Princess: The Early Life of Queen Elizabeth II

Princess chronicles the early years of Queen Elizabeth II, from her birth in 1926 through her ascension to the British throne in 1952. The biography focuses on her childhood, education, wartime experiences, and the events that shaped her development as heir presumptive. Drawing from royal archives, personal correspondence, and interviews, author Jane Dismore reconstructs the private world of the young princess and her relationships with family members, particularly her parents and sister Margaret. The narrative examines her introduction to royal duties, her time in the Auxiliary Territorial Service during WWII, and her courtship with Prince Philip. The book provides context for the social and political climate of Britain during Elizabeth's formative years, including the abdication crisis, WWII, and postwar recovery. Dismore presents details about the princess's education, interests, and gradual preparation for her future role as monarch. Through its exploration of Elizabeth's early life, the biography reveals the foundations of duty, service, and tradition that would define her long reign. The work illuminates how historical circumstances and family dynamics influenced the development of her character and approach to monarchy.

Readers describe this biography as a focused look at Elizabeth's pre-coronation years, with thorough research into her childhood, education, and early relationship with Philip. Liked: - Details about Elizabeth's wartime experiences and military service - Coverage of her relationships with family members, especially her father - Inclusion of personal letters and diary entries - Well-sourced information about her early education Disliked: - Some repetition of facts and anecdotes - Limited new revelations for those familiar with royal history - Ends abruptly at coronation without examining later influence of early years - Several readers noted dry writing style in certain chapters Ratings: Goodreads: 3.9/5 (182 ratings) Amazon: 4.2/5 (89 ratings) "Offers intimate glimpses into Elizabeth's formative years without sensationalism" - Amazon reviewer "Too much focus on peripheral royal relatives" - Goodreads reviewer "Strong on historical context but sometimes gets bogged down in minor details" - LibraryThing review

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The Final Curtsey: A Royal Memoir by Margaret Rhodes The Queen's first cousin shares her perspective of growing up alongside Elizabeth, offering views of the private Elizabeth behind the crown.

Young Elizabeth: The Making of the Queen by Kate Williams This account focuses on Elizabeth's early years and the unexpected circumstances that led to her becoming heir to the throne.

The Little Princesses by Marion Crawford Elizabeth's governess presents a firsthand account of the future Queen's childhood years and her relationship with Princess Margaret.

🔹 Elizabeth II was the first British monarch to celebrate a Platinum Jubilee, marking 70 years on the throne - a milestone covered in detail in Dismore's work through the lens of how Elizabeth's early life shaped her long reign. 👑 The book reveals that young Elizabeth, nicknamed "Lilibet," learned to shoot at age 11 and maintained a passion for marksmanship throughout her life. 🐎 The future queen's first public duty, explored in the book, was at age 16 when she inspected the Grenadier Guards, a regiment of which she was Colonel-in-Chief. 🔹 Author Jane Dismore spent three years researching royal archives and interviewing those who knew Elizabeth as a young princess to create this intimate portrait of her pre-coronation years. 👑 The book details how Elizabeth fell in love with Prince Philip at age 13 when visiting the Royal Naval College, beginning a romance that would last over 73 years until Philip's death in 2021.