Self-confessed Republican, Andrew Marr, admits he is now a born-again Royalist following the extensive research involved in creating his recent BBC television series and this hefty pro-Queen tome. However, as to be expected from a "proper" journalist such as Marr, The Diamond Queen is not simply a sugary-sweet retrospective of our monarch, penned simply to mark her milestone anniversary, the shrewd investigator looks at the political, historical and constitutional role of the monarchy.
Marr is keen to stress that this is not the accompanying book to the TV series of the same name, and it certainly lacks some of the small-screen shine, requiring an altogether more devoted attitude to Elizabeth II to get through its some 400 pages.
If it's a warm, insightful portrait of Britain's second-longest serving monarch you're after, then do stick to the three part documentary series, that can now be found on i player. The only part of Marr's monarchical opus that would interest the majority of readers is the section preceding 'Part One' entitled 'What the Queen Does'.
In it, readers are made privy to various charming details about the Queen's daily routine and the lesser-known nuances of her very unique role, such as selecting memorabilia and books to display in the bedrooms of state guests. (For Barack Obama and wife Michele's visit in 2011, handwritten letters from the President's idol, Lincoln, were left out, along with personal notes detailing Queen Victoria's dismay at the plight of black slaves)
In a year that is sure to see endless texts celebrating her life, The Diamond Queen is undoubtedly the most comprehensive and well researched of them all.
No comments:
Post a Comment