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. 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. 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. 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!’

This is the third and last installment of my "British women during WWII" series. The others were The Mitford Affair and The Churchill Sisters: The Extraordinary Lives of Winston and Clementine's Daughters. This was a great finish because the Queen Mother, Elizabeth, referred to them as well.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.

The author is clearly fond of his subject. It's not without criticism but overall he tells a very flattering story. I did appreciate the considerations raised about the sexism faced by the Queen Mother (and other female members of the royal family) that was often exacerbated by the media. And the author paints quite a scathing (and entertaining) portrait of the abdicated King Edward VIII and his wife Wallis Simpson. I have long admired this wonderful woman and wish I could have met her before she passed away. Along with her daughter, Queen Elizabeth II, the world has lost two beautiful icons. May God rest their souls. Do Let’s Have Another Drink is a joyful corrective. A triumph’ Owen Emmerson, co-author of The Boleyns of Hever CastleAs one might expect from the book’s title, alcohol figures prominently, recalling one equerry’s description of the Queen Mother as not an alcoholic, exactly, but “a devoted drinker’. Once, at a dinner in Hillsborough Castle, she responded to the loyal toast by inviting everyone to raise their glasses not only to “the people of Northern Ireland”, but to each of the six counties – one after another. By the end, says Russell, guests were swaying on their feet, while one old general staggered off to throw up in the Entrance Hall’s umbrella stand. The Queen Mother remained clear-headed throughout. 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. 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.

Russell is an extraordinary author, and I would read anything he created, and this book is another to add to an essential collection. This book is a little walk through the past, showing a woman born during the rule of Queen Victoria, and living until after the turn of the millennium. An old-world woman living in a new world was always bound to create an interesting lifetime. So much is written about Elizabeth II but not as much about her formidable mother. She lived through tough times and was pushed into the role of queen by the abdication of her brother-in-law, Edward VIII. But even with this huge change in her life she took it on with dignity and strength. Even Hitler considered her to be the most dangerous woman in Europe. She kept her husband and her country steadfast during the long years of the Second World War.

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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. 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.