Perfect for fans of The Crown, this captivating biography from a New York Times bestselling author follows Queen Elizabeth II and her sister Margaret as they navigate life in the royal spotlight.
They were the closest of sisters and the best of friends. But when, in a quixotic twist of fate, their uncle Edward Vlll decided to abdicate the throne, the dynamic between Elizabeth and Margaret was dramatically altered. Forever more Margaret would have to curtsey to the sister she called 'Lillibet.' And bow to her wishes.
Elizabeth would always look upon her younger sister's antics with a kind of stoical amusement, but Margaret's struggle to find a place and position inside the royal system—and her fraught relationship with its expectations—was often a source of tension. Famously, the Queen had to inform Margaret that the Church and government would not countenance her marrying a divorcee, Group Captain Peter Townsend, forcing Margaret to choose between keeping her title and royal allowances or her divorcee lover.
From the idyll of their cloistered early life, through their hidden war-time lives, into the divergent paths they took following their father's death and Elizabeth's ascension to the throne, this book explores their relationship over the years. Andrew Morton's latest biography offers unique insight into these two drastically different sisters—one resigned to duty and responsibility, the other resistant to it—and the lasting impact they have had on the Crown, the royal family, and the ways it adapted to the changing mores of the 20th century.
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“Morton examines in this vibrant history the ‘push-and-pull between…deep love and primal jealousy’ that bonded Queen Elizabeth II and her younger sister, Princess Margaret…Royal watchers will be enthralled.”
— Publishers Weekly
“Thoroughly researched and well written, the most comprehensive account of the complex relationship between the Queen and Princess Margaret to date.”
— Sarah Bradford, New York Times bestselling authorBe the first to write a review about this audiobook!
Andrew Morton is one of the world’s best-known biographers and a leading authority on modern celebrity. His groundbreaking 1992 biography Diana: Her True Story became a New York Times bestseller, as did Monica’s Story, 17 Carnations, Angelina, and The Queen: Her Life. He is the winner of numerous awards, including Author of the Year by the British Book Awards and Scoop of the Year by the London Press Club. He lives in London and travels extensively in the United States, Canada, and Europe in his research for the biographies.
Marisa Calin is an actress, novelist, and multiple Earphones Award–winning narrator born in England and educated in New York at the American Academy of the Dramatic Arts. An artist with a flair for everything literary, she has written a young adult novel, You & Me, which received a starred review from Kirkus Reviews.