The institution of monarchy in Britain is in deep crisis. Scarcely a day goes by without some new revelation about the private life of one or other of the Royals splashed all over the tabloid newspapers, and public interest in the House of Windsor is more feverish and obsessive than ever. This is a comprehensive biography of the woman who has, for more than 40 years, been the British Head of State. Pimlott looks at the life of the Queen in the round: from the standpoint of the justly curious citizen, and from that of the historian, sociologist and constitutional lawyer, arguing that the constitutional role of the Queen is subtly potent, and by no means merely decorative or symbolic. The book attempts to provide some of the answers to the British fixation with the monarchy - as well as the Queen's relationships with her parents, husband and children.