Royals choose historian to write Queen Elizabeth’s biography

CTV News' Royal Commentator Afua Hagan on the historian chosen to write Queen Elizabeth’s biography ahead of the marking of her 100th birthday.

The royal family said Sunday that historian Anna Keay would write an official biography of queen Elizabeth II, who died in September 2022 after over 70 years on the throne.

King Charles III had wanted a woman to write the definitive account of his mother’s life, according to British media.

Keay, best known for her work chronicling Britain’s Republican period between 1649 and 1660, said receiving the job was a “profound honour”.

She will have access to Elizabeth’s personal and official papers held in the Royal Archives, Buckingham Palace said in a statement.

She will also be able to talk to members of the royal family and the queen’s friends and household staff, the palace added.

Keay described Elizabeth as “an extraordinary woman, whose life spanned a century of great change”.

“I am deeply grateful to His Majesty The King for entrusting me with this responsibility and for granting me access to her papers, and will do all I can to do justice to her life and work,” she said.

Official royal biographies can sometimes reveal unexpected details about the subject’s life.

William Shawcross’s official biography of Elizabeth’s mother, the wife of George VI, revealed how she suffered from bowel cancer in her 60s but was successfully treated.