Elizabeth II, at the age of 91, is the longest-reigning monarch ever to sit on the throne of England. Most people living today have no memory of a time when she was not Queen. But when she was born, no one knew she was destined to rule. Her father, the Duke of York, was only the second son of George V. His dashing playboy brother was Prince of Wales and heir to the throne. It wasn’t until King Edward VIII abdicated his throne to marry Wallis Simpson in 1936 that the Princess Elizabeth, then ten years old, knew the course that her life was to take. From the unlikely romance that united her parents, to the abdication that nearly toppled the monarchy, this biography will introduce you to the Princess who came before the Queen. Set apart from other children and sheltered by her parents, her steadiness of character nonetheless enabled her to help fight the Nazis in World War II and overcome steep obstacles in order to marry the man she loved. These were the years that forged the character of the woman whose 65-year reign has seen her country through the second half of the 20th century and beyond.
