Do Let’s Have Another Drink: The Singular Wit and Double Measures of Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother

Product Information

The House of Windsor has been attracting worldwide attention in recent decades with scandals, deaths, weddings, and the birth of royal children.

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. Elizabeth would try and intercept the postman each morning, just in case there were any unwanted telegrams for them. Everything changed when his brother, King Edward VIII, famously renounced the crown to marry Wallis Simpson.

With this snapshot, drink-infused biography, Gareth Russell has found an utterly compelling way to tell a life story - and what a life! Her relationship with her trusted footman, Backstairs Billy, himself an extraordinary character, must have been at times a comedy performance. I have read lots of books about this fascinating woman and have found them all to show a woman, as it’s been said, as soft as a marshmallow but as strong as iron. The Queen Mother, who died in 2002 at the age of 101, led a fascinating life where she encountered many of the well-known people of the day. Born in Belfast, he studied history at the University of Oxford and completed his postgraduate degree in medieval history at Queen’s University Belfast.

With nothing of the entertaining malice of, for instance, Craig Brown’s NINETY-NINE GLIMPSES OF PRINCESS MARGARET, it contains very little worth reading until 2/3 of the way through the book, and even then, it relies on repetitions of all the old stories. We don’t share your credit card details with third-party sellers, and we don’t sell your information to others. Anyone who is interested in the royal family will enjoy reading about the long and mostly happy life of the woman referred to as Buffy (by her siblings) and Cake (by her enemies in society). It was interesting to learn so many details that I hadn't known, such as the fact that the future King George VI had to propose 3 times to Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon before she accepted.

Not unlike Diana, when she first married Bertie, Elizabeth was derided for being too popular and too adored by the public. Russell only hints at this with his description of her maintaining the Edwardian lifestyle of her youth in her various residences complete with large staffs,the costly renovation of a derelict castle in Scotland,and a racing stable of over 12 horses. It was also like reading a lot of gossip about a lot of people I had never heard of (and a few I had). She would have needed both, given that she attracted considerable hostility from the upper echelons almost throughout her adult life. Russell does a magnificent job telling the story of Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother thoughtfully and engagingly.

While some of the anecdotes are light and entertaining, others address popular myths and misconceptions about the Queen Mother, including the rumors about her parentage and family history. We know their stories from the numerous books, tabloids, and documentaries about their lives, but what about their lives when they go home to relax? She might have spent a lot of cash along the way and loved her racehorses, but honestly, she was very much of her time. Told as a series of 101 stories from the life of Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon, the reader is given a real glimpse of the Queen who is cemented in the popular imagination as a figure of fun and warmth, yet became known as the most dangerous woman in Europe. I have just finished reading Do Let's Have Another Drink: The Singular Wit and Double Measures of Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother by historian Gareth Russell.

this type of writing allows to have an overview of person’s life, detailed just enough to understand the character and be personalized, rather than dive in into 600+pages biography.

I would have been interested to read more anecdotes about the Queen Mother's tours outside Great Britain as there are interesting chapters about her time in Canada, the USA, South Africa, France and Northern Ireland. Gareth Russell weaves together anecdotes, firsthand accounts, and historical details, painting a vivid picture of the Queen Mother's life and the vibrant world she inhabited.This is not a traditional biographical book, so if you do not know a great deal about Elizabeth Bowes Lyon, Queen Consort of the United Kingdom and the Queen Mother, I would recommend starting with a different book. Through the lens of her dry wit and charismatic personality, readers are treated to a deeper understanding of the woman behind the public figure. She saw her husband as he had to take on the mantle of King of England when his brother abdicated to marry Wallace Simpson. A few years ago, I read “The King’s Speech” about King George VI, and I wanted to learn more about his wife, Queen Elizabeth, The Queen Mother. The stories included in this book range from utterly hysterical to gut-wrenching, with every other emotion in between.