Queen Elizabeth’s official biographer to access her ‘personal papers’ as identity is revealed

The name of Queen Elizabeth’s official biographer was announced on Sunday, and she will have access to a wealth of personal and official papers. Anna Keay, a British historian, has been named as the late monarch’s official biographer and will be able to talk to members of the royal family and the late Queen’s friends and household when researching the book.

She will have access to her personal and official papers held in the Royal Archives. The announcement comes after it was reported last weekend that King Charles wanted a female author for the task, and the broadcaster and academic was in talks for the role. 

Royal fans will eagerly await the release of the late Queen’s official biography, as books of this nature sometimes reveal unexpected facts or details about the subject’s life and shed light on important periods. 

Inside the appointment 

Previously, William Shawcross’s official biography of the Queen Mother revealed she believed Edward VIII was “bemused with love” at the time of his abdication, and how she suffered from bowel cancer in her 60s but was successfully treated. 

Of her appointment, Anna Keay said: “It is a profound honour to have been asked to write the official biography of Queen Elizabeth II.

“She was our longest-reigning monarch and an extraordinary woman, whose life spanned a century of great change.”

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She added: “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.”

Queen Elizabeth passed away aged 96 on 8 September 2022 at Balmoral Castle in Scotland. Her coffin lay at rest in St Giles’ Cathedral in Edinburgh from 12 to 13 September, before being flown to London, where it lay in state in Westminster Hall from 14 to 19 September. Her state funeral took place on 19 September.

Who is Anna Keay?

A historian and author, Anna Keay has served as director of The Landmark Trust since 2012. The trust is one of Britain’s leading building conservation charities, and its aim is “to preserve historic buildings and promote public enjoyment”. 

Anna Keay is also a trustee of the Royal Collection Trust, which King Charles supports as patron, and is a member of the Queen Elizabeth Memorial Committee.

Anna has written several books on British history and culture, including The Restless Republic: Britain Without A Crown, which bagged the 2023 Duff Cooper Prize for non-fiction, and which charts the 11 years Britain was a republic after Charles I was tried and executed.