Was there ever a living monarch about whom so many books were written as Queen Elizabeth II? Surely not. But for those whose bookcases cannot bulge enough with monarchical blockbusters, there are lots more tributes to the late sovereign on the way in time for Christmas - and doubtless many more will be pouring out in years to come. Author James Owen has written the text for a lavishly illustrated doorstopper of a book: Queen Elizabeth: Commemorating her Life and Reign 1926-2022 (Times Books, £25) which will guarantee hours of Christmas Day browsing.
And broadcaster Tessa Dunlop has produced yet another account of the enduring romance that underpinned the 70-year marriage of Elizabeth and Prince Philip. It’s a familiar story, beginning in the austere, post-war days of the 1940s and ending only with Philip’s death at 99 in the depths of the recent pandemic. Can Dunlop bring a fresh take to the fairy tale Headline, £20)? Less familiar is the truth about the machinations of what Princess Diana famously called the ‘grey men’. In Times journalist Valentine Low (who broke the story
