The Real Elizabeth by British journalist Andrew Marr is perceptive, wryly written, and a delight to read. People 鈥渙ften bubble about [the queen's] wit and insight 鈥� and then tell you only what they said to her,鈥� Marr writes. 鈥淐lever.鈥�
Thankfully, she can鈥檛 hide everything. Marr manages to offer a few delicious stories about the queen, like the time Prince Philip scurried out of a chalet doorway, followed by a pair of airborne tennis shoes and a tennis racquet, as a startled documentary film crew watched. The filmmaker, no fool he, wisely exposed the film.
Marr also provides vivid stories about other royal personalities, from the troubled Princess Diana to grumpy ol鈥� Prince Philip, the fun-loving queen mother, and the regal Queen Mary, Elizabeth鈥檚 grandmother, who once disagreed with a book鈥檚 description of herself as easily bored: 鈥淎s a matter of fact,鈥� she sniffed in her own handwriting, 鈥淭he Queen is never bored.鈥�
Marr鈥檚 insight sets him apart, such as when he captures Elizabeth鈥檚 poise and 鈥渆erie鈥� phrasing during a radio broadcast on her 21st birthday: 鈥淸I]t is as if we are witnessing a young woman making herself into some kind of human sacrifice.鈥�
