The 20 Best Books About Queen Elizabeth II

Queen Elizabeth celebrated her 96th birthday in April—that is, her actual birthday, not to be confused with her "official" birthday which will be marked during in June. This year's event will be an especially momentous one, because it will coincide with the Queen's Platinum Jubilee, when she will commemorate becoming the first British monarch ever to mark 70 years on the throne.

Buckingham Palace has already announced a slew of special celebrations for the Platinum Jubilee weekend, which will take place from Thursday June 2 to Sunday June 5. The events will include a special Trooping the Colour, a Jubilee Pageant, a Service of Thanksgiving, and a concert held at the palace.

If you're looking to deepen your knowledge of the longest-running female monarch in world history, there's a wealth of books out there to delve into. From exhaustive biographies, to illustrated coffee table books, to dishy accounts from former palace staffers, here are 20 of the best books you can read about the queen.