 and expressions first chronicled included car park and publicity stunt. Queen Elizabeth II was famous for longer than anyone who has ever lived. This is a book which reflects ourselves as a nation, refracted through our own relationship with one person or ideas of that person - the late Her Majesty the Queen. Brown gives an astute account of the public life of an intensely private person and his book is crammed with statistics and anecdotes, much of it gloriously bizarre. "An enthralling reverie on memory, identity, coincidence, and meaning - testing, teasing, charming, moving and deceptively wise." - Rory Stewart. Brown also gives us a serious reflection on the nature of power and why institutions such as the monarchy, in the right hands, can provide society with stability and a sense of continuity especially in turbulent times. The parody celebrity diary writer for Private Eye since 1989, Craig Brown combines biography, essays, cultural history, dream diaries, travelogue and satire in his kaleidoscopic portrait. 2024 glamorous publication, 662pp with royal snakes and ladders endpapers with 60 numbered spots like no.28 Jackie Kennedy looks daggers and no.30. Fun photos.