Prince William hails the Queen for her sense of family and life of service

Prince William has written the preface of a new book that is being published this month in celebration of his Grandmother, Queen Elizabeth’s life.  And his is an intimate praise of the woman who will be the longest serving member of the British Monarchy on September 9 2015.

His comments, which have been published as the foreword in Elizabeth II: The Steadfast, a biography written Lord Hurd are immensely warm and complimentary of the woman who is both leader and matriarch to him.

“Over the last ninety years, the world has changed more rapidly than at any time in history.  When my grandmother the Queen was born in 1926, the wounds of the Great War were still healing, but few would imagine how soon they would be reopened.  The confidence of the previous century had morphed into uncertaintyand many worried – as they still do – about the challenge presented to our communities by rapid technological and social change.

After almost ninety years, we find ourselves in a world that has changed dramatically, almost beyond recognition to the world that The Queen was born into but where the role of charity, family, duty and compassion perseveres.  I think I speak for my generation when I say that the example and continuity provided by The Queen is not only very rare among leaders but a great source of pride and reassurance.  Time and again, quietly and mosedtly, The Queen has shown us all that we can confidently embrace the future without compromising the things that are important.

From a personal point of view I am privileged to witness the private side of The Queen, as a grandmother and great-grandmother.  The Queens’a kindness and sense of humour, her innate sense of calm and perspective, and her love of family and home are all attributes I experience first-hand.  I should add that no mention of The Queen is complete without paying tribute to my grandfather Prince Philip, who has devoted his life to supporting her.

All of us who will inherit the legacy of my grandmother’s reign and generation need to do all we can to celebrate and learn from her story.  Speaking for myself, I am privileged to have The Queen as a model for the life of service to the public.”

The book is being published on August 27th by Penguin.  It is a part of what is expected to be a high profile period in the lead up to her celebration of longest reigning monarch on September 9th.