The Real Elizabeth by Andrew Marr

Andrew Marr's The Real Elizabeth (Henry Holt: $32.00) starts off rather slowly as an "intimate biography."   I was concerned by the number of genealogical mistakes, but this book is not a royal genealogy.  It is difficult for journalists like Marr to worry about grappling with little things, when the focus is more about the 60 years of Queen Elizabeth's reign.

Marr works his way through the 60 years: from the young Queen, finding her way and her role to the doyenne of her family, the country and the Commonwealth.   There is much sympathy for the Queen with the issues of her former daughters-in-law, for example.

There is mention of abdication, but Marr omits one salient fact: a sovereign cannot abdicate without an Act of Parliament.

The Real Elizabeth is a competent, thought-provoking look at the reign of the a very respected sovereign.  Marr is right: Britain is very lucky to have her.