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

Product Information

Her humor was well-known. She loved meeting people and always showed a genuine interest in them. Singing and dining with friends was such a pleasure for her. For fans of The Crown and featuring new revelations, never before published, and colourful anecdotes about the woman the high society photographer Cecil Beaton once described as 'a marshmallow made on a welding machine', Do Let's Have Another Drink is a delightful celebration of one of the most consistently popular members of the Royal Family. The Queen Mother was 101 when she died, having been born in 1900. She grew up in Glamis Castle, Scotland, and married Prince Albert (Bertie), in 1923. Following the Abdication crisis of 1936, Prince Albert was crowned King George VI, and Elizabeth was crowned as Queen Consort. King George VI died fifteen years later, at which point his daughter Elizabeth, became Queen Elizabeth II, and Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon became known as Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother. Not unlike Diana, when she first married Bertie, Elizabeth was derided for being too popular and too adored by the public. She was approachable with the ability to talk to and charm whomever she met. I was quite amazed by the similarities although I suspect by the time Diana was at her zenith, the Queen Mum might have had some different views. She was the breath of fresh air in the stodgy world of Royalty after WWI. She and her husband were well matched and in love. It was, by all accounts, a happy marriage.

Amidst the glut of royal biographies recently released or republished, “Do Let’s Have Another Drink: The Singular Wit and Double Measures of Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother” by Gareth Russell has managed to create a book that could spawn a thousand copycats about other famous characters. You don’t need to be a royalist or a monarchist to enjoy this book, it is the perfect story for anyone interested in the history, culture, and traditions of the House of Windsor. I found it to be incredibly insightful, with relevant information on all that has happened within the family throughout The Queen Mother’s life. Anyone who reads it will not only feel like they know her better but will also have a renewed interest in this iconic family. Like all large families, Royals too have family problems and complications. It appears she attempted to be the peacemaker for her grands. Reference is made to her habit of drinking a little too frequently and loving to shop. It doesn’t sound like an enjoyable life to me, but Elizabeth the Queen Mother appeared to have a grand life. The Queen Mother, of course, needs no introduction. Personally, I remember seeing her in photographs and footage of the royal family as a child. She passed away when I was 14 years old - I remember hearing of her passing and feeling saddened at the time but that's it. The King, George V, disliked Ann Margaret for her second daughter's name and suggested that Margaret Rose was more in keeping with Scottish princesses. However Queen Elizabeth was able to use the name when her daughter was born. Do Let’s Have Another Drink is a joyful corrective. A triumph’ Owen Emmerson, co-author of The Boleyns of Hever CastleI 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. She saw her husband as he had to take on the mantle of King of England when his brother abdicated to marry Wallace Simpson.

Russell wasted a great opportunity to compare Diana and the QM’s similarities. They both had a high EQ and could put people at ease. Perhaps a vignette could have features their mutual dislike despite their mutual similarities. Diana Mitford Mosley and the QM did NOT get along, not only because of their politics but because Diana was great friends with Wallis, "that woman".

BookBliss

This is not my usual area of interest, especially for my blog, but I have always wanted to learn more about the House of Windsor. 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. When Gareth Russell announced that he was writing this biography about the Queen Mother, it sounded enchanting, and I wanted to read it. We’re two old dears, really, aren’t we, William? But we have had some fun’, Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother (1900-2002) in conversation with her long-serving footman Billy Tallon. Summary: Known to many as the Queen Mother, Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon used her wit and charm to survive the both world wars, the loss of her husband and the years of change during her daughter’s long reign. Rather than the standard biography this is told through 101 little stories, memories and anecdotes from the decades of her long life. I thought from the somewhat comical cover, that the book might be less substantial and focus more on the quips and (perhaps) public gaffs that the Queen Mother was known for. Instead, the book was a very in-depth look at the life of the woman who was born while Queen Victoria was still on the throne and died a century later. Not only are well-known sources quoted, but also people who knew or met the Queen Mother and also private letters and diaries were consulted to form a more rounded picture of the QEII's mum -- warts and all. NB: This book is released as “ Do Let’s Have Another Drink!: The Dry Wit and Fizzy Life of Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother” in the United States.

For fans of The Crown and Ninety-Nine Glimpses of Princess Margaret , a deliciously entertaining collection of 101 fascinating and funny anecdotes about Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother—one for each year of her life. I think if you knew who and when the author was talking about you would be fine, for example the Abdication Crisis, Princess Margaret’s affair with Group Captain Townsend, her husbands early death, if you didn’t, then you would be floundering a bit.The book’s title – Do Let’s Have Another Drink– comes, of course, from the Queen Mother’s legendary drinking habits. Russell recounts a boozy lunch she shared with Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O’Connor, Archbishop of Westminster – and, according to the Queen Mother, a very good pianist. When her equerry came to retrieve her late in the afternoon, he found the worse-for-wear pair belting out a rendition of Lonnie Donegan’s My Old Man’s a Dustman. “I think my drink was spiked,” she later claimed. When told that Lady Mountbatten was being buried at sea, the Queen Mother replied cheerfully. 'Dear old Edwina, she always did like to make a splash!' Bertie, later George VI, would need her strength and support. She helped him find a way to conquer his stammer. She stood steadfastly by him through his early days as King and throughout WWII. She became the well loved face with which people could connect. And she was there when her daughter became Elizabeth II. She could be feisty and demanding. She could hold a grudge with the best cat, as both The Duke and Duchess of Windsor would learn. She was also sensitive to her own shortcomings but she never let it stand in her way. Her loyalty was unassailable. Gareth Russell’s survey avoids both of these traps. Described by the author as “a skimming-stone biography,” it tells its story in 10 chapters, one for each decade of the Queen Mother’s life, and 101 gossipy anecdotes. By the end, as the last pieces in the jigsaw fall into place, we have a warm, funny, and above all sympathetic picture of a remarkable woman, one who throughout her long life managed to combine self-indulgence with a powerful sense of duty – both traits which are out of fashion today. The Queen Mother’s life spanned over a century and thus can be an overwhelming topic. (William Shawcross’ biography is a time investment for sure…) However, Russell chose 101 different anecdotes from Elizabeth’s life to highlight her wit and levity. She was known by those around her to be charming and lively, but many of her most-defining moments are from the most serious points in her life.

Elizabeth supported her husband through his stammer that made it difficult for him to give public speeches. His ill health also made it necessary for her to be close by his side. She was unfailing during World War I refusing to leave London to be safe in the countryside. She and their children stayed put to brave the war just as the other people of England did. She believed in solidarity with the people.

However, after the war and the death of her husband she continued her years of service to the crown and her daughter, the Queen. My favorite parts were hearing about her personality. She smiled, teased and enjoyed a smart joke with the people around her regardless of their status. It seems that until the very end she took care of those around her and kept on smiling through all the tough times. 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. That being said this book will definitely give you a glimpse into Elizabeth as a person outside of the offices that she held during her lifetime. All of the anecdotes that Russell included were entertaining and interesting. I am sure that this took a great deal of work as many of the sections were from anecdotal stories of people who knew or knew someone who knew Elizabeth. Do Let’s Have Another Drink!: The Dry Wit and Fizzy Life of Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother, Gareth Russell