Written with complete access to the Queen Mother's personal letters and diaries, this biography is the truly definitive account of this remarkable woman, whose life spanned the 20th century.

William Shawcross's official biography of Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother, published in September 2009, was a huge critical and commercial success.One of the great revelations of the book was Queen Elizabeth's insightful, witty private correspondence. Indeed, "The Sunday Times" described her letters as "wonderful . . . brimful of liveliness and irreverence, steeliness and sweetness." Now, Shawcross has put together a selection of her letters, drawing on the vast wealth of material in the Royal Archives and at Glamis Castle. Queen Elizabeth was a prolific correspondent, from her early...