Marie Claire UK Marie Claire UK
  • Fashion Fashion
      • Fashion
        • View all Fashion
        • Fashion Trends
        • Shopping
        • Watches and Jewellery
        • Fashion News
  • Beauty Beauty
      • Beauty
        • View all Beauty
        • Fragrance
        • Hair
        • Make Up
        • Skincare
        • Nails
        • Marie Claire Beauty Awards
  • Health Health
      • Health
        • View all Health
        • Fitness
        • Nutrition
        • Female Health
        • Wellbeing
  • Life Life
      • Life
        • View all Life
        • Opinions
        • Travel
        • Sustainability
        • Weddings
        • Money & Work
        • Competitions
  • Culture Culture
      • Culture
        • View all Culture
        • TV and Film
        • Celebrity News
        • Books
        • Royal News
  • Vouchers Vouchers
      • Clothing
        • View all Vouchers
        • Mint Velvet
        • Karen Millen
        • H&M
        • nobody's child
        • ASOS
        • ARKET
        • MANGO
      • Designer Clothing
        • View all Vouchers
        • Reiss
        • THE OUTNET
        • SSENSE
        • Mytheresa
        • Liberty London
        • Selfridges
        • Farfetch
      • Accessories
        • View all Vouchers
        • AllSaints
        • Aspinal of London
        • Charles & Keith
        • River Island
        • FitFlop
        • Kate Spade
        • Vagabond
      • Jewellery
        • View all Vouchers
        • Pandora
        • Abbott Lyon
        • Goldsmiths
        • Beaverbrooks
        • Astrid & Miyu
        • Swarovski
        • Angara Jewellery
      • Beauty
        • View all Vouchers
        • Sephora
        • Cult Beauty
        • Space NK
        • Dyson
        • Clarins
        • Look Fantastic
        • Clinique
      • Activewear
        • View all Vouchers
        • Lululemon
        • Gymshark
        • Sweaty Betty
        • Nike
        • adidas
        • New Balance
        • Helly Hansen
  • NEWSLETTER Signup to our newsletter
  • logoCreated with Sketch.
    Marie Claire Newsletter

    Celebrity news, beauty, fashion advice, and fascinating features, delivered straight to your inbox!


    By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

    You are now subscribed

    Your newsletter sign-up was successful


    An account already exists for this email address, please log in.
    Trending
    • Latest Issue
    • Marie Claire Masters
    • Autumn Winter 2026
    • Nail Trends 2026
    • Best Investment Bags
    • Best Perfumes
    1. Culture
    2. Celebrity News
    3. Royal News

    What the Queen is really like - and the relatable motto we should all live by

    Royal author opens up about Her Majesty

    Maisie Bovingdon's avatar
    By Maisie Bovingdon
    Published 8 March 2022 In News

    When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

    Queen
    (Image credit: Getty)
    • Facebook
    • X
    • Pinterest
    Share this article
    Join the conversation
    Follow us
    Add us as a preferred source on Google
    Subscribe to our newsletter

    The Queen has been hailed a determined monarch, "timeless" and takes an unflappable approach when faced with adversity.

    Author, Robert Hardman, is set to release a book about the 95-year-old British monarch, and has recounted snippets of conversations, interviews, and thoughts expressed about Her Majesty in his book Queen Of Our Times: The Life Of Elizabeth II, which is set for release on March 17.

    Segments of the book, which have been obtained by the Mail Online, highlight what the Queen "is really like", and she is even more of an icon - if that was even possible.

    Robert shares: "In the course of writing my new biography — based on interviews with family, friends, staff, world leaders and a wide range of unpublished material — I kept being reminded of a recurring theme.

    "Despite that impression conveyed in dramas such as The Crown, of a beleaguered monarch ploughing on thanks to her fabled sense of duty, this misses a crucial point: she genuinely enjoys being Queen.

    You may like
    • Emilia Clarke Emilia Clarke: “That's my goal for the next decade of my life: to take it lightly. But it requires strength.”
    • Eva Omaghomi After 17 years in the Royal Household, Eva Omaghomi Talks Bringing African Design Talent to Harrods
    • Cara My Life in London Cara Delevingne on Designing Her First Collection for Topshop and London's Best-Kept Secrets

    "Megxit, the implosion of Prince Andrew, even the death of Prince Philip have failed to stop her carrying on much as she has always done."

    In Robert's research he has found former US President, George W. Bush, former British politician Sir John Major, and many others, have noted the same thing - the Queen's "iron will", assertiveness and calmness.

    Marie Claire Newsletter

    Celebrity news, beauty, fashion advice, and fascinating features, delivered straight to your inbox!

    By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

    Describing the royal, Bush said: "She has a duty to something greater than herself. It’s timeless ... She’s a woman who must have an iron will."

    While Major shared: "The Queen has always lived by the doctrine 'This too shall pass.'"

    Former press secretary, Charles Anson, agrees with the former comments, and has praised the Queen for her "very goo shock absorbers."

    What to read next
    • Charlotte Mensah Afro Hair Charlotte Mensah Has Spent 40 Years Changing the Conversation Around Afro Hair—Now, Her Legacy Is Going on Display
    • Route 66 - Wild horses galloping across dusty desert landscape with roc - TVS.jpg The 30-Something Existential Crisis: How Do You Plan for a Future You’re Afraid Of?
    • Andy Burnham and Marie-France van Heel entering 10 Downing Street “Are We Just Jealous?” Victoria Moss Unpacks the Sexist, Ageist Commentary Around Marie-France van Heel’s Victoria Beckham Dress

    He said: "By a miracle, she has a temperament which is very well suited to the job.

    "She has very good shock absorbers when things go wrong and she doesn’t make a hoo-ha when it’s a great success."

    Hardman added: "Her default mode in the face of a crisis is stillness."

    Despite her calmness and composure, Hardman has hinted she has a little wild side too.

    He added: "The royal default position is to be judiciously cautious rather than risk-averse. Hence, the Queen’s decision to take part in the spoof James Bond video for the opening ceremony of the 2012 London Olympics."

    This year marks the Queen's Platinum Jubilee, and 70-year reign, which makes her the first British royal to reach this major milestone.

    Over the year, there will be a number of engagements and events, including a four-day bank holiday weekend in June, which may even see The Spice Girls reunite to perform.

    Maisie Bovingdon
    Maisie Bovingdon
    Social Links Navigation

    Maisie is a writer and editor, covering Royal News, Showbiz, Lifestyle content, as well as Shopping Writing and E-Commerce, for print and digital publications, including Marie Claire, Hello!, Fabulous, Mail Online and Yahoo!. 

    Read more
    Emilia Clarke
    Culture Emilia Clarke: “That's my goal for the next decade of my life: to take it lightly. But it requires strength.”
    Eva Omaghomi
    Fashion After 17 years in the Royal Household, Eva Omaghomi Talks Bringing African Design Talent to Harrods
     
     
    Cara My Life in London
    Fashion Cara Delevingne on Designing Her First Collection for Topshop and London's Best-Kept Secrets
    Charlotte Mensah Afro Hair
    Hair Charlotte Mensah Has Spent 40 Years Changing the Conversation Around Afro Hair—Now, Her Legacy Is Going on Display
     
     
    Latest in Royal News
    The Prince and Princess of Wales visit the Isles of Mull and Iona
    Royal News Royal Experts Predict a Major Milestone From Princess Kate This Autumn
    The Duke and Duchess of Sussex in Colombia
    Royal News Prince Harry and Meghan Markle Had a Secret UK Home in the First Year of Their Marriage
     
     
    The Prince and Princess of Wales visit Southport
    Royal News Prince William Has Given an Emotional Update on Princess Kate
    The Prince and Princess of Wales attend a state visit by the President of the French Republic in 2025
    Royal News Why Prince William and Princess Kate ‘Won’t Change" Their Minds on the Buckingham Palace Situation
     
     
    Latest in News
    Jeans And Jackets
    Shopping Celine Dion, Daisy Edgar-Jones and Sarah Pidgeon Swear by This Trophy Jacket-and-Jeans Formula for Instant Fashion Confidence
    Vogue World Robots
    Fashion AI Is Shaping the Future of Fashion—Can Creative Thought Survive?
     
     
    New Beauty Launches Romilly Wilde / Cécred / Bobbi Brown
    Beauty The Beauty Digest: Cécred Comes to the UK, Romilly Wilde Returns & £22 Skincare Gets Serious
    The Beauty Digest: New Products to Know
    Beauty The Beauty Digest: A Foundation With Infinite Shades, Diptyque Does Bodycare, and the Exhibition Every Beauty Lover Should See
     
     
    logoCreated with Sketch.
    • Site Archive
    • Contact Future's experts
    • Contact us
    • Terms and conditions
    • Advertise with us
    • Privacy policy
    • Cookies policy
    • About us
    Add as a preferred source on Google Add as a preferred source on Google

    Marie Claire UK is part of Future plc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

    © Future Publishing Limited Quay House, The Ambury, Bath BA1 1UA. All rights reserved. England and Wales company registration number 2008885.