‘Enchanting, often moving and sometimes hilarious’ –Daily Mail

Full of wit, hilarity, acute observation and a deeply held sense of duty, the Queen Mother’s letters give readers a vivid insight into the person behind the public face.

Edited by William Shawcross, Queen: Counting One's Blessings Part 3 reveals, in the Queen Mother’s own words, the woman who brought a sense of ease and fun into the public and private lives of the Royal Family. We see her delight in her beloved daughters and her real anguish when she and her husband realized that he would become King because his brother Edward VIII was determined to abdicate. We read of her work during the Second World War, and her horror at the suffering it caused, her joy in the marriage of her daughter Elizabeth, and her grief at the tragically early death of the King in 1952.

‘The warm personality and humour of the late, much-loved Queen Mother shines through in her letters, as does her affection for all, whether below or above stairs’ – Scotsman

‘Recaptures her effervescent charm, and the simple fact that she was a good egg’ – Spectator

‘How one warms to her!’ – Evening Standard