The Queen Remembered

The last years of the Queen's life underlined her place at the heart of national life. From a unique state visit to the Republic of Ireland to the Diamond Jubilee, from the marriage of Prince Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles to London 2012, she remained a potent symbol. During the Covid-19 pandemic her effectiveness at capturing the public mood was re-affirmed in a series of power

The tragic death in Paris of Diana, Princess of Wales resulted in the greatest public criticism of the monarchy since the Queen had come to the Throne 45 years earlier. In this episode of Radio 4's new podcast on the reign of Elizabeth II, James Naughtie charts the astonishing impact of the Princess's passing and the root-and-branch reassessment of the monarchy to which it led. The

As head of state, the Queen's role and responsibilities ensured she was seldom out of public view. But when "off-duty", she was seldom happier than when leading the life of a countrywoman, enjoying the company of dogs and horses. She was also a particularly stalwart supporter of horse racing as an owner and breeder, a passion she shared with other royal families around the world. A

In the latest episode of Radio 4's new podcast on the life of Elizabeth II, James Naughtie looks at the Queen's relations with her prime ministers over the decades of her reign. Winston Churchill was in Downing Street when she came to the Throne; Tony Blair and Boris Johnson had not been born. Although she stood above the party political fray, in the intimate dealings with governme

In the latest episode of Radio 4's new podcast on the life of Elizabeth II, James Naughtie turns his attention to the marital woes of the Queen's children and how they affected her and her reign. In a highly successful union, the Queen herself was happily married to Prince Philip for more than seventy years. But for her children the story was different with highly public - and some

In this episode of Radio 4's new podcast on the life of Elizabeth II, James Naughtie looks at how she put her stamp on the monarchy. In the 1950s, Britain - and the Commonwealth - were changing fast and the public expected to see and hear a different style from Buckingham Palace. Yet achieving that while also maintaining the royal traditions that she regarded as a bedrock was a for

In the second episode of Radio 4's new podcast on the life of Elizabeth II, James Naughtie looks at the dramatic change that transformed Princess Elizabeth's life much earlier than she had anticipated. She and Prince Philip, together with their two young children, Prince Charles and Princess Anne, had been living on the island of Malta where he was serving with the Royal Navy. Earl

In this first episode of Radio 4's new podcast about the life of Queen Elizabeth II, James Naughtie begins by looking at her early years with the help of some of those who knew her and worked with her, how she prepared for the role that was unexpectedly thrust upon her, her wartime life and at the marriage to Prince Philip of Greece that would also do so much to shape her life and

Introducing The Queen Remembered from BBC Radio 4, a new podcast about the life of Elizabeth II, James Naughtie explains how he will: look at the life of the Queen from her early years through the seventy years of her reign; talk to some of those who knew and worked most closely with her; consider how she prepared for the role that was unexpectedly thrust upon her; assess the marri