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Elizabeth & Margaret: The Intimate World of the Windsor Sisters
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About This Book
They were the closest of sisters and the best of friends. But when, in a quixotic twist of fate, their uncle Edward VIII decided to abdicate the throne, the dynamic between Elizabeth and Margaret was dramatically altered. Forever more, Margaret would have to curtsey to the sister she called 'Lillibet'. And bow to her wishes.Elizabeth would always look upon her younger sister's antics with a kind of stoical amusement but Margaret's struggle to find a place and position inside the royal system – and her fraught relationship with its expectations – was often a source of tension. Famously, the Queen had to inform Margaret that the Church and government would not countenance her marrying a divorcee, Group Captain Peter Townsend, forcing Margaret to choose between keeping her title and royal allowances or her divorcee lover.From the idyll of their cloistered early life, through their hidden wartime lives, into the divergent paths they took following their father's death and Elizabeth's ascension to the throne, this book explores their relationship over the years. Andrew Morton, renowned bestselling author of Diana: Her True Story, offers unique insight into these two drastically different sisters – one resigned to duty and responsibility, the other resistant to it – and the lasting impact they have had on the Crown, the royal family and the way it has adapted to the changing mores of the twentieth century.
Reviews
"he does a diligent and well-researched job, examining the closeness of the sisters and their conflicted relationship in a seamless, readable way."
"deep love and primal jealousy' that bonded Queen Elizabeth II and her younger sister, Princess Margaret ..."
"In their current incarnation, the British royals strive for Barbour jacket-clad approachability, but Elizabeth and Margaret is a damning reminder of the monarchy's imperialist roots."
"The biographer appears to have had extraordinary access in terms of intimate stories and winsome quotes ..."
"Morton would prefer to define the queen and her late sister in terms comfortable to Us magazine: temperamental opposites who, despite their differences, came together for a higher purpose."
"It is hard not to keep thinking of The Crown reading this, but it is a corrective of the series too, especially when it comes to Margaret's relationship with Townsend ..."
"Morton's insightful analysis of the complex relationship between Queen Elizabeth and Princess Margaret succeeds in humanizing two extremely public figures and the myths surrounding them."
"Time and time again, Morton shows how the sisters were absolutely loyal to each other throughout their entire lives, defending and supporting each other at every turn ..."
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