The Queen Mother
The Untold Story of Elizabeth Bowes Lyon, Who Became Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother
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Narrated by:
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Jennifer M. Dixon
About this listen
Packed with stunning revelations, this is the inside story of The Queen Mother from The New York Times best-selling 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 tells 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.
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Kathleen "Kick" Kennedy was the incandescent life force of the fabled Kennedy family, her father's acknowledged "favorite of all the children" and her brother Jack's "psychological twin". She was the Kennedy of Kennedys, sure of her privilege, magnetically charming, and somehow not quite like anyone else on whatever stage she happened to grace.
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Not what I had hoped for.
- By Karen Vincent on 05-02-16
By: Barbara Leaming
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Diana
- Finally, the Complete Story
- By: Sarah Bradford
- Narrated by: Katherine Kellgren
- Length: 15 hrs and 15 mins
- Unabridged
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An icon remembered as vividly in death as she appeared in life, Diana, Princess of Wales, is one of the most enduring personalities of the 20th century, and one of the most enigmatic. Admired, almost worshipped, a forceful presence in society and fashion and a devoted mother, she was also plagued by rumor and scandal throughout her brief life. Using exclusive new interviews and eyewitness testimony, Sarah Bradford now casts aside the gossip and lies to separate myth from truth.
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Andrew Morton’s book does not even compare
- By LAtoLondonPlz on 07-31-20
By: Sarah Bradford
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Queen Victoria's Matchmaking
- The Royal Marriages That Shaped Europe
- By: Deborah Cadbury
- Narrated by: Charlotte Strevens
- Length: 13 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
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A captivating exploration of the role in which Queen Victoria exerted the most international power and influence: as a matchmaking grandmother. Queen Victoria's Matchmaking travels through the glittering, decadent palaces of Europe from London to Saint Petersburg, weaving in scandals, political machinations, and family tensions. It is at once an intimate portrait of a royal family and an examination of the conflict caused by the marriages the Queen arranged. At the heart of it all is Victoria herself: doting grandmother one moment, determined Queen Empress the next.
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Beautifully written and narrated
- By LitLadyK on 01-08-19
By: Deborah Cadbury
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The Mistresses of Cliveden
- Three Centuries of Scandal, Power, and Intrigue in an English Stately Home
- By: Natalie Livingstone
- Narrated by: Elizabeth Knowelden
- Length: 17 hrs and 8 mins
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Overlooking the Thames, the Cliveden mansion is flanked by two wings and surrounded by lavish gardens. Throughout its storied history, Cliveden has been a setting for misbehavior, intrigue, and passion - from its salacious, deadly beginnings in the 17th century to the 1960s Profumo affair, the sex scandal that toppled the British government. Now, in this immersive chronicle, the manor's current mistress, Natalie Livingstone, opens the doors to this prominent house and lets the walls do the talking.
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disappointed
- By Galina M. on 11-14-16
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Wallis in Love
- The Untold Life of the Duchess of Windsor, the Woman Who Changed the Monarchy
- By: Andrew Morton
- Narrated by: Molly Parker Myers
- Length: 12 hrs and 11 mins
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For fans of the Netflix series The Crown and from the author of the New York Times best seller 17 Carnations comes a captivating biography of Wallis Simpson, the notorious woman for whom Edward VIII gave up the throne.
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This one is being returned
- By Rita T on 02-15-18
By: Andrew Morton
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George and Marina
- Duke and Duchess of Kent
- By: Christopher Warwick
- Narrated by: Gildart Jackson
- Length: 7 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
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For eight brief years, before he was tragically killed in a mysterious air crash during the Second World War, Prince George, Duke of Kent, son of King George V and Queen Mary, and his beautiful wife, Princess Marina of Greece and Denmark, were the British monarchy's - indeed, high society's - most glamorous royal couple; and as golden royal icons, they are still remembered.
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Engaging
- By Jean on 06-02-17
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Becoming Queen Victoria
- The Unexpected Rise of Britain's Greatest Monarch
- By: Kate Williams
- Narrated by: Katharine Lee McEwan
- Length: 16 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
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In 1819, a girl was born to the fourth son of King George III. No one could have expected such an unassuming, overprotected girl to be an effective ruler - yet Queen Victoria would become one of the most powerful monarchs in history. Writing with novelistic flair and historical precision, Kate Williams reveals a vibrant woman in the prime of her life, while chronicling the byzantine machinations that continued even after the crown was placed on her head.
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Extremely Well Written and Readable
- By Wren on 04-01-17
By: Kate Williams
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The Duchess
- By: Amanda Foreman
- Narrated by: Wanda McCaddon
- Length: 15 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
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Story
Lady Georgiana Spencer was the great-great-great-great-aunt of Diana, Princess of Wales, and was nearly as famous in her day. In 1774 Georgiana achieved immediate celebrity by marrying William Cavendish, fifth Duke of Devonshire, one of England's richest and most influential aristocrats. She became the queen of fashionable society and founder of the most important political salon of her time.
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Captivating Biography with Outstanding Narration
- By Johanna on 05-15-16
By: Amanda Foreman
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The Crown: The Official Companion, Volume 1
- Elizabeth II, Winston Churchill, and the Making of a Young Queen (1947-1955)
- By: Robert Lacey
- Narrated by: Alex Jennings
- Length: 7 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
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Starring Claire Foy as Queen Elizabeth II and John Lithgow as Winston Churchill, Netflix's original series The Crown, created by Peter Morgan and growing out of his Oscar-winning movie The Queen starring Helen Mirren, paints a unique and intimate portrait of Britain's longest-reigning monarch. This official companion to the show's first season is an in-depth exploration of the early years of Elizabeth II's time as queen, complete with extensive research and additional material.
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If you like The Crown
- By E F on 10-23-17
By: Robert Lacey
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The Lost Queen
- The Life & Tragedy of the Prince Regent's Daughter
- By: Anne M. Stott
- Narrated by: Anne Flosnik
- Length: 11 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
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As the only child of the Prince Regent and Caroline of Brunswick, Princess Charlotte of Wales (1796-1817) was the heiress presumptive to the throne. Her parents' marriage had already broken up by the time she was born. She had a difficult childhood and a turbulent adolescence, but she was popular with the public, who looked to her to restore the good name of the monarchy.
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excellent
- By meganajjcec on 10-12-20
By: Anne M. Stott
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A bit too much mucking about in the weeds
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Excellent! UPDATED review after 2nd listen.
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Riveting - and I don't follow royals
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Not to my taste
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December 11, 1936. The King of England, Edward VIII, has given up his crown, foregoing his duty for the love of Wallis Simpson, an American divorcee. Their courtship has been dogged by controversy and scandal, but with Edward's abdication, they can live happily ever after.
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A bit too much mucking about in the weeds
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Madness Under the Royal Palms
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In March 1999, a Palm Beach matron and her socially ambitious husband invited the elite of the island for a dinner dance honoring Prince Edward. Among those dancing to the string orchestra that evening would be those accused of murder and spousal abuse, and others who would suffer fates both unseemly and unspeakable. Among the outer circle there would be murders, suicides, and fatal fires.
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Just what I've been waiting for
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What listeners say about The Queen Mother
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- cathy colby
- 08-28-22
perfectly enjoyable
I have listed twice!
Amazing content ! The author pulls no punches. Well read. I guess I like this one because the author paints the Queen without admiration.
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- Anonymous User
- 04-30-24
Love this book.!!!
I loved this book.! All the unknown little details of information that I haven’t gotten from anywhere else.! I especially love Jennifer M. Dixon I could listen to her read anything.!
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- No1Treehugger
- 06-06-24
Juicy secrets about a monster in grandmas clothing
Sooo interesting! Well written by someone who actually knew many of the characters in this biography. Also great narration by Jennifer Dixon.
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- History Student
- 08-12-24
Knowledge of history
I enjoyed hearing the author’s perspective and knowledge of recent history. Few are as well connected, yet not intrusive. Her balanced approach was informative which helps to explain personalities and events.
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- Boss Lady Gaby V8
- 06-12-21
Eh...
I enjoyed all the "dirt" the author dishes but not sure it all can be backed up by facts.
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- Deb
- 05-26-20
very enlightening
Explains why none of the royal family came to the defense of Meghan, Duchess of Sussex. the Queen Mother Queen Elizabeth taught her children well.
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- Beckett
- 02-02-23
Excellent biography
Learned so much about Elizabeth Bowes Lyon, and have a much greater understanding about the duke of Windsor.
The narration is quite good. Recommend.
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- Jo Penny
- 02-03-23
A fine history
Well written and much enjoyed. A true valuable batch of information and details of a very long life.
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- Pat
- 09-26-23
Good, but so prejudiced
I’m a huge Brit Royalty student. This author came across as critical, jealous and gossipy. Very pro Edward VIII as if the man had no power over the abdication. I did like how the author elaborated on all of the extensive royal familial relationships.
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1 person found this helpful
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- R Holcombe
- 04-13-20
An intriguing and interesting biography...
I have just finished listening to this audiobook and must admit because of the mixed reviews I wasn't sure if I was going to like it but I am so pleased I did. Yes it was hard to listen to sometimes because I always had the impression that the Queen Mum was a dear sweet old lady and that the Duke and Duchess of Windsor were a pair of greedy, lazy and feckless characters but this biography blows that general idea we Brits have right out of the water. I started to wonder about our dear old sweet Queen Mum when I read a quote she supposedly said to someone "I'm not as nice as people think I am", then another remark by Princess Diana too that was something along those lines and I wanted to know more about what was behind that sweet, smiling facade of the Queens kind mum that I had grown up with.
Some of the writing is a little bit flowery and the some of the names of the upper aristocracy went right over my head but I am interested in the Royal Family and their history and hearing all the links they had with other members of the Royal Families in Europe just made me want to learn more about them. I know in the other reviews I have read for this book there has been some criticism of the name dropping of different members of this huge family but I didn't find that irritating, it actually made me want to do more research to learn more about them.
Lady Colin Campbell has the unique position of moving in the upper class circles and lets be honest, that's where most of the juicy gossip is! I don't want to read another watered down, sugary sweet, official biography of a member of the royal family like Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother, after all she was not just royal but a human being and she was flawed and complicated as all human beings are. This book had some real eye openers but ones that as shocking as they are, also make so much more sense now. Some of the things I learned from reading this book were actually how alike the Queen Mum and Princess Diana were, although before reading this I never would have thought that! They were very alike in a lot of ways, Lady Colin Campbell explains why and it's so obvious, how did I not see that before! There is one huge difference though, the Queen mum would smile sweetly through it all but the Princess of Wales could not, that's not to say one was right and the other wrong, just to say that as alike as they were, in so many ways, Diana did not have the ruthlessness that the Queen Mum had, she could not be a silent assassin when she had been crossed, Diana could not hold her anger in and the Queen mum did, with a sweet smile on her face.
This book also changed my perspective of Edward VIII, the King who never was, his wasted life was sad and I did not know how loved he was by the British people before he was made to abdicate by the British government and surprisingly by the Duchess of York (as Elizabeth was then known) who did not want a twice married divorcee on the throne of England. Elizabeth played that game very well, it was intriguing to hear what was going on behind the scenes of that political crisis and what part she had played in it. It softened my view of him and the other person I felt sorry for after reading this was Princess Margaret. I had always thought of her as spoiled, selfish and just a b*tch basically (excuse my french!) and had felt a bit sorry for the Queen mum having her as a daughter but that changed after reading this. They had a complicated relationship that was never helped by Elizabeth's jealousy of her daughters younger stunning beauty and I must admit I had always found it odd that Lord Snowdon, Princess Margaret's ex husband still had good relations with his mother in law after he had treated her daughter so badly over the years. This book explains those relationships very well too.
So before waffling on anymore I just want to say how much I enjoyed this book and the other surprising thing I learnt from this biography was the name that the Queen mum gave herself after her husband the King died and when she was no longer the number one lady in the land. Usually dowdager Queens disappear quietly into the background but not this one. After you read this book you will see her whole character good and bad and the name she gave herself, the name of, 'Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother', and that's two Queens in her title, well nobody but her could have got away with that!
The narrator was so nice too, I actually didn't even notice her voice after I started listening to it which is a good sign because it was not irritating or dull or any of the off putting voices I have sometimes heard in other books. I hope if you purchase this that you enjoy it as much I did.
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