The Queen Mother cover art

The Queen Mother

The Untold Story of Queen Elizabeth, Queen Mother

 Preview
Try Premium Plus free
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection - including bestsellers and new releases.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, celeb exclusives, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
£8.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

The Queen Mother

By: Lady Colin Campbell
Narrated by: Jennifer M. Campbell
Try Premium Plus free

£8.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

Buy Now for £19.99

Buy Now for £19.99

Confirm Purchase
Pay using card ending in
Switch payment method
By completing your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and authorise Audible to charge your designated card or any other card on file. Please see our Privacy Notice, Cookies Notice and Interest-based Ads Notice.
Cancel

About this listen

Packed with stunning revelations, this is the inside story of The Queen Mother from the New York Times best-selling author who first revealed the truth about Princess Diana.

Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother has been called the 'most successful queen since Cleopatra'. Her personality was so captivating that even her arch-enemy, Wallis Simpson, wrote about 'her legendary charm'.

Portrayed as a selfless partner to the king in the Oscar-winning movie The King's Speech, The Queen Mother is most often remembered from her later years as the smiling granny with the pastel hats. When she died in 2002, just short of her 102nd birthday, she was praised for a long life well lived. But there was another side to her story.

For the first time, Lady Colin Campbell shows us that the untold life of The Queen Mother is far more fascinating and moving than the official version that has been peddled ever since she became royal in 1923. With unparalleled sources - including members of the royal family, aristocrats and friends and relatives of Elizabeth herself, this mesmerising account takes us inside the real and sometimes astonishing world of the royal family.

©2012 Lady Colin Campbell (P)2018 Tantor Politicians Politics & Activism Royalty

Listeners also enjoyed...

 The Real Diana cover art
The Final Curtsey cover art
Meghan and Harry cover art
Charles and Camilla cover art
Three Times a Countess cover art
A Royal Life cover art
The Royals cover art
Philip cover art
Elizabeth cover art
The Matriarch cover art
The Heart of the Conqueror cover art
Eleanor and Hick cover art
America's First Daughter cover art
The Six Wives of Henry VIII cover art
The Summer Queen cover art
Lady Clementine cover art
All stars
Most relevant  
A very interesting and eye opening listen just proves how much we don’t know about the history of the royal family’s

Very interesting

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
The alternative view of the Queen Mother is very welcome. This is a well-researched book that dissects the myth of a revered figure.

However, at points it is crying out for an editor. Over and over, the same point about Elizabeth's charm is hammered home, often using the same words. 10 hours in, and she is still newly married! The woman lived for 101 years. Can more than 7 decades be covered in just 14 hours?

As a point about the audiobook: the author's personal asides about her own life and connections are not always 100% clear to the listener. It is difficult at times to distinguish between what is a quotation from an interviewee (or lifted from a letter etc) and when the 'I' refers to the author. It would be worth considering if some slight adjustment to the text would be warranted. (I recently listened to a book that announced the footnotes - "footnote...end footnote" - in a way that other texts did not. It made it perfectly clear what was part of the main text, and what was not).

A deliciously irreverant (though repetitive) dissection of the Queen Mother's character

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Well known facts of a well known life but slanted to show the scheming unpleasant side of the Queen Mum.
The narrator is flat voiced and mispronounces so many easy names and places that it grates. ForFAR, Balcarres, Southesk, capercaillie, Castle of Mey (Mai ?) etc. Does no-one check these ?

Entertaining malicious gossip

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
The sheer vindictiveness of this person is most revealing particularly with regard to her younger daughter. A most unpleasant person

A revealing expose

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
It is a pity Lady C.never,thought to ask different people to comment,on the character,of The,Queen Mother..
The Duke of Windso..and The Duchess Of Argyll..Both of whome were of very bad character,the Duke a Nazi sympathvisor and The Duchess of Argyl W
ell a woman who had her photo taken sucking a naked man,s penis...I must admit I was very surprised when I read their comments... and lets not forget the Duke was debatable a German spy.

Not up to standard.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
The story itself was interesting but whoever chose this narrator must have never heard her speak ! Utterly boring delivery often fell asleep listening to the drone and the awful mispronunciation of various foreign titles along with French words - everything was mangled badly .
I’d listen to it again because I’ve missed huge passages due to falling asleep during it - but I’d need to know who was reading it . This “old dear” was no doubt chosen as someone who was relatable as an older lady herself but it was just drone, drone , drone .
I think it’s easier to read the book !

THE AWFUL NARRATION !

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Interesting insight into a royal life par from the inside. At times, too much date detail detracts from the story. Would have been all the more engaging if read by the author who has a distinctive and engaging voice, fitting for the ‘story’.

Interesting perspective.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Whilst I never thought the Quern Mother was such a “sweet” person and the old expression so frequently trotted out as “Britain’s Favourite Grandmother “which the press constantly made her out to be was much over used. It was such an interesting read but I was dismayed to learn that she was apparently so detrimental towards HRH King Edward VIII. What chance did he have against such Machiavelliam tactics wrapped up in saccharine? It is a tragedy. At the same time, Lady Colon Campbell takes trouble to point out her formidable force for good. What an amazing life she led. Such privilege. Who’d have thought it? I recommend this book very highly., infact, could not be higher. Brilliantly written and with such detail and accurate sources. You are in for a great ride!

Riveting

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Well written book and constant insight into different aspects of Royal life as it used to be .
Certainly opened my eyes to the woman we know as the Queen Mother !!

Fabulous insight into the unseen Royal

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
A book that confirmed and dispelled many of the rumours my grandmother told me about the QM. It certainly explained why I felt a certain way about the QM. Lady C is a great researcher, an author who really has the connections to get to the truth.
Narrator was easy to listen to and kept your interest all the way.
Highly recommend

Excellent

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
See more reviews