4. For Better, For Worse

The last years of the Queen's life underlined her place at the heart of national life. From a unique state visit to the Republic of Ireland to the Diamond Jubilee, from the marriage of Prince Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles to London 2012, she remained a potent symbol. During the Covid-19 pandemic her effectiveness at capturing the public mood was re-affirmed in a series of powerful broadcasts. But, as James Naughtie explains in the last episode of Radio 4's new podcast on the reign of Elizabeth II, the concluding years of the Queen's reign were also coloured by personal heartache. Prince Philip, who had been such a stalwart support to her throughout their marriage, died in 2021 and relations with the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, who chose to step back from public duties and live abroad, were sometimes strained. Yet the transition to a new era was also carefully and discreetly carried on as an extraordinary reign drew to a close.London Olympics © 2012 IOC/BBC Sport Queen's Jubilee © 2022 Buckingham Palace/STUDIOCANAL/BBC Studios Productions Limited

The tragic death in Paris of Diana, Princess of Wales resulted in the greatest public criticism of the monarchy since the Queen had come to the Throne 45 years earlier. In this episode of Radio 4's new podcast on the reign of Elizabeth II, James Naughtie charts the astonishing impact of the Princess's passing and the root-and-branch reassessment of the monarchy to which it led. The way that the Royal Family presented itself to the public changed radically. In this episode, we discover how it was done.

As head of state, the Queen's role and responsibilities ensured she was seldom out of public view. But when "off-duty", she was seldom happier than when leading the life of a countrywoman, enjoying the company of dogs and horses. She was also a particularly stalwart supporter of horse racing as an owner and breeder, a passion she shared with other royal families around the world. And there was another aspect of her private life that provided her with much of the ballast she needed: her Christian faith. In the latest episode of Radio 4's new podcast on the life of Elizabeth II, James Naughtie focuses on the Queen's less public life.

In the latest episode of Radio 4's new podcast on the life of Elizabeth II, James Naughtie looks at the Queen's relations with her prime ministers over the decades of her reign. Winston Churchill was in Downing Street when she came to the Throne; Tony Blair and Boris Johnson had not been born. Although she stood above the party political fray, in the intimate dealings with governments of different stripes the Queen learnt how best to deploy the Crown's influence, especially at moments of crisis. And over more than seventy years, the power relationships shifted subtly.

In the latest episode of Radio 4's new podcast on the life of Elizabeth II, James Naughtie turns his attention to the marital woes of the Queen's children and how they affected her and her reign. In a highly successful union, the Queen herself was happily married to Prince Philip for more than seventy years. But for her children the story was different with highly public - and sometimes acrimonious - separations. How did the head of state - and mother - handle the crises and what damage did they inflict on an institution that was trying to cope as best it could with the new social ways?

In this episode of Radio 4's new podcast on the life of Elizabeth II, James Naughtie looks at how she put her stamp on the monarchy. In the 1950s, Britain - and the Commonwealth - were changing fast and the public expected to see and hear a different style from Buckingham Palace. Yet achieving that while also maintaining the royal traditions that she regarded as a bedrock was a formidable challenge for the young queen. And not all her actions won golden opinions - indeed, some of the sharpest criticism she received came from a surprising quarter. With the help of some of those who observed her at close quarters, we find out how the sovereign responded.

In the second episode of Radio 4's new podcast on the life of Elizabeth II, James Naughtie looks at the dramatic change that transformed Princess Elizabeth's life much earlier than she had anticipated. She and Prince Philip, together with their two young children, Prince Charles and Princess Anne, had been living on the island of Malta where he was serving with the Royal Navy. Early in 1952, the royal couple embarked on an extensive foreign tour and it was in East Africa that they received shattering news from home.

In this first episode of Radio 4's new podcast about the life of Queen Elizabeth II, James Naughtie begins by looking at her early years with the help of some of those who knew her and worked with her, how she prepared for the role that was unexpectedly thrust upon her, her wartime life and at the marriage to Prince Philip of Greece that would also do so much to shape her life and her public role.

Introducing The Queen Remembered from BBC Radio 4, a new podcast about the life of Elizabeth II, James Naughtie explains how he will: look at the life of the Queen from her early years through the seventy years of her reign; talk to some of those who knew and worked most closely with her; consider how she prepared for the role that was unexpectedly thrust upon her; assess the marriage and family life that shaped her reign; and identify the events which defined seven decades in the life of the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth.