Packed with stunning revelations, this is the inside story of The Queen Mother from the New York Times bestselling author who first revealed the truth about Princess Diana Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother has been called the "most successful queen since Cleopatra." Her personality was so captivating that even her arch-enemy Wallis Simpson wrote about "her legendary charm." Portrayed as a selfless partner to the King in the Oscar-winning movie The King's Speech, The Queen Mother is most often remembered from her later years as the smiling granny with the pastel hats. When she died in 2002, just short of her 102nd birthday, she was praised for a long life well lived. But there was another side to her story. For the first time, Lady Colin Campbell shows us that the untold life of the Queen Mother is far more fascinating and moving than the official version that has been peddled ever since she became royal in 1923. With unparalleled sources--including members of the Royal Family, aristocrats, and friends and relatives of Elizabeth herself—this mesmerizing account takes us inside the real and sometimes astonishing world of the royal family.

レディ・コリン・キャンベルが描く本書は、慈愛深い老婦人という公の偶像を鮮やかに覆します。その魅力は、王室という冷徹な機構で「伝説の魅力」を武器に生き抜いた女性の、計算された情熱と野心に肉薄する点にあります。公式記録にはない人間臭い葛藤が、著者の特権的視点から鮮烈に描き出され、読者を陶酔させます。 映画「英国王のスピーチ」の献身的な妻という描写に対し、本書は彼女の多面的な強さと複雑な人間性を補完します。映像の情緒的な美しさと、テキストが暴く冷厳な真相。この対比こそが、一人の女性が「王妃」へと昇り詰めるまでの物語に、圧倒的な文学的奥行きとスリリングな興奮を与えてくれるのです。