Some books about the royal family are full of gossip and treat the royals like celebrities (Endgame by Omid Scobie and Spare by a royal himself who behaves like a celebrity)(Inread those too). Others are focused on the royal family and their place in history, in a long line of monarchs going back 1200 years to include William the Conquerer, Henry VIII, George III and Queen Victoria. Sally Bedell Smith’s comprehensive biography of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth (known later as the Queen Mother), the parents of Queen Elizabeth II, is in the latter category. Based on primary sources including diaries of both monarch’s previously unavailable, is in the latter category. Smith dives deeply into the background of the Queen mother, born in Scotland in an aristocratic family, and Prince Albert, who became George VI, the second son who became king when his brother abdicated. She demonstrates how their backgrounds prepared them for their roles as monarch and queen that they never expected to occupy, how they grew in those roles to become the dedicated, resilient, caring and competent king and queen who led their country through depression and war and most importantly raised a similarly resilient, dedicated, kind, and empathetic daughter who became Queen Elizabeth II, who led her nation for 70 years through some of its most challenging times and was beloved by all the world at the time of her death. This was an excellent history, well written and thoughtful and a joy to read.