Douglas Hurd

Former Foreign Secretary Lord Douglas Hurd looks at the life and role of Britain’s reigning monarch Queen Elizabeth II and the way she has adapted to changing times over her 60-year reign.

The Queen becomes Britain’s longest-serving monarch in September 2015 and Hurd shows how she has stood as a lasting symbol of stability, continuity and public service through a period of vast change. Hurd has seen the Queen at close quarters, most notably as Home Secretary and then on overseas tours as Foreign Secretary. He also brings a historian’s perspective to his new book Queen Elizabeth II: Penguin Monarchs: The Steadfast Queen. In it, he portrays a woman who is deeply conservative by nature but with an acceptance of modern life and an awareness that things must change for things to stay the same.

Hurd was MP for mid-Oxfordshire and then Witney between 1974 and 1997. In a distinguished parliamentary career he held many cabinet roles including Home Secretary, Foreign Secretary and Secretary of State for Northern Ireland. He is also an author of political thrillers and non-fiction including biographies of Robert Peel and Disraeli.

Sponsored by HSBC.