Vanity FairRoyals correspondent and bestselling author ofWilliam and HarryandKateexplores the remarkable life and legacy of Queen Elizabeth II, with new chapters to include the last few months of her reign, and the rise of King Charles III.
For seventy years, Queen Elizabeth ruled over an institution and a family. During her lifetime she was constant in her desire to provide a steady presence and to be a trustworthy steward of the British people and the Commonwealth. In the face of her uncle's abdication, in the uncertainty of the Blitz, and in the tentative exposure of her family and private life to the public via the press, Elizabeth became synonymous with the crown.In due time historians will help shape how future generations look back upon the rule of Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain, but now, in this hour of remembrance, it is the opinion of this author that she was a lady for all seasons. Here is how I remember the venerated monarch.