<p>Following her death in September 2022, the outpouring of affection and admiration for the Queen was as touching as it was remarkable. She had been a <b>matriarch to the nation for over seven decades</b>, and tens of millions of people – in Britain and across the world – poured forth their heartfelt respect for this extraordinary woman in the ten days of mourning that followed. Including a queue of up to twenty-four hours’ wait, momentous ceremonial processions across two countries and emotional coffin-side vigils from the monarch’s closest family members – these were events the scale of which are unlikely to be repeated.<br><br>In this insightful biography,<b> veteran royal biographer Andrew Morton</b> charts Elizabeth’s life, from her ascent to the throne at twenty-five, through fifteen Prime Ministers; the turmoil and tragedies of family life that dogged her until the end; a once-in-a-lifetime pandemic,