Queen Elizabeth II.

She is a woman whose life is punctuated by the very best - the longest reigning, the most travelled and, for a shy person, the most social, having come face to face with more subjects than any other monarch in history.

Queen Victoria earned the title of Grandmother of Europe, while Queen Elizabeth II. became the grandmother of the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth. The longest serving monarch in history has dedicated her life to her family, her people and the wider family of nations. Despite the many obstacles and surprises that came her way during her reign, she always served her country faithfully and patiently watched history take shape around her - often with a twinkle in her eye. She represented confidence in good times and bad, always ready to celebrate and show compassion. Her life has followed the path of Britain in times of war and peace. The adored and immensely popular Elizabeth II. will go down in history as perhaps Britain's most important queen.

An engaging, insider biography by award-winning writer and historian Andrew Morton, author of Elizabeth & Margaret: The confidential world of the royal sisters and Diana: her true story, takes you behind the scenes and reveals the Queen and her world.