Right from the start, Russell indicates that not only will this book be different from others he has written, but that it is also a 'different kind of biography'. There are some fascinating bits about her ancestral home, the much-haunted Glamis Castle in Scotland. The whimsical stories started coming once The Queen Mother was a widow, freed from the responsibilities and limitations her former role of Queen Consort demanded.

He is the author of several books, including The Palace, The Ship of Dreams, Young and Damned and Fair, The Emperors, and Do Let’s Have Another Drink.It is clear that she really enjoyed an intense drink quite regularly and the way that she forced guests to imbibe was also quite entertaining to read about. Russell does a magnificent job telling the story of Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother thoughtfully and engagingly.

She saw her husband as he had to take on the mantle of King of England when his brother abdicated to marry Wallace Simpson. I think if you knew who and when the author was talking about you would be fine, for example the Abdication Crisis, Princess Margaret’s affair with Group Captain Townsend, her husbands early death, if you didn’t, then you would be floundering a bit. I thought the way Gareth Russell approached this biography was a bit of genius as it created a great way for the reader to sort of dip their toe into this part of the Windsor family story without being overwhelmed by too much information. She lived through two wars, bombings, the death of her husband, his rise to the throne and seeing her daughter do the same.I have to say, I started out thinking there wasn't anything new I could learn about the Queen Mother. Not only are well-known sources quoted, but also people who knew or met the Queen Mother and also private letters and diaries were consulted to form a more rounded picture of the QEII's mum -- warts and all.