This concise biography traces the formative influences of a long-reigning queen's early years, her accession, and intimate domestic life, examining how personal relationships shaped her political outlook. It highlights key political episodes and advisers that illustrate her conception of royal duty and the evolving role of the Crown in a constitutional system. The narrative balances accounts of public crises and foreign affairs with descriptions of family life, household routines, and private bereavement. A chronological table and references support the account, and the author emphasizes the monarch's persistent devotion to duty as central to understanding her reign.