On the 8th of September 2022 we were saddened by the announcement of the death of Queen Elizabeth II. Her Majesty the Queen declared on her 21st birthday in 1947:

"that my whole life, whether it be long or short, shall be devoted to your service and the service of our great imperial family to which we all belong." 

The announcement of the Queen's death comes only two days after her final publicised act as Monarch, accepting the resignation Prime Minister Boris Johnson and meeting her 15th Prime Minister, Liz Truss. Demonstrating her hard work and dedication to the role until the very end. 

Queen Elizabeth II is the UK's longest serving Monarch and one of the longest serving Monarchs of a sovereign state in history, second to Louis XIV of France, celebrating her Platinum Jubilee in June 2022. 

If you want to learn more about Queen Elizabeth II, or want to reflect on and celebrate her reign take a look at this right royal collection of non-fiction. 

We recently reviewed Queen Elizabeth II: An Oral History by Deborah Hart Strober and Gerald Strober. Newly updated, it presents a compelling compendium of key moments in the Queen’s life - and British history - from individuals who were there at the time, with accounts from family, friends, staff and famous figures. It’s a great read for anyone interested in British social history, and for fans of The Crown, for that matter.

Talking of The Crown, if you especially loved season two, try Ingrid Seward’s My Husband and I for insights into the Queen’s marriage. Another highly readable book royal-lovers won’t be able to put down comes courtesy of Robert Hardman’s Queen of Our Times. 

If you appreciate fine photography, try Town and Country The Queen - A Life in Pictures. It features 300 images of the Queen, covering her years in wartime service, coronation, and wedding, through to photos of her as a grandmother. If you’re into style and fashion, Our Rainbow Queen will have you in its thrall as Sali Hughes presents a dazzling photographic journey through Queen Elizabeth II's ten decades of style.

Fancy something filled with fun facts? You might enjoy Brian Hoey’s Not in Front of the Corgis. For more (but very different) eye-opening royal intrigue, we also recently loved Andrew Lownie’s Traitor King, a meticulously researched, revelatory account of Edward and Mrs Simpson told with all the pace of a thriller. Then there’s William Shawcross’ in-depth biography of the Queen Mother – a riveting must-read for those keen to understand the Queen in a wider context.

Finally, if you fancy some regal fiction after discovering the following non-fiction books, read our collection of books that boss it like a queen – a selection of novels featuring female leaders through time and around the globe, from regal reads rooted in reality, to queenly heroines of fantasy.