Foreword

by The Rt Hon Sir John Major, KG CH

The following is an extract

In the early hours of 21 April, 1926, in a street just
off Berkeley Square, London, TRH the Duke and
Duchess of York announced the birth of their first
child. A daughter. Her name was Elizabeth.
No-one - least of all her parents - could have imagined the
little girl, born third in line to the throne, would, one day,
not only become Queen, but also one of the most widely
admired, respected and longest-serving monarchs of all
time.

Throughout her adult life, a remarkable sixty years of
which have been on the throne, the Queen has dedicated
herself to public service. You have to be approaching 70 to
be able to recall any other face on British banknotes and
postage stamps. Today, the world has a population of some
7 billion, the majority of whom have known no-one but
the Queen as British monarch throughout their lives. She
is the most widely travelled head of state in history: indeed
- around the world - whenever anyone refers to "The
Queen", they mean "Our Queen". Her Diamond Jubilee
is, quite simply, an awe-inspiring achievement, and this
magnificent book charts the course of a truly remarkable
life, in pictures and print...

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