But the bulk of the book chronicles the Queen in the 1950s and 1960s as she grappled with, and grew into, her power. There was joy as her family grew - here she is pictured with the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, their son Archie and the duchess's mother Doria Ragland. Close associates of the Prince have whispered that he does not look forward to being a king with any measure of joy". She asked a footman what had happened and he told her that her uncle had abdicated and her father was king. However, one of the most tragic losses the Queen, the royal family and the country had to endure was the death of Princess Diana in 1997.

Two years later the princess was featured on a six-cent stamp in Newfoundland - and down near the South Pole the Union Jack was raised over the 350,000 square miles of "Princess Elizabeth Land", claimed by Australia (and a full 100,000 square miles larger than the entire United Kingdom). The first child of the George VI and Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon, Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Windsor was born on April 21 1926. As she built sandcastles with her slowly recuperating grandfather, the child had evidently absorbed some royal gravitas from the King Emperor. Although the exact timing remains unclear, it was likely from his Spanish prison that Francis wrote to his trusted counselor and general, John Stewart, Duke of Albany, urging him to visit the new pope.The Medici’s distress only mounted when Lorenzo followed his wife to the grave just days later, on May 4. Her father insisted she be made a counsellor of state (usually only open to those who had reached 21) and she stood in for him when he was briefly in Italy, signing a reprieve on a murder case. This November, Taschen will publish Her Majesty, a photographic journey through Elizabeth’s existence in both the public and private spheres. These were formative years for Caterina, who, growing up among her cousins, developed lifelong attachments to her Strozzi kin.

In early 1945, the king relented and allowed her to join the Auxiliary Territorial Service as a trainee ambulance driver. They all faced the challenge of assuming power at a young age and in very challenging circumstances. Soon after her fourth birthday, in the summer of 1930, a waxen effigy of Princess Elizabeth made its debut at Madame Tussauds, seated on a pony. King Francis had offered to raise Caterina at the French court, but Leo politely refused, unwilling to give the French control over his bargaining chip. What the royal couple wanted for their daughters was a “really happy childhood, with lots of pleasant memories”, which meant minimal lessons.In it she pledged her future: “I declare before you that my whole life, whether it shall be long or short, shall be devoted to your service. Born a decade before the start of WWII, a young Elizabeth, or Lilibet as she was known in her youth, spent her childhood living through the chaos of war. French was his first language, and for his entire life, he always preferred to sign his name the French way: Jehan Stuart instead of John Stewart. The most recent was her granddaughter Princess Beatrice’s in 2020, which took place amid the coronavirus pandemic, with the Queen and Philip having to stand socially distanced away from the happy couple. The Private Secretary’s office is also looking for a Digital Content Producer to join the team in the Private Secretary’s Office at Buckingham Palace.