The Untold Story of Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother

Lady Colin Campbell

Language: English

Publisher: Arcadia Books

Published: Oct 30, 2013

Description:

Retail

Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother was called the 'most successful queen since Cleopatra' and the 'best queen consort ever'. Her personality was so captivating that even her arch-enemy the Duchess of Windsor wrote about 'her legendary charm' and when she died just a few months short of the impressive age of 102, she was covered in praise for a long life well lived. But there was another Elizabeth the Queen Mother behind the smiling granny, and the untold story of the life she really lived is far more fascinating and moving than the authorised version which has been peddled for the eighty eight years since she became royal, and which has formed the basis of all biographies written about her to date. Partly this is because none of the previous authors has had access to many of the sources that Lady Colin Campbell had, largely by virtue of being born into a prominent international family with royal connections, and having married into the ducal family of Argyll, which is also connected to the Royal Family. Those authors who did have access to some of the sources have been careful to follow the 'party line' and have merely hinted at a few of the more intriguing aspects of the Queen Mother's life, though none of the truly fascinating material has even been touched upon. Her sources, all of whom will be revealed in the book itself, include several members of the Royal Family; many Scottish and English aristocrats, and friends and relations of Elizabeth and the other members of the Windsor and Strathmore families.

About the Author

Lady Colin Campbell has for the last four decades been a pre-eminent figure in international society and a fixture in gossip columns in the UK and the US as well as being a writer respected for her accuracy, outspokenness and fearless courage. Connected to the Royal Family through mutual ancestors and marriage, she is the author of the London Times and New York Times bestseller Diana in Private (1992) and the acclaimed posthumous The Real Diana, as well as several other successful books, some royal, others not. An attractive and articulate television presence who has retained the looks which made her a supermodel in the late 60s/ early 70s, she has over the years been a frequent contributor to all the major television channels on both sides of the Atlantic, including CNN, Fox TV, German, French, Spanish, Italian and Japanese TV, ITV and the BBC. Her list of royal scoops is second to none. It was she who first revealed that Diana had an eating disorder; a psychiatric history; would be separated, then divorced; and would lose her royal title, amongst other firsts. She is frequently credited by publications worldwide with having written the best of all the Diana biographies, of which the following People Magazine quote is typical: "Some Palace watchers note that she has an impressive roster of well-placed contacts and credit her with writing the most believable Diana biography." She lives with her two sons in London and frequently visits the south of France, where the family has a chateau. She is a noted dog and cat lover whom the journalist Lynn Barber said is "the greatest gossip since Pepys" and Jenny Johnson of the Daily Mail claims is "the most entertaining person alive".