Elizabeth II: In Private. In Public. The Inside Story

The book reports that William, Prince of Wales contacted Prince Andrew, Duke of York after his titles were removed.^[2] It also describes events surrounding the end of Boris Johnson's premiership, stating that the Queen's private secretary advised her not to speak to him as ministers resigned.^[3] Hardman also includes an incident in which Andrew physically attacked a palace aide after being told he could not use Buckingham Palace for an event on a particular day.^[1]

Hardman discusses the aftermath of the death of Diana, Princess of Wales, the role of the press, and the Queen's concern for her grandsons.^[3] He also recounts the Queen's final months, including her wish that her great-grandchildren visit her at Balmoral during the summer of 2022 so they would have "a really happy memory" of her.^[4] He also writes that President Donald Trump keeps a duplicate of a portrait of Elizabeth II by Basia Kaczmarowska-Hamilton at Mar-a-Lago, intended as a "permanent reminder" of the Queen.^[5]

The Daily Telegraph gave the book five stars and called it "meticulously researched and flush with revelations".^[3] The Times described the book as a continuation of Hardman's earlier work on the Queen's life, praising his "historian's instincts" and its brisk, insightful narrative, which uses her reign to survey wider social and political change.^[1]