Advanced
Error loading page.
Try refreshing the page. If that doesn't work, there may be a network issue, and you can use our self test page to see what's preventing the page from loading.
Learn more about possible network issues or contact support for more help.
Title details for Do Let's Have Another Drink by Gareth Russell - Available

Do Let's Have Another Drink

The Singular Wit and Double Measures of Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother

by Gareth Russell
Fiona Hampton
Audiobook
1 of 1 copy available
Borrow Listen to a sample Listen to a sample
1 of 1 copy available
A Times Best Book on the Royal Family of the Year 2022 This is a biography of the Queen Mother with all the dull bits stripped out. When told that Lady Mountbatten was being buried at sea, the Queen Mother replied cheerfully. 'Dear old Edwina, she always did like to make a splash!' During her lifetime, the Queen Mother was as famous for her clever quips, pointed observations and dry-as-a-Martini delivery style as she was for being a member of the Royal Family. She was also famed for her fondness for 'drinky-poos' – usually a gin and Dubonnet or three. Now, Do Let's Have Another Drink recounts 101 biographical vignettes – one for each year of her long, remarkable life, including her coming-of-age during World War I, the abdication of her brother-in-law, the truth about her tragic nieces and her relationship with her two daughters over half a century of widowhood. The book is a skimming-stone biography – the story of a life without the boring bits – and a travel guide to a world that no longer exists. Stepping into the Queen Mother's rarefied universe is a little like falling through the looking glass. The book rightly celebrates her sense of humour but also explores her enmities and feuds, including the truth about her behaviour towards Wallis Simpson, Nerissa Bowes-Lyon and Diana, Princess of Wales. For fans of The Crown and featuring new revelations, never before published, and colourful anecdotes about the woman the high society photographer Cecil Beaton once described as 'a marshmallow made on a welding machine', Do Let's Have Another Drink is a delightful celebration of one of the most consistently popular members of the Royal Family.

  • Creators

  • Publisher

  • Release date

    October 13, 2022

  • Formats

    • OverDrive Listen audiobook

      • ISBN: 9780008542641
      • File size: 203111 KB
      • Duration: 07:03:08

  • Languages

    • English

  • Reviews

    • Publisher's Weekly

      September 5, 2022
      Historian Russell (The Ship of Dreams) balances titillating gossip and heartfelt poignancy in this sparkling snapshot of Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon (1900–2002), the wife of King George VI and mother of Queen Elizabeth II. One hundred and one stories, one for each year of her life, showcase the Queen Mother’s wicked wit: scolded by her daughter for not dressing properly for a visit to Cheltenham Racecourse in bad weather, Elizabeth replied, “Don’t worry, darling. I’ve got my pearls to keep me warm.” Finding the word cocktail too harsh, Elizabeth preferred “drinky-poo”; she also did impressions of characters from the sitcom Blackadder and learned some of Sacha Baron Cohen’s catchphrases. Elizabeth’s wisdom shines in her handling of such crises as her brother-in-law King Edward VIII’s abdication and in her urging of several “Appeasers” (as she once had been) to read the unexpurgated edition of Mein Kampf to understand that Hitler wasn’t just “bluffing and posturing to get what he wanted.” The Elizabeth that emerges is a warmhearted practical joker and “Olympian” grudge-holder whose loyalty (to friends including Noël Coward) and sense of humor remained strong to the end. Throughout, Russell interweaves brisk and informative history lessons with royal family intrigue. Fans of The Crown will lap this up.

Formats

  • OverDrive Listen audiobook

subjects

Languages

  • English

Loading