The Last Queen

In 2020, the Queen finally appeared to be at ease in the modern world, helped by the new generation of Windsors. But then Harry and Meghan announced that they were leaving 'The Firm', and Prince Andrew was relieved of his duties following revelations of his involvement with disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein, inflamed by a car-crash TV interview. Suddenly, the Faustian bargain the royal family had struck with the media to ensure their survival had never seemed so close to breaking point.

Here, through Clive Irving's unique insight, we look behind the façade to find a fragile institution which owes its continued existence to one extraordinarily dutiful matriarch. Part biography, part meditation on a changing society, The Last Queen asks: how long can the House of Windsor survive beyond the reign of Elizabeth II?

Picking up his tale in 1936, with the abdication of Edward VIII, Irving follows Elizabeth and her family's struggle to survive in the face of unprecedented changes in attitudes towards the monarchy a story honed by the critical eye of an investigative reporter who has been close to the action since the very beginning.

About the Author

Clive Irving has had a long and distinguished career in journalism. He was managing editor of the Sunday Times, where he created and led the Insight investigative team. He was director of current affairs programming for London Weekend Television, where he was executive producer of David Frost's programmes, and he also worked as a consulting editor for Newsday in New York. He was a founding editor of Conde Nast Traveller and he is a regular columnist for the Daily Beast. Most recently, he was a key contributor to the acclaimed two-part BBC documentary Margaret: The Rebel Royal, which was also broadcast on PBS in America.