Pierre Berton on the Young Queen Elizabeth II (A Maclean's Book)

In 1953, a year after Queen Elizabeth II ascended the throne, Maclean's ran a seven-part series—marking her official coronation—by acclaimed author and historian Pierre Berton, entitled "The family in the palace." It’s an intimate portrait of the private and public princess turned Queen, written almost as if he himself were a lady in waiting: "She does not pluck her eyebrows or wear bright varnish on her nails. She would rather foxtrot than rhumba. She knows her Kipling but has no affinity for Gertrude Stein." Berton also imparts a deeper understanding of the Queen by profiling her forebears, the Hanovers and Coburgs. And he concludes the series with a look at her husband, duke of Edinburgh, "the strong-willed man who will leave his stamp on the monarchy of the future." All seven of these articles, as well as an extra on "The strange rites of royalty" are included is this special Maclean's ebook, Pierre Berton on the Young Queen Elizabeth.