With extensive coverage of the early years of elizabeth's life, this is an updated look at the life of britain's monarch. The queen's stability has allowed britain to shed an empire and create a new and prosperous identity quite against all the odds and expectations of most leading commentators. This is the story of a remarkable life of a remarkable woman. When elizabeth became queen the british empire was turning into a commonwealth. After the second world war and the new labour government, britain was changing fast.her family has been surrounded by gossip, though her own long marriage to philip has largely escaped this. The queen's stability and continuity has allowed britain to shed an empire and create a new and prosperous identity quite against all the odds and expectations of most leading commentators. From churchill to blair, and presiding over a country immeasurably different since the start of her reign, queen elizabeth's achievement may now be seen.