The fate of the British royal dynasty from 1947 to 1955.
It was a period when Great Britain was recovering hard from the Second World War and when the future shape and indeed the very existence of the monarchy itself was being decided. The author brings to life many historical figures and events, introducing the historical context while describing real life in Buckingham Palace or the residence of the then Prime Minister Winston Churchill at No. 10.
The most attention is of course paid to Queen Elizabeth II., who ascended to the throne at just 26 years old, after his father's untimely death, King George VI.., and she had to learn, how to become a real ruler and ensure the stability of the country. We learn what life was like for the future queen in her early childhood and youth, when she lived an almost ordinary life together with her parents and younger sister. The author describes in detail the upbringing and education of the little princess, her adolescence and her relationship with her future husband Philip Mountbatten.
The turning point in Elizabeth's life was her coronation in 1952. Together with the author, we look at this important event in British history from many angles. We become imaginary witnesses of this solemn event and of the Queen's later prudent and responsible approach to her duties as ruler. The figure of Prime Minister Winston Churchill, who was a great support to the Queen in both political and private matters, stands out very clearly in this context. To some extent, he embodied the link between the past and the present of the monarchy.
The author also notes how the reign affected Elizabeth's private life, her own family, her marriage to Philip and the upbringing of their children. Many times during her reign, the Queen was forced into situations where she had to put her role as monarch before her own desires, feelings and opinions. She became acutely aware of this contradiction when the love affair between her younger sister Princess Margaret and Air Force Colonel Peter Townsend occurred. The possible marriage of a member of the royal family to a divorced man could have jeopardized centuries of ties between the Crown and the Church. Elizabeth's uncle Edward VIII had experienced the same situation many years earlier, abdicating rather than give up his love for his divorced wife. It was this decision that turned his brother George's life upside down, forcing him to unexpectedly take the reigns, and sixteen years later Elizabeth herself, who ascended the throne after her father's death.
